ÖFB ace in the thick of it

Sensational team savored carnival party order

The Mainz 05 footballers celebrated at the Rosenmontag parade. Austrian team player Philipp Mwene (second from right) was right in the middle of it all.

(Bild: Mainz 05)

Mainz 05 is the sensation of the German Bundesliga. After the 2:1 win in Leipzig, the team is fourth and dreaming of the Champions League. Coach Bo Henriksen gave the order to party on Shrove Tuesday. The players celebrated with canned beer at the Rose Monday parade. Austria's team player Phillipp Mwene was right in the middle of the hustle and bustle in his Harry Potter costume.

600,000 spectators attended the Rose Monday parade in Mainz. The city's Bundesliga club had its own float. The players threw various carnival gifts into the crowds and celebrated with the fans. The legendary Humba was particularly popular. Austrian team player Phillipp Mwene was on the float in a Harry Potter costume, Nikolas Veratschnig in a red hat, red heart sunglasses and a colorful suit with children's chocolate candy printed on it.

Took office on Rose Monday 2024
One year ago on Shrove Monday, on February 12, 2024, Bo Henriksen took up his post at Mainz 05. The Danish coach took over the team in 17th place in the relegation zone, already nine points behind 15th place. As a result, Austrian team player Phillipp Mwene and Co. only lost against Leverkusen and Bayern Munich out of 13 games, finishing the season in 13th place.

Mainz have taken this momentum into the current season. After the 2:1 win in Leipzig at the weekend, the team is fourth and dreaming of the Champions League. Henriksen said: "I'm proud. My team was really good, not only in pressing, but also with the ball. We could have scored even more goals, it was a nice win for us."

"This is madness"
The Dane also emphasized: "The fact that we're now talking about the Champions League, about the fact that we can achieve something, that's madness." Henriksen is a bundle of energy and gives his players a lot of strength. In his private life, the Scandinavian is scatterbrained. He told the magazine "11Freunde" last summer: "I'd say I've spent a whole year of my life looking for something I've misplaced: Keys, money, sweaters, shoes, everything."

Mainz coach Bo Henriksen is a bundle of energy. In his private life, the Dane is a bit scatterbrained.

(Bild: GEPA)

Danish record: 155 credit cards lost
And then he also said: "I lost 155 credit cards in Denmark. My bank called me and told me that was a Danish record. And that was a few years ago, so there have been quite a few more."