“I’d only experienced highs up until that point”

Despite having to come off in the 74th minute with cramp in both his legs after scoring on his first start of the season against VfB Stuttgart, Nelson Weiper was still just about able to climb the steps in the stand behind the goal at the MEWA ARENA to join thousands of fans on the terrace as they celebrated the 2-0 victory with the traditional ‘Humba’ chant. Both the FSV supporters and his teammates came together to sing Weiper’s name after the game. “This atmosphere was incredible and it was the icing on the cake of a fantastic day,” said the academy product, who has spent his whole career at 1. FSV Mainz 05.

Setback in autumn 2023

Weiper’s performance on Saturday showed that he is well and truly back, while any rumours of a potential move away on loan after a difficult 18 months or so have been quashed. His goal against VfB was his third in Germany’s top flight, a whopping 699 days after his second back in April 2023. The youngster was starting to really break into the FSV side at the start of the 2023/24 season until he was forced to undergo knee surgery, which left him on the sidelines for many months. “It was a real blow back then. I’d only experienced highs up until that point. I’d scored my first two Bundesliga goals and went to the U21 European Championship with Germany. I was making great progress until my operation. This setback ended up costing me a lot more time than we originally thought it would. I was out for almost eight months, which obviously wasn’t easy because I just want to be playing football.”

18 months later, Weiper has put this difficult time behind him, learnt from it and feels his game is all the better for the experience. “I’m physically fit, in a good place and I think I’m a better footballer than back then too,” he said with confidence. He never doubted himself and thoughts of a loan move have been put to one side. “Mainz is my club. I love playing here,” he stressed after the game last Saturday. It was therefore no surprise to see how happy his teammates and fans were after the Mainz-born attacker opened the scoring against Stuttgart on his first Bundesliga start since August 2023. “It’s a fantastic story, he was outstanding. He was out injured for so long and now he’s back – what a performance,” praised head coach Bo Henriksen.

Family in the stands and a message from England

Last Saturday should only be the start of a much greater success story for Weiper, who had his family and friends in the stands to support him: “My parents were there, my sister, my little brother, my uncle and my cousins too. My mates were also there too, they’re always standing on the terrace,” said Weiper, who also got a message from one of his good friends now playing in the Premier League. “Brajan obviously sent me a text. He was really pleased for me.”

While his former teammate has been in Brighton since last summer, Weiper is more than happy to still be at FSV, not just because of the team’s great form but also the great atmosphere within the dressing room. “You can see it in how we play too,” stated the 19-year-old. “We’re on a roll and want to maintain our position in the table. I love this team, they welcomed me back nicely to the starting XI. We were all equally happy about it.” The Germany youth international wants to keep his feet on the ground though after his goal, beautifully assisted by Paul Nebel. He feels it’s more important for the team to build on their strong performance against Stuttgart by winning again on Friday night in Bremen. “We want to put in another high-intensity performance and leave everything out there. That’s the only way we’ll be able to win. We all have to play how we did against Stuttgart,” demanded Weiper, knowing full well that anything less won’t be enough, as evidenced by the result away to Union Berlin recently. For Weiper, his aim for the trip up north is clear: “I want to play my part in us taking all three points – hopefully by scoring a goal and by putting in a good performance.”