COVID-19 outbreak forced everyone to stay at home. For fans, we definitely missed football. For Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper, Kevin Trapp- its a tragedy.
The 29-year-old is having the best moment of his career this season, becoming an important member in Adi Hutter side.
“We started off very well and then, after the game against Bayern where we won 5-1, we went on a downward spiral clinching only a point in seven games. We played a fantastic first half of the season – almost better than last year.
“The lack of points in seven games really brought us into this awkward position. It is a good thing we had a good start in the second half of the season otherwise it could have looked different. In terms of points, anything can
happen – going higher or lower.
We are currently in a position where we are unsure of which direction we will be going in. In one sense, I think it is a good season for us because I think it is the first time that Frankfurt is still fighting for three different competitions in May. You can also look at it that way. You can say we are wobbly in the league, going up and down, however, it is still a good season due to the competitions we are still in. That is impressive.”
All of a sudden, Trapp is separated from his teammates, friends and family. But being separated far away from his fiance for the past two months was the worst nightmare.
“She was working in Paris when this crisis started. The borders were shut in France. There was a complete shutdown.
“Here in Germany things became more serious too. We simply were unable to come back together. It wasn’t easy. It’s been two months of Face Timing and trying to keeps things positive. We are handling it well! It is a good sign.
“We used to live together whenever she wasn’t working. Therefore, being apart for two months isn’t easy. About the wedding – we have been talking about that quite a lot! There was difficulty finding a date first of all because of the European Cup this summer and then came this virus. Therefore, it has been postponed. Not cancelled but postponed. Privately, I miss my fiancé a lot. No question.”
But Trapp biggest fear is being contracted with COVID-19.
“It isn’t really a personal fear but more the fear of infecting others.
“I wouldn’t say I do not have respect for the virus, it is more about not being worried for myself but for others in terms of keeping to the mandatory laws of social distancing – not going out, not infecting others.
“There are a lot of cases where people were not aware they had any symptoms who then went out and infected others. That is my biggest worry.
“In Germany, the restrictions are working well. Thankfully, we seem to have everything under control. Therefore, it is less about me personally and more about the bigger picture of preventing this virus from spreading any further.”
Trapp was a key player at Eintracht before he joined PSG in 2015. But he didn’t get more appearances in Paris, as he had to compete with Salvatore Sirigu, Alphonse Areola and even Gianluigi Buffon.
He returned to Eintracht as a loan player on the deadline day of summer transfer window in 2018, before joining permanently in the last summer.
This season, he played 23 games in all competitions, 13 in Bundesliga, 7 in Europa League and 3 in DFB-Pokal.
At the moment, Bundesliga have allowed clubs to train, but adhering to the social distancing rules.
“We are lucky that we are allowed to finally train again; in small groups but nevertheless. It helps a lot. I spent three weeks in quarantine: one week where there was no training and then two weeks in this compulsory quarantine.
“It wasn’t easy so I have full respect for those who can get through this. The routine of being around the team all the time and going to 20 or 25 matches; being able to communicate and be social – when this gets taken away, it is something you miss, no question about it. Currently, we are training in groups of three. It isn’t as bad anymore however, playing football in full stadiums – we miss that a lot.”