9 years of Jonathan-Tavan s handwritten letter bid farewell to the pharmaceutical factory: Alonso Verz Son Heung-min...

May 30th Leverkusen captain central defender Jonathan Ta joined Bayern without a sign-up. Tatto released a handwritten letter of nearly 10,000 words entitled "A decent farewell"

Jonatan Tatto wrote:

You rarely have the chance to say goodbye for the second time.

I think in the football world, I must be one of the lucky ones, because I got this opportunity now.

You should know that you should have said goodbye last summer. I had already agreed to Bayern Munich at that time and everything was 90%. My luggage is packed-literally. But it turns out that in football business, 90% equals zero. Even though I knew I might get a call at any time, I went to our preseason camp with the team because I wanted to be with my brothers and some teammates I've known for almost ten years. In such a huge uncertainty, I really need that sense of everydayness. Just being able to laugh with my teammates has given me great help.

One day, when the deal looked like it was finished, I received a text from Alonso.

"Jona, let's talk."

We went to the conference room, Alonso, he had a natural aura... It's hard to even tell what that was, but it was reflected in the way he spoke and the way he looked you straight into the eyes. In the football world, it is rare to be like that sincere person. You know what he has done as a player, but more importantly, he treats you as a person. He won absolute respect.

We had a pretty in-depth conversation. I don't want to elaborate on the specific details he said, but I've been in Leverkusen for nine years and he's totally aware of what this club means to me. He started talking about the quality I brought to the team and the impact I had on my teammates and I felt that he really saw me as a special person.

He is not talking to me as a legend. He just talked to me as a person.

Finally he said, "All those transfers, all the discussion about your contract... are left behind. You are here now, as long as you are still here, I will support you."

Hearing him say this...yes, I was emotional.

He could have neglected me. He could have me trained with the reserve team. He could have treated me like a stranger.

But no, he is Alonso. He treats me like a family.

When I got home and told my wife that conversation, she cried.

She said, "Jona, forget about football. It's more than just a job. Look at the friendship you've built here. Look at how wonderful it's all."

It's interesting to say that there's nothing but rumors in the past three months. You're just boring to watch your name appear on social media. All of this is a bit ridiculous.

I don't think people understand the weird feeling when they are about to transfer. This is not a FIFA game on PS consoles, do you understand? You were sitting on the sofa at home trying to figure out the situation, but countless people sent you messages at will, saying, "Hey Ruona, brother, you should go to this club."

I was like, "Oh really? Are you their head coach? Because they haven't contacted me at all!"

Even if the rich clubs call, the situation is like... OK, but do they really need me? Should I be a leader or a substitute? These questions really disturb your mind, and in the end you can only ask yourself in the mirror: What do I really want?

Well, I want to go to the place where I can make the best version of mine.

For me, that place is Bayern.

To be honest, I have received other very generous invitations. I like the idea of ​​going abroad to learn new languages ​​and experience new cultures. But for me, the core is always personal growth, interpersonal relationships and cultural atmosphere. I will join one of the top clubs in the world and follow a very, very special coach.

I started paying attention to Kompany when he was playing for hamburger. At that time, I was a kid who dreamed of playing for my hometown team. You can see that he is about to become one of the best central defenders in the world, and I really admire him at that time. Now that he has become the leader among his peers, I admire him even more. We both have an African father and European mother. To me, this connection has always been special.

Just talk to him, you can feel his passion, ideas and values. Like Alonso, he treats you first as a human being, and then a professional player. He explained to me how to integrate into the team system and how to help me become a better central defender.

This is exactly what I want to hear. The idea of ​​working for him fascinated me.

In the end, I got everything I wanted in my hometown of Germany.

But before starting a new chapter, I want to say decent goodbye to this place that means a lot to me. Seriously, in the football world, this place is seriously underestimated.

Over the past decade, Leverkusen has been much more than a home. It's like a protective cover that allows me to learn and grow. There are so many people here who teach me. Even a young man like Wiltz... what can a tall central defender learn from Wiltz? No one can copy his magic on the ball. But I remember that he had just been training with the first team, this 17-year-old, who happened to watch a video he took for Adidas. When asked about the goal, he said, "I want to win the Golden Globe."

Many players say that, right? But you can feel that Wiltz is serious. The expression he said when he said this, the sharp edge in his eyes... He was fearless. When you see the intensity of his training, you will understand that he can really do it.

