Sturm defender Isaac Donkor talks about God and the world, racism in football, his time at Inter Milan and Nestor El Maestro's resemblance to Jose Mourinho.
"End of season for Isaac Donkor!" So it was said on January 22, when the defender of SK Sturm Graz was found to have torn a band of syndesmosis.
A devastating diagnosis for the 24-year-old, who had previously only played his eight competitive game for his new club.
But in the last round of the basic round, the Italian born Ghanaian returned to the starting line-up against the reigning champions Red Bull Salzburg, even spoke to the team in the run-up to the game and was one of the better Graz players in the 0-2 defeat.
"It was said I would be out for months, but God said no," Donkor said in an interview with SPOX.
The Graz defender is a very believer, his name Isaac means something like "God laughed". "That applies to me very well," says Donkor, adding: "But it also means 'God will provide' and he proved it again when I was injured."
Despite the surprisingly early return to the field, the injury-related downtime of almost 50 days was the longest in Donkor's career so far.
"It was difficult for me to see my teammates playing and not being able to help them," reports the 24-year-old. "I did everything I could to come back as soon as possible.
My teammates gave me great support, that was the most important thing. They gave me the strength and I am very grateful for that."
Isaac Donkor: "God Said I Should Go To Storm"
In September 2019, Donkor joined SK Sturm after a one-year engagement with Romanian club CS Universitatea Craiova.
According to Donkor, there was no decisive reason for moving to Austria. "I am a Christian. I believe in God and have faith in him.
When the offer came from Graz, I prayed and got a sign that this is where I have to go.
I followed it and it was a very good one good move for me. " With Lukas Spendlhofer, Donkor met an old acquaintance from their time together at the top Italian club Inter Milan in Graz.
"At the time of my move, I didn't even know Spendlhofer was playing here," Donkor looks back. "But when I saw him then, I knew that it was right to follow God's signs."
Donkor describes his relationship with his defense lawyer as "very, very good". "He is an incredibly great person and always there when you need him." However, Spendlhofer played no role in the transfer to the Grazer - so how did Sturm become aware of Donkor? "I don't have a big player agency in my back, my advisor is my brother-in-law's brother. Nevertheless, Storm found me, it was a sign from God. And if God says I should go to Graz, nobody can change that."
Donkor on his time at Inter: "It was great"
The current fifth placed team in the Austrian Bundesliga is Donkor's sixth professional station.
Inter, who was trained by US Ogliano and Calcio Padova, led the then 14-year-old to Milan.
Just over two years later, he played his first game for the Nerazzurri first team.
In the fifth round of the 2012/13 Europa League season, Donkor was substituted in the 0-3 loss to group winner Rubin Kazan for the injured Andrea Ranocchia.
"To play as a young player in a game like this, all you can think of is: Wow! Me! Isaac Donkor!" Remembers the defender. "You can't really describe that, a dream has come true."
Throughout his time at Inter, Donkor only had four more appearances, twice in Serie A, once in the Europa League against Qarabag Agdam and for five minutes in his only win with the Milanese in Coppa Italia against Trapani Calcio.
Otherwise, Donkor was often used for Inters U19 in the Primavera and was farmed out on loan spells to FC Bari, US Avellino and AC Cesena, who finally signed the defender in 2017.
Nevertheless, Storm's No. 20 does not want to miss his time at Inter. "It was great, I developed a lot. Everyone there tried to help you, everyone was on equal footing, from the first team to the youth. You respect them, then they respect you."
Donkor: "It was impossible to get past Walter Samuel"
At the 18-time Italian champions, Donkor trained under coaches such as Roberto Mancini and Walter Mazzarri.
In his entire professional career, he played under a total of 14 coaches, all of whom gave him something on the way - three of which he nevertheless emphasized:
"Andrea Stramaccioni believed in me and in the fact that I can become a professional footballer, Mancini and Mazzarri as well , they gave me the chance to prove myself. "
Donkor names the former Argentine national team defender Walter Samuel as a great idol, with whom he also coached at Inter. "It was impossible to get past him," enthuses Donkor. "When you ran towards him, you were afraid because he was so aggressive and strong. I tried to take it with me and I'm still working on it today."
