Bochum’s Strongest Offensive Weapon: Erhan Masovic
No one in Bochum can help but marvel at the sudden transformation of central defender Erhan Masovic (24) into VfL’s strongest offensive player. With his recent goal, which secured a 1-0 victory against Leipzig, Masovic became the talk of the town. The team jokingly refers to him as “scorer Erhan,” a nickname that has become quite fitting.
Masovic’s goalscoring prowess is quite surprising, given that he had not celebrated a single goal in 132 competitive games in the men’s division. Even when he played as a center forward for the reserve team of AC Horsens (Denmark) in 2020, he was not able to recommend himself as a goalscorer. However, Masovic seems to have saved all his success for this second half of the season, as he has now scored four times in just seven games.
Masovic’s recent form has made him a fixture in the starting XI. Coach Thomas Letsch praises him for his calmness and aggressiveness on the field. These qualities are reflected in the team’s statistics: without Masovic in the starting XI, VfL conceded an average of 2.7 goals per game, while with him, the team conceded just 1.93 goals per game. With Masovic and Ivan Ordets (30) as the defense boss, the once-weakest defense in the league is becoming more and more stable.
Even with his impressive stats, Masovic remains humble. He jokes with teammate Philipp Hofmann (29), telling him that he’ll catch up with him in terms of goals scored. Hofmann, who initiated Masovic’s newly dubbed nickname Maestro says, “It’s amazing that he’s in the right position again. Maso made a giant step.”
Bochum’s victory against Leipzig and Masovic’s goal has brought great excitement to the town. The team’s recent successes, including two consecutive games with a clean sheet, have given fans something to be proud of. Despite their struggles in the past, it seems as though Bochum is finally finding its footing, thanks in part to Erhan Masovic, their once-unlikely hero.
