Niemeyer reflects on Burke's late-winner: "The stories only football can write."
The fascinating story of Scottish striker Oliver Burke received another surprise twist on Saturday afternoon. The 27-year-old only recently returned to Bundesliga football after falling out of favor at SV Werder Bremen and - via loan outs - not making an appearance for his parent club for over 400 days.
Since making his return as a substitute on match-day six, SV Werder trainer Ole Werner has used the Scotsman as a sub in five consecutive matches. In Saturday's league win, Burke's first Bundesliga goal since August 2022 helped his team snatch three points late.
As it turns out, the last time Burke scored for Bremen, it happened to be another match-winner. Burke famously helped his Hanseaten complete a historic late comeback against Borussia Dortmund on match-day three of the 2022/23 campaign. It was an amazing occurrence Germans won't soon forget.
Speaking to Sky Germany after the full-time whistle at the Weser Stadion on Saturday afternoon, SV licensing head Peter Niemeyer echoed the sentiments of many Bundesliga lovers; effervescently noting what a fantastic story Burke's latest tally made for. Niemeyer recently made clear he still valued Burke.
“These are the kind of stories that only football writes," Niemeyer remarked in his Sky interview, "I'm really happy for Oliver Burke for scoring the decisive goal. He's had a difficult time at the beginning. But he's done nothing wrong and always given it his all."
"You can see that we need everyone [on the roster]," Niemeyer continued, "It's important [for players] to accept a role and make the most of it. It's great how everyone is happy for him.”