Chris David continues his career at Würzburger Kickers. The 27-year-old attacking midfielder was transfer-free after his departure from Cape Town City in South Africa, then trained with RKC Waalwijk and has now signed a one-year contract with the club who have been promoted to the 2.Bundesliga. In Germany David meets two old acquaintances: with the Global Sports Director Felix Magath he previously worked together at Fulham, while former FC Twente teammate Douglas signed with Würzburger Kickers two months ago.

By Chris Meijer

During the conversation with David, the sound of the stadium speaker in the Flyeralarm Arena can be heard in the background. Without the former youth international, Würzburger Kickers lost 0-2 against Holstein Kiel in their own stadium on Sunday. “It has now officially come out, but I had already signed last Tuesday. They wanted to keep it a secret to surprise the opponent, but the papers were not arranged on time ”, David tells Football zone. With the presentation at Würzburger Kickers, a somewhat difficult search for a new club has come to a satisfactory end for him.

‘European clubs should just come and have a look here, I really think’

Football Zone spoke to Chris David in April about his time in South Africa.Read article

As a result of the corona crisis, David’s employment at Cape Town City came to an early end in July, where he had been active for more than a year at that time. “I was in one myself for two months lockdown, so that was not pleasant. It was not clear how long that would take, in the end it was four months. It was a bit too much for me, which made me want to return to Europe ”Due to the corona crisis, it was not easy for David, who previously played for FC Twente, Fulham, Go Ahead Eagles and FC Utrecht, to find a new club.

“Clubs are more careful, want to spend less and make selections smaller. There are so many players who are transfer free, who have done well last season and have a lot of games to their name. I’ve had to train a lot for myself, but I’ve always stayed positive and kept working hard. I kept praying every day that God would open a door. I have always kept that belief. There was interest here and there, I got calls from people who wanted to help me or who had something, ”he says. At the beginning of August David turned up at RKC, where he was allowed to train and was given the opportunity to enforce a longer stay.

“I have always kept in good contact with Fred Grim, he just happened to send me a congratulation too. I also knew Mo Allach, there I got the opportunity to train and show myself. If it turned out to be something, it would be nice, ”David explains the realization of the trial period. “In the end the club decided that it would not result in a contract, then you have to keep going, stay fit and make sure that you are ready for the next club. That sometimes happens, trainers need certain things in a team and have to make choices based on that. RKC needed a different type of midfielder. In retrospect, I am perhaps glad that it turned out that way, because Würzburger Kickers is a very nice club and the 2.Bundesliga is a fantastic level. ”

David during his time at RKC, in which he played in friendly matches against NEC Nijmegen and NAC Breda.

Before that opportunity presented itself, he had to be patient. “But they say that patience is rewarded,” he beams. In the meantime, calls did come in, but that was mainly from countries or competitions that David did not immediately like. “From Azerbaijan and Finland, for example. That was not interesting enough, I believe in my qualities and I know what I can still do. I have the feeling that eventually I can make a step up again, it just has to be in a good environment where I can get the best out of myself. I think Germany is a fantastic environment in that respect. ” The fact that David eventually ended up in Germany is partly due to the presence of Magath.

David and Magath worked together at Fulham in 2014 and kept in touch after the departure of the German trainer. The ex-trainer of, among others, Hamburger SV, Bayern Munich, VfL Wolfsburg and Schalke 04 has been working since January of this year as Global Sports Director within the Flyeralarm football empire. The Würzburg-based printing company is the name giver of the Würzburger Kickers stadium and is also the main sponsor of the Austrian Bundesliga club FC Admira Flyeralarm. The German affiliate of the Flyeralarm empire was promoted to the 2.Bundesliga last season, where the start is still difficult. Würzburger Kickers is currently the last player with one point from four games and trainer Michael Schiele already had to leave the field for Marco Antwerp.

“Antwerp already wanted to get me to Preussen Münster in the 3rd League two years ago. Then I made the choice to go to Cape Town City. Magath and he consulted together and were able to use my qualities, so I was invited to see how and what. That’s how the ball started rolling. The impression was immediately good, the staff was positive and that is why a contract was eventually reached. I had to let my feet speak, because you have to prove yourself and I did that ”, David remembers. In his own words, he did not hesitate for a moment when the offer came in from the 2.Bundesliga. “Especially not in the situation I was in. I always said I wanted to play in Germany someday, I speak the language fluently, family lives there and the competitions are great. Magath didn’t have to convince me in that regard. You can compare the competition a bit with the Championship: fantastic stadiums, everything is professional, a high level. ”

In Würzburg, David met two Dutch teammates: goalkeeper Eric Verstappen and Douglas, whom he still knows from their joint period at FC Twente. The 32-year-old defender completed a trial period with Go Ahead Eagles last summer, but eventually decided to revive his career in Germany. “I had sent a text to Douglas that I would come, he was happy about that. In the end he took good care of me, even though he just got here. We meet every day and talk a lot about our time at FC Twente. It’s nice that you have someone you know. ”

“I’m careful, in football and in life you don’t know what will happen tomorrow. I am someone who is grateful to be on the field, health and fitness is the most important. I just want to make as many minutes as possible and run a strong season, then we’ll see how it is at the end of the season. I am really looking forward to playing here, to get my form back from where I once stood ”, it sounds reserved when David is asked about his ambitions in the short term. He hopes to make his official debut at Würzburger Kickers next Saturday, when the away match against Hamburger SV is scheduled. With a smile he concludes: “That is a nice game right away.”