Meyer: When your health is right, the performances will happen by themselves

When BVB announced the signing of Alexander Meyer as their back-up shot-stopper at the end of May, more than a few fans rubbed their eyes in bewilderment and asked: Alexander who? But within weeks, they were routinely calling out the No. 33's surname whenever the line-up was announced over the stadium speakers. Meyer made his competitive debut in Black & Yellow in the Champions League home game against FC Copenhagen at the start of December. At the final training session the day before, Edin Terzic had called him over: "Make sure you're well prepared, you've been super so far. So just look forward to the game," was what the BVB boss told Alex Meyer, after No. 1 goalie Gregor Kobel had prematurely withdrawn from the session due to injury. 

"I had tears of joy in my eyes"

A day later, Meyer – feeling slightly more nervous than usual – stood on the turf at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. "Yes, I became incredibly excited when I heard the anthem. I also had tears of joy in my eyes and had to gulp a few times," recalled Meyer, adding: "There is a certain level of tension before matches. That was a little bit more than usual, but it was still at a level that was good and also important for my game. And in the end, I simply just enjoyed it." That debut was followed by six additional appearances in the space of four weeks – including the Bundesliga matches against Leipzig, Schalke, Cologne and Bayern, plus two more games in the Champions League against Manchester City and Sevilla. A month later, he played another half in the away game in Copenhagen.

Meyer was signed to be a reserve goalkeeper. It was clear he would only play when Gregor Kobel was out – and it was an injury to the No. 1 in September that saw him take his place in the Dortmund goal. Alexander Meyer has frequently been on the other side of the fence in his career and is unfortunately no stranger to injuries. The goalkeeper has spent a combined total of several years on the sidelines. His suffering at the hands of injury began at A-youth level.

First the shoulder, then the knee – but no giving up

The Northern German, who grew up 50 kilometres north of Hamburg, almost made it with the HSV first team, taking part in numerous training sessions and even joining the squad for a training camp in Dubai. Meyer had made it his objective to become the third-choice in the senior squad and play in the U23s. But then came the first serious injury: a dislocated shoulder. "The doctor told me I would be out for at least 12 months. I was 18 at the time and at an age where I wasn't familiar with this kind of thing. That was the first real setback." The talented custodian came back a year later, but the HSV management had brought in another goalkeeper in the meantime.

His goalkeeping coach Richard Golz put him in contact with TuS Havelse, who were coached by André Breitenreiter. Meyer subsequently left HSV for the fourth tier. "We had a very successful time there and even beat 1. FC Nuremberg in the first round of the DFB-Pokal," he recalled. But a few months later he sustained the same injury to the other shoulder. "That was the second major setback. I knew what awaited me in rehab. That 'only' lasted 10 months," explained Meyer, who sustained another severe injury in the first match following his return from injury. "When I was fit again, I played my first game and with 10 minutes remaining I got stuck in the turf, sustained cartilage damage in my knee and was out for another six months. Those were three injuries which – especially when you're 18, 19 and 20 – really set me back a lot."  

Others would have probably given up with his track record; Meyer had his doubts too. "I'm generally a sport-loving person and always spent a lot of time outdoors from a young age. And then you spend a lot of time at home; you have to do your rehab and can't let off steam that way anymore. Of course, there were doubts at that point. I tried to make the best of it." Meyer then did his A-levels and started a distance-learning degree. His Plan B involved training to be a coach and working as a goalkeeping coach. But he had not given up on Plan A: becoming a professional footballer.

Revival in Lusatia, breakthrough in Regensburg

After four years in Havelse, he moved to Energie Cottbus – another Regionalliga club but with professional conditions. "A training centre, grass pitches, it was like a second-tier club. We also always had between 8,000 and 10,000 spectators in the Regionalliga. I played a lot there. At one point I had a torn medial collateral ligament in the knee, I was out for 11 weeks with that. But compared to what I had experienced, it was not a major injury." After a year in Cottbus, he moved on again – this time choosing to become a reserve goalie. 

He had played for Cottbus in the DFB-Pokal against VfB Stuttgart and finally convinced the management, who had been keeping tabs on him for some time, to sign him. The gloveman decided to move to Swabia, where he spent a year as the second-choice goalkeeper, in order to take a step closer to the Bundesliga. But injury misfortune caught up with him again: due to a cruciate ligament injury during pre-season, he spent another six months on the sidelines and subsequently dropped down to No. 3 in the pecking order again.

Then came a switch to Jahn Regensburg in the 2. Bundesliga, where he finally made the breakthrough. Having turned professional for the first time in Stuttgart aged 26, he made his first professional appearances in Regensburg two years later. "It was very important that I got the topic of my health under control. I also invested a lot to that end and got to know my body better and better. In those three years I was completely injury-free and became stable. When your health is right, the performances will happen by themselves," reflected Meyer. "You have a different understanding of yourself when you're playing games at professional level. I know what I can do and was able to develop myself at that level as a No. 1. I also had some very successful years with the team at Jahn Regensburg." The goalie developed a reputation in Bavaria as a penalty specialist, after three penalty victories – during which he made five saves – in the 2020/21 DFB-Pokal. He denied several opponents from the spot in the league too.

"You obviously know you will start at the back of the queue"

BVB came knocking before this season got underway, prompting Meyer to join another club as the second-choice keeper. In Stuttgart, he had been denied the opportunity to play in the Bundesliga. But the 31-year-old wants the achieve the maximum from his career. "When the interest came from Borussia Dortmund, I didn't need to think about it for long. It's a different stage entirely and a different level," said Meyer. "When you come from the second division and move to the first division, you obviously also know you will start at the back of the queue. I knew what my position would be here in Dortmund." Nevertheless, he threw himself into every training session, worked hard and wanted to improve. Due to BVB's busy fixture list, there was a high probability that he would play at some point. "Even though you never wish something to happen to someone else, I know what it's like with injuries." 

Gregor Kobel sustained the muscle fibre tear mentioned at the outset in September, leading Terzic to pull Meyer to one side at the final training session prior to the match against Copenhagen. The following day, our reserve goalkeeper made his first competitive appearance for the Black & Yellows. "If you look at the games and everything that goes with them – the Champions League, the Bundesliga, the opponents too – it's a different world. You do need to tell yourself that once or twice so that you appreciate it and put it in perspective," Meyer said of BVB. "But at the end of the day, I try not to place too much emphasis on the games. The important thing is to do my job and help the team by stopping goals. That's how I deal with it fairly well." He made plenty of saves against Copenhagen, as BVB ran out 3-0 winners. He then had to pick the ball out of his own net three times on his Bundesliga debut in Leipzig. But despite the defeat, he will always remember his long-awaited Bundesliga bow.

Terzic's feedback was positive following the first four competitive appearances. "Alex has made a really good impression from day one. When you see the calmness he radiates when he is passed to and pressed, and how he still manages to pick out our central defenders with one touch, how he picks out our full-backs with a one-touch diagonal ball: that changes the game." Composure is a word often cited in connection with Meyer's style of goalkeeping. The man himself believes that it is important "that you give off an aura of calm at the back. Your team-mates know that they have someone at the back on whom they can rely, who can receive the ball at any time – both to feet and in the air as well." He also has a tendency to become vocal on the pitch at times. He likes to coach, to communicate and to assume responsibility.

When his next opportunity comes along, Borussia Dortmund's reserve shot-stoper will be ready. No doubt about it.