PETALING JAYA: What happens when world-class footballers take on a racquet sport like badminton?
Moving from agile and powerful play on the pitch, two German football stars, Thomas Mueller and Mats Hummels, took an intriguing detour by not only trying their hand at badminton, but also challenging former European men’s doubles champion Marvin Seidel.
The match challenge took place in Neubiberg, a municipality southeast of Munich.
Although this was part of their social media content for the #ThoMats Challenge, Mueller and Hummels showed that they actually have some potential in the sport.
They were first briefed by Seidel on the rules of the game, the differences between synthetic and real shuttlecocks, and the basic badminton shots before stepping onto the court.
Mueller and Hummels then faced off in a friendly match up to 11 points, with Hummels narrowly winning 11-9.
“I love it. I played a lot as a child, but I’ve neglected it a bit in recent years because of the risk of muscle soreness, especially from football,” said Hummels.
“But I played a lot as a teenager and even in my early twenties. This match was important, I could even call it a matter of survival.”
Mueller also got a taste of competing against a world-class player like Marvin.
The 36-year-old, who now plays for Vancouver Whitecaps, also revealed that he occasionally plays badminton with his former teammate Mario Gotze.
“Yes, I have always thought it was cool (playing badminton). Now I can say it, I play every Thursday evening. I’m kidding, of course. I used to play quite a lot with Mario,” said Mueller.
After the match, both footballers received a special gift from Marvin, the jersey he wore at the Paris Olympics alongside his partner, Mark Lamsfuss.
“I’m really impressed with the rallies. You fought incredibly hard and played some truly powerful shots, even hitting right on the line at times.
“Your footwork was excellent, and you showed great fighting spirit throughout,” said Seidel, clearly impressed by the badminton potential of both Mueller and Hummels.
