After agreeing the terms of a new deal with the club in the course of last week, Holger Badstuber joined chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and board directors Jan-Christian Dreesen and Matthias Sammer on Friday afternoon to put his name to a new contract. The centre-back has inked a three-year extension binding him to the club until 30 June 2017. “It's always special when it’s time to sign, especially for a club like this. I'm extremely pleased," said the Germany international, who is currently spending many hours a day on sports rehab training after rupturing a cruciate in early December.
The 23-year-old joined Bayern back in 2002 when he was just 12. The FCB youth product broke into the professional ranks in 2009/10, earning regular status and also a first Germany cap. Badstuber has now made 101 Bundesliga appearances for the nation’s biggest club. However, he sustained the cruciate ligament damage in the home meeting with Borussia Dortmund two months ago.
Holger: A signal from the club
Even before the serious injury, the parties had opened talks about an extension, Rummenigge recently revealed. “After the shock of the injury, we informed him we would keep our word and maintain our interest in him signing an extension."
For his part, Badstuber told FCB.tv he was thrilled by the news: “It was a nice signal and a gesture of support from the club. It's making me push even harder in rehab." The defender said he is “right on schedule" as he works towards a comeback. “It looks very, very good, and I hope it carries on."
Upbeat mood
No date has been set for Holger’s return to action, “although obviously there's a rough plan," he revealed. The next step is for the defender to start work on rebuilding muscle fibre, with sessions on the ergometer bike and then jogging. “I'm optimistic, although we obviously have to wait and see how the knee reacts," commented Badstuber, who will cheer on his team-mates against Schalke from the stands.
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