Robin Zentner: “No one can take it away from you”

These days, not many players manage to ever amass 200 competitive appearance for one club. As of last Saturday, Robin Zentner has been amongst the list of names to achieve this. 

“It’s something special and no one can take it away from you,” said the goalkeeper, who has long been a fan favourite in Mainz. “In order to achieve this, you need to spend a few years starting games regularly for a club.” Of all the players currently at FSV, only Stefan Bell (281) has featured in more Bundesliga matches than Zentner. “I hope that Bello hits 300 games soon and leaves me with a big milestone to strive to reach. My goal is obviously still to feature in as many games as possible,” he said. 

The 30-year-old’s first match for Mainz’s first team came in during a 3-2 win against Holstein Kiel in the DFB-Pokal on 24th October 2017. Zentner had spent the previous two seasons on loan at the Storks in order to gain experience playing at the professional level. The goalkeeper had joined the Mainz academy in 2006, having been born and raised in nearby Eltville am Rhein. Looking back on the last eight years of his career, much of which has been as a first-choice goalkeeper, “Makes it feel even better.” In December, the club reaffirmed Zentner’s importance to the team by extending his contract until 2028. 

One of the Bundesliga’s best goalkeepers 

Statistically, Zentner has been one of the league’s top goalkeepers in 2024/25. He kept his seventh clean sheet of the season against Augsburg last time out, in addition to providing stability and security at the back. Zentner has donned the captain’s armband for several seasons as well and has taken up a leading role within the dressing room under Bo Henriksen. Mainz have conceded the second-fewest goals of any side this season (24, only FC Bayern fewer: 19), a tally that Zentner has played a part in keeping low this season. The 30-year-old is quick to also praise his teammates, saying “The quality in our team, in addition to how we approach our daily work, are what defines us. We expect a lot from ourselves and want to achieve something, in addition to having an experienced squad that know what’s needed,” Zentner said. “Everyone has to continuously prove themselves and improve.” 

When pressed, Zentner didn’t name a specific target that the 05ers are hoping to meet at the end of the season. “Everyone is working hard and we’re a team that works well together and has fun together,” he explained. “However, you have to approach each game individually. It’s not easy to win games in the Bundesliga, as we’ve seen recently. But, if we perform to the best of our abilities, then we have a good chance of putting together a winning streak. That has to be our goal, because we have the quality needed to do so.” 

Finding better solutions against teams that defend deep

FSV managed to keep a clean sheet against Augsburg last weekend due to their solid defensive showing, although both the post and Zentner were called upon to prevent Mainz from falling to a defeat. “I think that we would have deserved to have won based on the number of chances and the dominance we had on the pitch. We were a bit lucky at the end,” he said. “We had chances to wrap up a win in the first half, but then we didn’t create many good opportunities after the break.”  

The 05ers have struggled at times when confronted with teams that tend to defend deep this season, as seen away at Union Berlin, Werder Bremen or against FCA. However, the fact that opponents tend to sit back against FSV isn’t a symptom of the good performances the team have put in so far. “Our opponents obviously analyse how we play beforehand. Many teams in the Bundesliga are able to defend and to sit deep. It’s more difficult to find ways around that, especially when you’re not able to play all 34 matchdays like Leverkusen or Bayern,” Zentner said. The 05ers have set the goal of continuing to improve in this area specifically. 

Knows what it takes to face a team battling relegation

Just like his teammates, Zentner also aims to continue improve each season. Working closely together with goalkeeping coach Stephan Kuhnert, himself a club legend, means a lot of intense sessions for the 30-year-old. “It’s 100% what I want to do. The first aim is to become consistent. Then, it’s about continuing to push the limits of your own performance,” he explained. “That’s the priority, because it’s something that I can directly influence.” 

The 05ers are now aiming to pick up points on the road for the first time this year, as they travel to take on 1. FC Heidenheim on Sunday (19:30 CET). With Heidenheim firmly embroiled in the relegation battle, “We need to pick up points.” Zentner added, “We know what it’s like to be fighting for survival. Which is also why we know what you need in order to prevail against a team like that.” The goalkeeper is aware that it won’t be an easy task against a team that have gained a reputation for being tough opponents. “We need to be prepared and be able to react to the game. It will also come down to improving on those things that we didn’t manage to do so well recently,” he explained. “On the one hand, this includes certain actions on the ball but also our ability to finish our chances.”