Veteran Hasebe extends Eintracht deal at 39 for one more year

BERLIN: Eintracht Frankfurt defender Makoto Hasebe has extended his playing contract with the Bundesliga side at the age of 39 for another year to 2024, the club said on Tuesday (Mar 21).

The former Japan captain, who has been at Frankfurt for nine years, has enjoyed considerable success in the past few seasons, having won the Europa League title last year and the German Cup in 2018.

The club also competed in this season's Champions League, reaching the Round of 16 before last week's elimination to Napoli.

A 2009 German league champion with VfL Wolfsburg, Hasebe has made 16 appearances across all competitions this season for a total of 279 matches for Eintracht.

"I’m very happy to be able to play football at the highest level at Eintracht for another year," Hasebe said. "It's special to be part of the team at such a big, successful club when I turn 40."

"I'll continue to take on responsibility, I want to be a role model for our young players and I want to lead by example. Frankfurt has become my home and Eintracht is my club. That's why I'm already looking forward to being part of this club after my playing career," he said.

While his playing contract now runs out in 2024, the player has another contract with the club until 2027 under which he will switch to coaching once he stops playing.