Wilz can earn all the world's wealth, but he will not change. He has the purity of street football in his bones.

For him, only competition is important, do you understand? Everything else doesn't matter.

I think this is a valuable lesson for any football player.

and those African teammates. It’s interesting that when Bonifas and Tapsoba first came, we were all thinking, “How did they relax so much?”

My father is from Côte d’Ivoire, but I grew up in German culture. They just seemed to care nothing about what was happening on the field. I even asked Tapsoba, "Why are you never nervous?"

He replied, "Brother, do you know my days in Africa? I played barefoot, shirtlessly, and used tree trunks as goal posts on the gravel floor. Bundesliga? It's so easy."

He and Bonifas always laughed and told me how they bathed in a bucket: apply soap and poured a bucket of water overhead. They even talked about some days when they woke up in the early morning and didn’t know if there was breakfast, so they simply slept for three more hours and waited for lunch to survive their hunger.

They inject so much joy into the training ground every day. They are grateful and how lucky they can make a living with their children's games, do you understand?

Seriously, they are so interesting...Tapsopba wanted to come to my house to chat and look back at the time we spent together, and I said, "Of course, come here at 6:30 pm."

In Germany, this actually means 6:25 pm. The

clock points to 6:30. Tapsoba did not show up.

6:45

I called him.

"Brother, where are you?"

He said, "It's on the road."

But I heard that he hadn't gotten in the car at all. I said, "Brother, tell me directly what time it will arrive."

He replied, "Don't be anxious, I'll come now."

"Brother..."

"Send you a message when it's here."

I hung up and continued waiting...7:00...7:15...7:30...He arrived only at 7:45. One hour and fifteen minutes late. I hope to get an apology for others a few minutes late, but he seemed to have nothing to do. No problem, anyway, people are here.

This is their mentality. Yes I'm late, but I'm here at the moment, so that's OK. The same goes for

Latinx teammates. The video conference is scheduled to be 10:30, and they can chat in the locker room until someone reminds me. Usually it is the German staff who urged: "Everyone, it's time to leave."

I can understand Spanish, and I'm actually very annoyed when I know they're being urged: "What's going on with this guy?"

They can't understand at all: "What's the matter with him? It's only three minutes late."

The video conference began, and everyone was there - wait... Where is Bonifas and Tapsoba?

They have not yet entered the locker room.

is still soaking in the physiotherapy area.

But African players play better in this way. The more stressed they are, the more relaxed they are. I think many players should learn to see this sport thoroughly, especially German players. Sometimes we are too serious and tense. Relax a little, usually the performance will be better.

Fortunately, Alonso was very tolerant of being late. He would say "Be careful..." three times in a row. He can always grasp the right measure.

It is this that makes Leverkusen such a wonderful experience. Players of different cultural backgrounds and different personalities gather here and play harmoniously like a symphony.

Everyone contributed to the team. If I were to point out the most critical member, I would say it was the third goalkeeper Longbo. He has been here for seventeen years. Although he knows that he has few opportunities to play in the season, his daily training is like preparing for tomorrow's Champions League final. He was fully focused and his voice was loud, and he always spurred everyone. As a defender, you'll hear him roaring and let you close the legs of the post so he can hold the far post because the crotch shot is extremely difficult for him to save. If you are a little careless...

"Jona! Put your damn legs together!"

To some nights today, his roar will still break into my dreams.

"Rona!!!Rona-Na!!"

If you don't know his appearance, you can search online. When you get roared by that guy, you will definitely do what he says.

I'm not even sure if Longbo understands how important he is to the team spirit. We used to make a comeback on small teams, but last season we vowed to crush every opponent. Even in the Cup against the third-level team, we will play as the final battle of the championship under the 80,000 people. This is the spirit of Longbo.

Luckily, this belief was infused with blood when I first arrived here.

The first training day that I will never forget, during the one-on-one offensive and defensive drill, my opponent is Son Heung-min.

In Austrian preseason training camp, this means a lot to me at the age of nineteen, a young boy who has just transferred from Hamburg to Leverkusen and is worth nearly 10 million euros. This was a sky-high price for young players back then, especially when I just finished my loan in Düsseldorf in the Bundesliga. I'm extremely shy. When I walked into the cafeteria on the first day, it was like the first day of school. I stood there nervously and didn’t know where to sit. Maybe I only stood for fifteen seconds, but it was as long as fifteen years. Finally someone pointed at the empty space. I only said five words throughout the lunch period.

