Nikolov lived through plenty of ups and downs at Eintracht Frankfurt, and he competed with a multitude of top class goalies including Uli Stein or Andy Koepke to name just a few. Currently he is on 210 Bundesliga and 119 2. Bundesliga games (all for Eintracht!) – it doesn’t come as a surprise that he is also nicknamed ‘Eternal Oka’. This interview took place in mid October, ahead of the Kaiserslautern away game.
Almost 20 years with Eintracht Frankfurt, did you ever think you would be here this long?
In the beginning you do not even think about it, you are just happy that you are with a team like this, and you want to show everyone that you are able to perform and contribute at this level. But if someone had told me in the beginning that I would be here as long as I have been I would never have thought it would be possible. It is just something that does not happen nowadays in professional sports. I think in earlier times it was very normal to stay with a team for the entire career but today it rarely happens. I am glad to be an exception.
Let’s talk about the offer you had to move to New York Red Bulls in the United States. How did this all come about?
Well, one of the good things about modern football is that you get offers and have the chance to play all over the world. The club made a very interesting offer and it is something I really considered, but staying with Eintracht Frankfurt was more important to me and to my family. So when Frankfurt made their offer it was what I chose.
Was it for the financial part of the contract that you stayed? Or were there other things?
The main point was that I was offered a two-year contract, and that I am happy being here and being a member of the team.
What would you like to do after your contract runs out?
That is really hard to stay. If I stay fit I would like play as long as I continue to benefit the club. I think goalkeepers have that chance to play longer in comparison to outfield players. If I cannot continue to play I would like to be a goalkeeper’s coach for kids. But for now I am concentrating on these two years. Then we will see.
Having played for so long: What do you see as the biggest differences in the game today as to when you started?
Oh, there are so many, but the ball is the biggest one. It is so fast and has so much movement. Training these days is very hard and we often practice multiple times a day. The players are also faster, the technique is much better. The media plays a bigger role now with TV and newspapers, news get out so fast and the information is available in so many ways. Almost nothing can be kept a secret nowadays. If you do something wrong as a professional player, the world will know soon. It was definitely not like that when I started.
Maik Franz and Sebastian Jung play a very active role in keeping their fan base informed on what is going on with them. Are you a fan of the internet like some of your team mates?
To be honest: No, I am not. When it comes to what I do as a professional it is already out there and that is part of the job. What matters to me is how I perform for the team and that I do my part to help get the win. My private life is private and I like having the separation to my professional life. I think I am oldfashioned when it comes to that.
How do you see the team performing so far this season?
We had a little trouble in the beginning, but we are doing better, and the recent games are examples for that. What we need to do is to concentrate and to continue doing well. We need to make sure we do not have anything to do with being at the bottom of the standings at the end of the season.
Do you think there is a good mix of players?
Without a doubt, we had a great team last year and though we could have done better we still did well. And this year we have set our goals a bit higher and want to continue doing well as a team. We have made ourselves stronger by signing some new players and I think that as the season goes on we will only get better.
Being with the team for so long I am sure that you are a role model for a lot of the younger players. Do you like having this role in the team?
I do not know if they really look at me as a role model. If they come to me for help of course I help them but that is part of being on the same team. Playing in Bundesliga is not easy and I know how hard it is to be put into the fire like that. If I can help making it easier for them then I will do that. I do not think the young players have those role models any more nor do they really need them, but they tend to help me a lot by bringing their style of playing to the game and it keeps me young.
What would you like to achieve this season?
I do not want to have anything to do with the relegation zone and I would like to have an equal or better outcome than we did last season (10th of Bundesliga / 46 points).
