Ailton: "There will be no offsides"

Farewell from the East Curve: Ailton celebrates his farewell match at Bremen’s Weser Stadium on Saturday.
First Team
Wednesday, 03.09.2014 / 22:29

He couldn't have picked a better time to call up his old buddy Ailton. In the middle of the Werder Twitter chat with Werder fans, the Brazilian's cell phone rang. At the other end was...

 

 

He couldn't have picked a better time to call up his old buddy Ailton. In the middle of the Werder Twitter chat with Werder fans, the Brazilian's cell phone rang. At the other end was Claudio Pizarro. "Are you coming Saturday?" asked Ailton, which had just been asked on Twitter. The two South American strikers immediately got into a deep conversation.

The Peruvian was not able to give a definite yes or not but Ailton's guest list is already long for what will be a huge farewell party on Saturday 6 September 2014 at 4 p.m. at Weser Stadium. "It will be a big day for me. This game is a gift from Werder and God in heaven. I am very, very happy that I can have a farewell like this," said Ailton.

As a cowboy on the ranch - Ailton’s plan B

Ivan Klasnic, Thomas Schaaf, Torsten Frings and many other companions along the way will be there on the weekend, but the protagonist himself is most looking forward to seeing Julio Cesar. "He was one of the most important people for me at the beginning here in Bremen. I haven't seen him in two years since he lives in northern Brazil. He cannot playing any more but he will come as coach," said Ailton.

What would the round Brazilian be doing today if he had never turned goal scoring into a career? "Maybe a cowboy," said the 41-year-old with a smile to the question from Twitter user @wu13yichen. Luckily for all Green-Whites, Ailton made the jump to the Bundesliga where he scored more than 100 goals - 88 of them in the SVW jersey.

Despite winning the double and the scoring championship, Ailton said his most important honour was being selected as the best player of the 2003-04 season - the first foreigner to earn that in the history of the Bundesliga. "That really meant a lot to me," said Ailton, who still gets goosebumps when he thinks about the legendary championship season. "I can still remember every single game. Against Hertha, for example, I scored the first goal with my knee, the second through the keeper's legs," said Ailton.

Micoud called in as assist man

Ailton's 21-year professional career will end with a bang on Saturday with a sold-out Weser Stadium. And he will play the full 90 minutes. "This is my game. This is no chance Ailton will be subbed out," the Brazilian answered @SebeckEms.

The striker also isn't worried about the second major hinderance - besides perhaps a lack of conditioning. There will be no offsides. "There will be linesmen, but they cannot lift their flags," Ailton says with a grin. So he can stand in front of the goal to score as many times as possible. "I invited Johan Micoud especially for some long passes," joked Ailton. There's nothing standing in the way of a fascinating farewell match.

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