2. Bundesliga
HSV's talisman firing again
Robert Glatzel has scored in five consecutive Bundesliga 2 matches for Hamburg and is the league's current top goalscorer with seven goals, which should come as no surprise given his record in the German second division.
After missing large parts of pre-season and Hamburg’s first two league fixtures of 2024/25 due to injury, Glatzel has quickly got back to doing what he does best: finding the back of the net. Since making his first league appearance as a substitute in HSV’s 1-0 defeat at Hannover on Matchday 3, “Bobby” has scored a total of seven goals in Die Rothosen’s following five Bundesliga 2 matches.
He has found the net against Jahn Regensburg, Kaiserslautern and Paderborn, as well as bagging braces against Preußen Münster and most recently promotion rivals Fortuna Düsseldorf last weekend, where his goals helped Steffen Baumgart's side to an important 3-0 away victory.
Watch: Fortuna Düsseldorf 0-3 Hamburg - highlights
Glatzel is a classic, old school number nine: a great eye for goal, poses a serious aerial threat, and clever penalty-box movement that makes him a nightmare for defenders. Take his second goal against Münster and his finish against Regensburg, for example. On both occasions, Glatzel made an intelligent run in behind his marker, got on the end of his teammate’s cross and convincingly put away from close range. Glatzel has that striker’s instinct, which explains why he has found himself high up the Bundesliga 2 goalscoring charts season after season.
Whilst the HSV man had been accustomed to playing as a sole striker in previous campaigns, the 30-year-old has proven his tactical flexibility as an attacker in 2024/25. The 6'6'' forward has thrived as part of a front two this season, typically playing alongside summer signing Davie Selke or attacker Ransford Königsdörffer. Whether leading the line or working as part of a strike partnership, Glatzel’s output has remained consistent, and this provides a good option for head coach Baumgart should he wish to shake up his team’s approach.
Munich-born Glatzel has played for several clubs throughout his career so far, starting out with spells at Bavaria-based clubs such as 1860 Munich, Heimstetten and Wacker Burghausen before breaking into the first team at Kaiserslautern in the 2016/17 season.
His first real taste of the spotlight came whilst playing for then-Bundesliga 2 side Heidenheim in the 2018/19 edition of the DFB Cup. He scored a quarter-final hat-trick against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena as Frank Schmidt’s side almost pulled off a huge cup upset. A late Robert Lewandowski goal saw the hosts emerge 5-4 victors, but Glatzel & Co.’s efforts did not go unnoticed, and the game is still well remembered today, serving as an early indicator of the success Heidenheim have since gone on to enjoy.
Glatzel then packed his bags for the UK in the summer of 2019 and completed a move to English Championship side Cardiff City. In the second half of his second season with the Bluebirds, Glatzel returned to the Bundesliga on loan at Mainz, helping the Zerofivers to secure Bundesliga survival after picking up just six points from their opening 15 league matches.
Glatzel went from fighting for survival to battling for promotion in the 2021/22 season as he signed for HSV, the club at which the striker has really come into his own. The centre-forward featured in every league match in his debut season and scored a total of 22 goals, the second most in the league behind Bundesliga 2’s all-time record goalscorer Simon Terodde. Glatzel’s goals helped HSV reach the promotion play-off, where they were bested by Hertha Berlin and remained in the second tier.
The following season, Glatzel was once again the second top goalscorer in the division, netting on 19 occasions, a return only bettered by new Germany international Tim Kleindienst of Heidenheim, Glatzel’s former side. In fact, it was Kleindienst’s 25th league goal which sealed HSV’s fate on the last day of the season, as it completed a 3-2 comeback against Regensburg and sent Heidenheim from third to first in the league, bumping HSV down to the play-off for the second year running. Following this final-day drama, VfB Stuttgart stood between the one-time Bundesliga ever-presents and the top tier of German football once more. Ultimately, the Swabians won 6-1 on aggregate across the two legs to retain their place in the Bundesliga at the expense of the Rothosen.
The 2023/24 season was a successful one on a personal level for Glatzel, as he bagged 22 goals in 32 appearances, crowning him as the league's joint top goalscorer alongside Haris Tabaković (Hertha) and Christos Tzolis (Düsseldorf). However, HSV came up short in Bundesliga 2 once again, finishing in fourth and five points behind Düsseldorf, whilst local rivals St. Pauli finished in a higher league position than HSV for the first time since 1954 and were promoted to the top tier as champions.
Watch: HSV's best goals of 2023/24
A haul of 70 goals in 106 Bundesliga 2 appearances for Hamburg is an outstanding return from Glatzel, who has barely missed a match for his side and has been a consistent figure in the Rothosen’s attack.
HSV fans will be hoping Glatzel’s goals this season will contribute to their team finally achieving promotion this time. However, Germany's second division is extremely competitive yet again this season, with the league standings already very tight after just eight matchdays.
The win against league leaders Düsseldorf leaves HSV on 15 points and just two points off the top spot, but with three teams (Magdeburg, Paderborn, Karlsruhe) on 16 points, they still find themselves in fifth place and with the likes of Hannover (13) and Cologne (12) trailing not far behind.
Another big game is on the horizon for HSV after the international break as they host Magdeburg in their latest top-of-the-table clash next Sunday (20 October). Will Glatzel extend his scoring streak to six consecutive matches and propel his side up to the promotion spots?