Interview
Felix Nmecha prior to St. Pauli: "More and more, better and better"
In FC St. Pauli, you will face an opponent from Hamburg, the city of your birth, on Friday. What memories do you have of your childhood in Hamburg?
"I have quite a lot. The biggest one is that my brother and I always played football on the street. And the fact that we're now playing against St. Pauli – I was always Hamburg, my brother was more St. Pauli – is great. I think that his first shirt was a St. Pauli one. And then I wanted to have the other team in Hamburg and then we always played against each other. There was a cage in the vicinity of our house. And we were there almost every day, and always played with older boys and had really great times. When the light came on, it was then time for me to go home."
You arrived at BVB last season carrying the weight of being the most expensive new signing – and then a hip injury sidelined you for almost half a year. How was that period for you?
"It was difficult at the beginning because I'd never had that before. It was a little strange because I didn't know how long it would take and then it even took a bit longer than expected. But I simply used the time as well as possible. I grew spiritually and mentally, took many steps and simply used the time as well as possible. I also wasn't stressed – I was still peaceful and happy. But of course, you want to be back again as quickly as possible. I trained a lot and hard and came back as early as possible in the end."
You said that you used the time for yourself. What role did your brother Lukas of VfL Wolfsburg play, who was also struggling with injuries at the same time? How much did you help each other out, even if you were geographically apart?
"‘I think it helps because you take the words more seriously, because he's also in a situation that's difficult. And it's not like he's not injured and just saying: ‘Keep going, keep going.' He knows how it feels and it helps a lot when you talk to each other and exchange ideas. But the most important thing for me that gave me this sense of inner peace was my relationship with God. That has helped me so much. It also helps me to stay relaxed in every situation – not just when things are difficult, but also when things are going well."
How would you summarise the season so far for you personally?
"I thought at the start of the season that I would play more and it would go a bit better on the pitch. But I think I have used the season so far to grow in different areas of my life. I've had good moments on the pitch but not as many as I actually wanted. But I also know that my career is a journey and I put too much pressure on myself. But of course I want to play more and more and get better and better. I'm hoping for more this season and I'm working and trusting that it will get better and better every season."
The Bundesliga season continues at home to FC St. Pauli this evening. How will you approach the game?
"We need to go into the game wanting to win it. And not just wanting to win it, but also to play good football at home. We'll do everything we can to put in a good performance, like we've already done in several games this season. That's what we want to do today."