It is 11:29 p.m. in freezing Zenica when Haris Tabaković places the ball on the spot for the decisive World Cup playoff clash between Bosnia and Italy. Facing him is Gianluigi Donnarumma, one of the best goalkeepers of this generation. Gladbach’s loan striker takes one last deep breath, then smashes the ball unstoppably under the crossbar. He screams out his relief, flexes his muscles, and ecstatically thumps his broad Bosnian chest.

Four penalty takers later, his home country sensationally books its World Cup ticket and sends Italy into despair. Also because Tabaković had forced extra time with his goal late in regular time. Now, at 31, he is heading to the World Cup. A scenario that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Back then, it seemed the train for a big career had already left the station.

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In the spring of 2020, the striker found himself without a contract after suffering a torn ACL at Hungarian club Diósgyőri. Despite being available on a free transfer, finding a new club was no easy task. Many clubs could not or would not take the risk, also because of the coronavirus pandemic and its financial consequences.

In this existential crisis, Alexander Kiene entered the picture. At the time, the German coach was in charge of Austria Lustenau in Austria’s second division and saw the potential in the unattached striker. However, the enthusiasm was not mutual at first: “Haris was initially skeptical because it was only the second division,” Kiene recalls in an interview with ‘Bild’.

📸 Alex Bierens de Haan – 2026 Getty Images

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But since Tabaković had gone almost a full year without match practice, he agreed to take the gamble after intensive talks. It proved to be the starting signal for an impressive transformation. According to Kiene, the success was based on three pillars. First, the focus was on mental strength: “We had a lot of one-on-one conversations,” reports the 48-year-old. Tabaković also sought outside help from a mental coach to grow into his new role as a leader.

Secondly, the striker worked relentlessly on his physique to regain trust in his own body after the serious injury. During this time, the Bosnian also put on a considerable amount of muscle mass. The third factor was the tactical system, which was perfectly tailored to him: “We defended high, had short distances to goal, and worked the ball into the box with lots of passes and crosses,” Kiene explains. For him, the collaboration was a “win-win situation for everyone involved.”

The raw numbers prove him right: in 48 competitive matches for Lustenau, Tabaković scored a phenomenal 46 goals and also provided 11 assists. That rate catapulted his career to a new level. Via Austria Wien, he moved to Hertha BSC, where he became the top scorer in the 2. Bundesliga. After a spell at Hoffenheim, he eventually ended up on loan with the Foals on the Lower Rhine.

There, he personally also made a very good start. In 26 matches, he has managed 11 goals and four assists. That also makes him Gladbach’s top scorer this season. Although he has now gone five Bundesliga matches without scoring, he recently showed — not least in the national team shirt — that he has certainly not lost his nose for goal.

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A development that does not surprise his biggest and perhaps most important mentor: “In the end, he achieved all of this because he is a complete professional who truly lives for football,” says Kiene. In his private life as well, Tabaković leaves nothing to chance, continuing his education in FIFA sports management courses and reading specialist literature on entrepreneurship.

When Tabaković returns from the national team full of confidence and self-belief, the focus will clearly shift back to the Bundesliga and Borussia. In the home game against bottom side Heidenheim, he will want to end his little dry spell. Not only would a win mean another huge step toward safety, but with every additional goal, the loan striker strengthens his case for staying permanently in Mönchengladbach. Even though Gladbach do not have a purchase option for the 31-year-old, a permanent move is not out of the question. Tabaković is still under contract at Hoffenheim until 2027.

“For now, it’s still an open and honest ‘I don’t know,’” Tabaković told ‘RP online’ when asked about his future. “There haven’t been any talks, so I really can’t say anything about it. The eight games can still change a lot, including the perspective of sporting directors, if I put myself in their shoes. I don’t know what will happen,” he adds.

Still, a certain degree of planning certainty would not be unwelcome for him, as he reveals in the same interview. After all, this summer he has other commitments too — together with Edin Džeko and company.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.