Incidentally, Donkor has not yet closed the Inter Milan chapter: "Maybe I will come back someday. People say that dreams are free. And dreams come true if you really believe in them. I will do my best to return to Inter."
Donkor on racism: "We are all the same"
Returning to Inter also means returning to Italy. An infamous hotspot when it comes to racist incidents in stadiums. In an interview with Sky Sport Italia, Donkor once said that he had never been a victim of racism. "It's true," says Donkor.
"Fortunately, I've never had anything to do with it personally, not even when we had games in Veneto, where such incidents are most likely to occur." Donkor does not leave the apparently increasing cases of racism cold.
"I feel really bad when I see something like this. We are all the same," says Donkor, referring to the biblical passage "Romans 2, 1-16", which says: "Before God, all people are equal . "
"We are all human beings, made of blood and bones. It doesn't matter what you look like. I still haven't found an answer to why some people make racist statements. If I find the answer one day, I'll call you .
" Unlike a few days ago, when the professionals of FC Bayern and TSG Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga stopped playing football after insulting Dietmar Hopp, the solidarity and media hype after racist incidents seems to be comparatively low.
Affected players are encouraged to continue playing, it is far away from abandonments. Donkor puts it into perspective:
"I know that my teammates would support me 100% in the event of an emergency. But what would be the point of aborting the game? If these people want to do this, they will do it the next game.
" The defender sees only sensible solution in stadium bans: "Even these people love football. If you ban them from the stadiums, they may think twice."
Isaac Donkor in the World Cup final? "Amen!"
Donkor, whose parents live in Italy and are currently not allowed to leave the house without good reason due to the rampant corona virus, as they would otherwise be punished by the police, spent most of his life in Italy, but was born in Kumasi, Ghana.
Donkor feels very close to the country in West Africa, closer than to Italy. He played a total of ten games for Ghana's young talent selection, but was never allowed to play for the senior team.
So what if Donkor's former coach and Italy's national team coach Mancini suddenly called? "I would go," says Donkor. "It would show that they believe in me more than Ghana. But I have faith in God, time is everything. It is not our will but his. If it is time, God will take care of it again."
Donkor still has very good memories of Ghana's appearance at the 2010 World Cup. To date, the Black Stars are the only African team that has reached a World Cup quarter-finals. An unforgettable handball by Luis Suarez in one of the most dramatic World Cup matches of all time prevented Ghana from entering the semi-final against Uruguay.
"I watched the game at home with my parents, all of my friends and neighbors were visiting. It was incredibly emotional, but maybe the time was just not ripe enough. At some point we might even reach the final." In the team with Isaac Donkor? "Amen!"
Donkor: "Mourinho and El Maestro have a lot in common"
But Donkor's presence takes place in Graz. Günter Kreissl signed the 24-year-old because of his qualities as a defensive all-rounder.
"But I prefer the central defender position. I like to have an overview of the field, read the game. So I can help my teammates with instructions."
At times, Nestor El Maestro fulfilled Donkor's wish and mostly brought it as part of the defensive chain of three. It is not surprising for Donkor that El Maestro names Tottenham's coach Jose Mourinho as a role model.
"They have a lot in common, I can't deny that," said Donkor, who just missed Mourinho's time at Inter. "When I think Inter played against Barcelona 2010 in the semi-finals against Barcelona - how they defended everyone! That's what El Maestro wants, how we play against bigger opponents in games and we're constantly working on it." Donkor and SK Sturm now have ten more games in the master group.
Graz is four points away from the target, the third rank, after the point division. Is the goal a realistic one after the previous achievements in spring? "Of course," Donkor is certain.
"I believe that we can achieve this third place and I know that my team-mates do the same. We do our best every day and train hard. Unfortunately, we missed simple points in the basic round. We made mistakes, now we have to stop making these mistakes. How will we heal all those wounds that we have torn open? We are dream hunters. And we will continue to chase our dream. "
The last goal declared by Günter Kreissl is to be there internationally next season. Whether with or without Isaac Donkor will decide in the coming weeks. The contract of the Italo-Ghanaian expires, Sturm has an option for another year. "I can't say anything about my future yet, we have spoken, but not yet in concrete terms," says Donkor. "Of course I would like to stay, I love the club, my teammates, the city, the country. I love it here. God will take care of it."
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