Ejero Elia is traveling in a fast elevator. And he’s going up! The winger has a tremendous start with HSV and the talent of the year was also decisive for Oranje in his first internationals. Elia is inspired by his idol Rafael van der Vaart. “Everything he does has a reason behind it.”

HSV shares the lead in the Bundesliga. The contribution of new comer Elia is substantial. In Germany, they adore the dribbler, but the young father stays calm. His story…

“I highly enjoy myself at HSV. I’m doing better and better. And I score too! It’s what we all hoped for. And you know, in Germany they love it when you take players on. They don’t have that many players with those skills. In Germany, it’s easy to become the fan favorite for a player like me.”

“The level in Germany is quite higher than in Holland. In every sense. Technical skills, speed of execution, power… You need to be able to defend and you need to see the game tactically. And mentally too. It takes a lot of concentration. If you make one mistake, you’re gone. In the beginning, I was struggling. I needed to adapt a lot. At Twente, I was the man upfront, always on the half of the opponent. Now, I’m spending quite some time on my own half. I sometimes defend in the 6 yard area!”.

“Our coach, Bruno Labbadia is still young. But he understands football like no other and he’s clear in what he wants. And he treats everyone equal. When he doesn’t like something, he’ll tell you. And he wants everyone to act normal and stay grounded. He talks to me a lot and gives me confidence. He wants me to follow my instincts on the pitch. My defensive skills were a bit lacking, though, and he spends a lot of time with me on that.”

“I need to learn a lot. I’m used to playing left winger, now I play left midfielder. As a left winger, you have to their right full back. Now, I have to control the whole flank. Squeeze, put pressure, take over if the right midfielder comes through, all of that. And I am improving. Labbadia never yells at me when I make mistakes. He always talks one on one with me and uses video material. It’s as if I’m at the University of Football.”

“They elected me the most valuable player twice in the first weeks. I thought that was a bit over the top. I need to stay critical. I didn’t think I played that well, but once you take on a player successfully, they sort of remember that. In Holland, that’s normal. I am critical. I suffer to much loss of possession at vulnerable spots on the pitch. I watch every game I play on dvd, sometimes twice. I can feel I’m improving my total game, but playing in midfield does take a lot of energy so I’m training to become stronger without losing my speed.”

“Hamburg is a cool city. A bit like Amsterdam. People come to Hamburg from all over the country. Romeo Castelen sometimes takes me out to see the sights. But I spent most of my time at home. I have a little daughter now and I like being with her and my wife.”

“German is a strange language for me. I can understand it but I can’t speak it too well. I remember I wasn’t too good at it at school. Some blokes at HSV don’t understand a word of German, while they’re here already two seasons… My team mates speak German to me, I respond in English.”

“It’s cool to play with Joris. In Holland, he gets criticism, but in Hamburg he’s the leader. If Joris doesn’t play, we’re in trouble. He recently played Grafite and Dzeko (Wolfsburg) out of the game, and that means you are a great defender. These lads are world class. Mathijsen doesn’t look to strong or fierce, but he’s a powerhouse. He had an unlucky game against England, well… it happen to anyone. I’m glad it was in a friendly.”

“At Oranje, I constantly watch Rafael. He is such a tremendous player. And everything he does, has a reason behind it. He knows exactly what he does and why he does it. It looks so easy and sometimes effortless, but he’s constantly working. With his mind. I have a weakness for left-footed players, as if I know what they’re thinking and doing. I only have to watch Rafael and subconsciously I know what to do. I love his style. He’s not the fastest, but his mind and execution are so quick, he can easily play himself out of every situation. To me, he’s got the same level as Zidane. And the goals he scores… I haven’t really spoken with him, you know… I keep my distance and just observe him, whenever he trains.”

“I’m not sure what my position is in the Oranje hierarchy. I don’t think about it like that. I just focus on my own game and the coach will decide. I think I’m close, but there’s a number of players in front of me. We have many players who can play on the left side: Sneijder, Rafael, Afellay, Robben, Van Persie… And whenever I get the chance, I’ll have to embrace it and show my worth.”

“The WC in South Africa is in my head, every day. That is one my major goals. I want to win prizes with HSV and be part of the WC squad. I can do that, but performing at my top. Al Jarreau? That’s the guy I was named after, haha… My sister was a huge fan and she used his name for inspiration for my first name… I haven’t got his music on my iPod, now you mention it… Still have to add those…”