Tjark Ernst: “You can only win as a team”.
04. December 2021
Tjark Ernst is just 18 years old and trains as a goalkeeper with the professionals of VfL Bochum. On match days, he is the goalkeeper for VfL’s under 19 team. The Stuttgart native has been with the Bochum youth teams since 2011. In the long term, Tjark should also be involved in the Bundesliga on match days for the professionals.
Growing up in a soccer family, the path for Tjark Ernst was almost laid. His dad is Thomas Ernst, former Bundesliga goalkeeper for Eintracht Frankfurt, Kaiserslautern and VfB Stuttgart, among others. Thomas Ernst also played for VfL Bochum and was a member of the club’s board. That might be the reason why Tjark landed with his talent at the Bochum club. Since he was eight years old, he has been playing for the VfL’s youth department.
“In 1-0 games, to still be able to scrape the ball out of the corner in the final minutes and help win feels very good.“
Tjark describes himself as a team player, although he plays a special position as goalkeeper. “In the end, there are only 11 players on the field, but the team includes the substitutes and the personnel behind the team.” They should also be fought for and scored on.
For him, a win is always above personal performance. “In 1-0 games, to still be able to scrape the ball out of the corner in the final minutes and help win feels very good.” However, the youngstar “does not care whether we win 4:3 or 1:0. ” In the end, the victory is all that counts.
„Every player must always try to deliver his personal best performanc.“
Tjark works hard on him every day. “Every player must always try to deliver his personal best performance in order to function as a team.” The training schedule and quality of the first team is of course different from the youth division. The coaching team gives the youngstar a clear path and wants to plan with him for the long term.
Tjark still has a long way to go, and uhlsport is happy to follow Tjark. But many great goalkeepers once stood where Tjark is now. The next step will come if Tjark continues to perform and work hard on himself. Maybe he has it in his genes from his dad to become a Bundesliga goalkeeper in the future.
