A Fuchstaler on the way to becoming a professional soccer player

Created: 07/19/2022, 19:00

By: Thomas Ernstberger

Basti Eckl from Asch: He gives everything for his big dream of professional football.

© Karo Veit

Asch – A footballer from Fuchstal who plays in the Bundesliga and was better with his team last season than FC Bayern and 1860?

If there isn't, that will be the first answer.

It already exists, be revealed at this point.

This soccer player is 17 years old, called Basti Eckl, comes from Asch and plays in the U19 SpVgg Unterhaching.

They ended the 2021/22 season in seventh place in the South/Southwest season.

Bayern ended up in ninth place, the lions were still playing in the Bayernliga.

"Basti is the prime example of a young guy who has had the goal of becoming a professional since he was a child.

In order to fulfill his dream, he left his parents' house early on," says ex-pro Manfred Schwabl (56), President of SpVgg Unterhaching.

That's exactly how it was: Basti, born in September 2004, started playing football at the age of four at SV Fuchstal.

In 2012, at the age of eight, I was invited to Haching for a trial session.

There he liked the former professional Francisco Copado.

"He let me train with the U11s, recognized my talent and stood up for me," Eckl, who then made it into the U11 squad, looks back.

For his big goal, the boy moved from Fuchstal to Bad Aibling, attended the DFI (German Football Boarding School) there for two years, later lived for another two years in the Haching youth center with the parents of national player Karim Adeyemi and has now been living in Munich since 2020 -Fasangarten in a shared flat with Leonard Grob from Haching.

At home in Asch, with his parents, who have unconditionally supported his career planning, with his three brothers Raphael (16), Flo (13/plays in the U14 from 1860), Samuel (7/SV Fuchstal) and his grandparents, he is only even on some weekends.

After all, you also need time for your friend Antonia and going for walks with your dog Luna.

The interim, growth-related injury problems have been overcome, Basti, who prefers to play defender (offensively oriented), has completed technical college (in Schwabl's hometown of Holzkirchen), has just extended his contract by a year (until 2023) and is being hired by Berthold Nickl from the renowned Agency "PRO Profil" supervised.

"It was an important step forward," he says.

So he can now subordinate everything to his big goal: "Becoming a professional - that's what I've wanted to do since I've been with Haching." He adds self-confidently: "I can do it.

I'm a biter.” His strengths?

"The duels, crosses and my calmness on the ball when building up the game."

Tremendous support

Eckl knows: "Now is the most important year for my future, that's when the course is set, that's when it says: full concentration on football.

I have to convince coach Marc Unterberger with my performance.”

How does Eckl see the chances that his dream, for which he has been doing so much for years, will come true?

“Very good in Haching.

Here, 80 percent of the players in the men's division should come from their own youth." It is well known that the "boss" of SpVgg attaches the greatest importance to his own youngsters: "The support is enormous.

Manfred Schwabl is present at every game.

That is extraordinary for a president.”

And how does Schwabl judge the Fuchstal soccer youngster?

“He has a brutal will and a brutal character.

I will continue to watch him benevolently,” promises the four-time national player.

Addition: “You can achieve so much in football if you have a will.

You used to see that with Thomas Miller, for example.” 1860 cult footballer Miller, the “iron foot” from Polling, always gave 110 percent on the pitch.

Basti is just that kind of guy.

However, he no longer knows Miller, 42 years his senior.

Eckl has other role models: "One is David Alaba, because he is also an attacking full-back who now only plays as a central defender.

And also Thiago, who can do everything on the ball.”

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It will be interesting to see how the career of the self-confident young footballer from Asch continues.