Eintracht Frankfurt captain Sebastian Rode still hopes to play a few more minutes in the Bundesliga before the end of his professional career as a player and despite a persistent knee problem.
"My big goal is to be on the pitch for the last matchday, if conditions allow it," he said on Tuesday.
Rode said last week that he was expecting to be out for the rest of the season due to knee issues. He had already announced at the start of the season that he would end his career this summer.
Following an arthroscopy five days ago, he's now confident that he will be fit enough to return to action for the final matchday of the Bundesliga term against RB Leipzig.
"The knee is doing quite well, the pain is gone. We'll see how the rehab goes and how it works afterwards," he said.
While it remains open whether he will play again, a continuation of his employment at Frankfurt is practically a done deal.
"We would like to keep him after his career. He's predestined to be a Frankfurt ambassador," board member for sport Markus Krösche said.
It's still unclear, however, which position Rode would take. For now, he just wants to "spend a year with the family."
Rode played for Frankfurt from 2010 to 2014 before returning to the club in 2019, winning the Europa League in 2022. He also had stints at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