The weird thing is: as a newcomer, you will look forward to hearing "I'm so glad you joined". But I soon realized that the world of football is not the case. When they introduce you, you forget that you are always occupying someone else's chair.

I even heard the old team members discussing: "This kid doesn't look very good... 10 million euros? Is it really spent so much money to buy him?"

In short, that was on the eve of Son Heung-min signing with Tottenham. He was horrible when he held the ball. Interestingly, there was a Korean young player in the team at that time. He respected Son Heung-min so much that he would bow respectfully every time he talked or even looked at each other.

For example...

"Okay, senior. (Bow) obey the order."

Even if it is just to ask him to hand over the salt shaker.

"Okay, sir." When it was my turn to one-on-one training, who was at the top?

Of course it is Son Heung-min.

Suddenly he rushed towards me with a quick pace, Wollell was watching from the sidelines, Schmidt was watching... the whole team was watching. Son Heung-min started dribbling, and I decisively took off.

Bang! Hit the ball. Clean and neat. pretty.

I intercepted the ball and scored.

The second interception was successful again.

The third time is exactly the same. I didn't miss the whole training class once. Even making moves that I had never completed before when attacking, and for a few seconds I was like Ronaldinho. The moment I walked off the lawn, I understood.

They respect me now. They know why I am here.

Wolal and Schmidt still talk about that training class. Yes, I was nervous, but I was not afraid. The secret lies in my mentality.

I am ready.

After winning respect on the field, we also won respect off the field. I knew Cialhanoglu in Hamburg in my early years, and Son Heung-min was also familiar with him before leaving the team. Bellabi became my eldest brother, he was really a crazy guy. I love the spirit here because no one thinks "Ah, we will be successful and famous in Leverkusen."

They hate the nickname "Runner-up Cousen".

"Neverkusen".

10,000-year-old second.

I hate it very much, too. These are my brothers.

My development was smooth, so when I became a substitute for a while, I was shocked. That was his second year with Boss, and before that I had always been the core of his defensive reliance. At a meeting, he suddenly told: "Rona, you are the fifth choice."

means: Wait until this guy is injured... and then that guy is injured... it is your turn. This tastes bad.

But I didn't complain that "the coach is so bad, he doesn't understand the ball at all." I focus on being ready to play at any time.

Only give you two minutes? Then try your best two minutes in your life.

Entertainment practices at six o'clock in the morning every day. When everyone is still sleeping and you know you miss the next day, you practice hard. The less you play, the harder you train, because there will be no fatigue caused by weekend events. I have grown hugely on the spiritual level. Self-pity or self-improvement? The choice is up to you. In the end, you can look straight in the mirror calmly and be sure that you have done your best to return to the arena.

I think this changed Boss's view of me. If I had complained a lot at that time, he would have thought: Look, I did not read him wrong.

That is why those months became my most important time in Leverkusen. There is a way out in the dark. God has his own arrangements.

Even if you are at the bottom of the valley, hardship has its profound meaning. I remember that in 2022 we fell to the second-last and the situation was in jeopardy. When I talked deeply with coach Sevane, each other asked, "What else can we do to change the status quo?" He saw my potential as a leader and pushed me to adapt to this role, and I was always grateful for this, but we were really helpless at that time.

We tried all the methods. All methods literally. Several internal players' meetings were held. We try to rectify it seriously. I have also tried to reduce stress and build a team, and go out for a few beers to enhance my feelings. Try all the motivational speeches you can think of. Still useless.

Reiterate once, this is by no means a FIFA game. Football is so complicated. Sometimes all members give their all and do their best, but the result is still contrary to their expectations.

One day, Rollfies walked into the locker room and announced: "We will welcome the new coach."

Someone burst into tears on the spot, feeling sad for Sevane, and knowing that the problem was not on him. I called and apologized, "We are really sorry." He said, "Don't worry, I just hope you can get out of the predicament." Then we heard the rumors about Alonso. Although he knows that he has little coaching experience, everyone thinks: Wow, that's great. On his first day of his tenure, we found that he was fully qualified for the player role. To be honest, it's okay to let Alonso play directly. Once a long pass training asked to hang the ball across the defense line to find the wingback, he suddenly stopped me: "No, Jonah, that's not the case."

I thought I was passing well, but he said: "This ball needs to be... more tricky."

I asked: "What does it mean?"

He tried to explain, and then said: "Come on, give me the ball."

