“We would have liked to have wished them both farewell under different circumstances, but unfortunately this has not come to pass. We would like to thank Niklas and especially Theo for their commitment and passion over the last few years. We wish them all the best for their futures,” said Frank Baumann, sporting director at Werder.

For Theodor Gebre Selassie too, it will take some time to properly come to terms with the events of last weekend. “I don’t have any words. I feel empty. It hurts an unbelievable amount. I was hoping to bid farewell under much different circumstances. Werder is a huge club and will return to the Bundesliga,” said Theo. Following nine years and a total of 271 Bundesliga appearances for the Green-Whites, no other player from abroad has played as many games for SVW than Gebre Selassie. “Despite the sadness I feel at the moment, I continue to be proud of that. I felt at home in Bremen from the moment I arrived here and never felt the need to change clubs. Werder will always be in my heart.”

The Werder fans in particular will have a place in the hearts of both leaving players. “They have been unbelievable. I’ve never felt such a close bond between the fans and a club. The whole city lives for this club, and you could see that again on Saturday. I will never forget that support. I'm sorry that we couldn't repay that support with our performances this season,” said Moisander. Theodor Gebre Selassie is firmly in agreement with this: “I think back to 2016 and what we as a team gained from the fans then. The support has just given us so much more strength,” said the 34-year-old, for whom it is especially hard not to be able to say goodbye to the Ostkurve. “I can remember so many beautiful moments with the fans. The atmosphere in the stadium is indescribable. I’ve loved it every time I’ve been able to play here.”