Albert Demerol has made a breakthrough at Hammarby this season.
Now he is looking forward to the Battle of Gold as Pagen takes on the hunt for Djurgarden and BK Häcken.
In a longer interview, the 19-year-old talks about:
Why did he extend with Hamrabi?
Love for the club closest to the heart
gold battle
Bagen’s successful investment in young players
Honoring coach Marty Cefuentes
Alper Demirol is another young Bajen producer who made his way through the HTFF to Hammarby’s A-team. He made his debut against BK Häcken this summer in a 2–2 match at Tele2 and made his first game since kick-off in a derby in which he drew against AIK just over Little month.
– So I didn’t think much about playing first-team matches when I was with the HTFF, and then of course it was a goal. But after that I was just focusing on my team. Then I trained more and more with Team A and then it felt like it was a good environment. Then you always want to rise to a higher level. Then it only came when I came up with an A-team and I’m so glad I got the chance, he says.
Describe the environment in HTFF?
– Many good and young players. It evolves to play there. HTFF is very close to Team A. We all train in Årsta, and when I was there I saw how Team A did and then it wasn’t a big step when you take the step. In addition to individual quality.
There will be a difference, of course, but the fact that it is so close and that we have the same basic idea makes it easier for the younger players.
How did my donkey become for you?
– I really started my football career here. I played here for a long time after that. We had a good team, good coaches and we were all young players who were like a family. There was also Michael Lahdou, as well as Aziz Al-Harabi. But then we had to split the team, and then we also split up and reunited after a few years in Hammarby again.
You’ve been a hammer villager since you were little, then?
– Yes, when we were footballers, we got into the first team at Söderstadion, and sometimes I had to get in the ball too. Seems like a very long time ago now. Lee Kennedy Bakirchioglu was my role model and I also loved Charlie Davis. Even then, you can see that the supporters are very loyal and have great passion.
I feel the fans are passionate about Hammarby in a way that’s hard to explain.
With that in mind, how did you feel when you played your first competitive match from the start with Team A?
– I wanted to take a chance, so I was not afraid of anything. There were no excuses. Then it was feeling quite sick to get into friends in the derby. She didn’t really realize how big she was when she stood there as we were going, in front of 45,000 spectators. He was actually sick. But once the match started, things went as usual.
– It is a pity that the score is 2-2. I wanted to see us win this derby.
“Very good coach – comprehensive”
It was Martin Cefuentes Any special talk with you before this match?
– not at all. For him, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Age does not matter. You are in if you can contribute and the best play. I’m seen as everyone else who can play. It was still fun to get a chance in a match like this.
What do you say about Marty Cefuentes as a coach?
– He’s a very good coach. Very accurate, works a lot with detail and is perfect to say. He also helped me incredibly before and after he joined the first team and I am so grateful for that.
Many young players left Baggen, why did you choose to extend and stay?
– I thought for my own good, what is best for my career and development. Hammarby is a very good club, I have played here since I was young and not just football. There is a lot of heart, too. The club is where it all began for me.
It’s always been a dream to play for Hammarby. So you’ve always had a dream of playing outside too. But I don’t have pressure there.
What do you say about this year’s edition of Hammarby and what do you think of the end?
I feel like we’re getting better and better as the season goes on. Now we’re third, but it doesn’t matter, we’re taking game by game and there are a lot of points left to play for. Then we’ll see what it leads to.
Do you mostly hang out with the little ones on Team A, or what does Team A look like?
– We’re a group of guys who hang out with each other. Anna, Youssef Orabi, Oliver Dauphin, Dennis Colander and Nathaniel Adji. But we have such good cohesion in the team and everyone can talk to everyone. That’s what’s beautiful.
“Perhaps the best memory is the debut”
What do you say about the fact that there are so many good young players in Hammarby, is it the HTFF that facilitates the involvement of young players?
– It is an advantage of course when we have a so-called ‘B team’ at a good level and the young players can have time to play there. There, the team consists almost exclusively of young players, so we also help each other in the team.
Was football always your thing?
– When I was born, my mother didn’t get flowers, but my father gave my mother a soccer ball instead. This is what my mother told me just a few days ago.
– So he was already there, says Demirol and laughs.
Your best memories with Hammarby so far?
– I would say debut against BK Häcken this year on our soil. I came in when we were 0-2 behind and there were almost ten minutes left. I did not understand anything. Then there were several thoughts running through my head when I was about to debut at Allsvenskan.
– We did not manage to change the situation, but at least the score was 2-2. Then the derby was probably a bigger experience, but the best memory is probably the debut anyway.
How do you see the end now, you have six points against Djurgården with seven rounds left?
– Like I said, there are seven matches left, so the ending is not something we think about. The next match is MFF and this is the match we are focusing on right now. We have a good feeling and I think it will be good.