He touched the ball and turned around, and a long diagonal pass passed through the half of the game like an arrow, landing accurately on the wingback's upper, so the opponent didn't even need to slow down and stop the ball. Amateur players can easily remove such passes.

Alonso turned to us:

"...this is what I meant."

I thought to myself: Are you kidding?

The sounds he made when he hit the ball were different. Bang! When you close your eyes and listen to the sound, you will know that it is Alonso.

I turned my head and asked my teammates: "How do I learn this?"

Everyone burst into laughter, and no one could replicate Alonso's magic.

I don't think Alonso has fully adapted to his coaching status. He is still a player at heart. During passing training, he always subconsciously poses in a catch pose next to him. To be honest, Yu Guangneng caught a glimpse of Alonso fifteen meters away and opened his body to respond. If you pass a good ball, he will shout, "Yes, yes... that's it!" It seems that the ball was passed by him.

Watching yourself make him so happy, you will also feel happy. His passion is simply breathtaking.

I am deeply grateful to Alonso, who makes me feel my own value. I remember when he led the team to warm up for the first training, you will never guess what he thought when facing the new coach: maybe you will be on the bench or even sell you, maybe you will not match his tactical system. But he said: "I'm a newcomer and the locker room needs a leader like you. You need to push your teammates and convey my tactical ideas."

I've seen Real Madrid videos Riancelloti said the same thing to a player, and Alonso played for Real Madrid, which made me feel special.

The first priority he deployed was: "We must strengthen the cross defense."

Then he looked at me:

"Jona... You are the core in the penalty area. ”

Have you seen a goal where a forward uses you to cover and score? It will never be allowed to happen! We practice hard both the ball: use your body to hold the forward to sense pressure, and the arm is disturbed without fouling - this is the art of the goal.

Another focus is positioning: how to open the body angle to achieve faster ball control and pass the ball. Maintain accurate distance from the ball.

Alonso emphasizes: "Abrelacadera (open the hip).

Rotate the hip joint. Find a triangle cooperation.

The core goal is always to let Wilz get the ball between the defense line. After mastering this, Alonso will raise a new topic.

"Okay, now practice top long passes. ”

This is exactly what I love Alonso. I always ask him: “What else can I improve? "Oh my God, his guidance on details is so precious. Those seemingly insignificant adjustments can bring about great changes when they accumulate.

The night when the referee won the championship at home against Bremen, everyone rushed into the court to cheer. I pulled up my jersey and covered my face... In ten to fifteen seconds, all the noise suddenly disappeared.

Just like a slow motion movie: everything is stagnant, but my thoughts are extremely clear. I can't hear or feel anything. It seems like I'm isolated The protective cover of the world flashed back in front of my eyes throughout the season - no, the memory even went back to the age of six. In Hamburg, my mother asked me for work if I could go to kindergarten to pick up my sister.

You should know that I was just a child. We didn’t have a car, and my mother was desperate at the time. As a kindergarten teacher, she really couldn’t pull herself away to pick up her younger daughter. I remember she was crying when she spoke. And I mustered up the courage to walk into kindergarten and hold my sister’s hand. On the way through the Altona area, pedestrians might be swearing, “Where are their parents? "I looked straight ahead and took her home and opened the door for her.

My mother cried again when she returned, and guilt and pride were intertwined. And I was extremely proud. I firmly believe that the whole journey began here, and that was my first time becoming a leader. Everything that happened off the court will eventually affect my performance on the court. After the memory flashed back, my thoughts jumped to the showdown with Son Heung-min on the first training day. "What? Spend ten million for him? ”

Terrible time on the bench. Dilemma with Sevane.

First deep conversation with Alonso.

All the games that won or lost side by side, all training classes, tactical meetings and video analysis. And now we finally became the champion.

"Never win the championship" has become history.

The only thought in my mind: we did it.

We really did it.

When the illusion dissipated, the sound waves poured into my ears again, and my teammates jumped up and hugged me.

That moment made me realize the meaning of this trophy to me. Not only because of me, I won The Bundesliga champion is also because I am co-creating it with this club, this coach, and this group of teammates.

Thank you for sharing this moment with me. Thank you for becoming an indispensable part of my life chapter.

In the end, my wife was right, do you understand?

This is much more about football, but also about all the beautiful people you meet.

The memories are engraved together.

It is about the understanding that benefits for life.

It is all because of this beautiful sport - football.

Sincerely

—Jona