The club’s media department took a boat across the Bodensee to Schruns yesterday and had time to explore the beautiful surroundings, because the B31 motorway was fully closed down. Given that you were born and raised in Singen, is it also nice for you to be so close to your hometown after your return to SC? 

Definitely. It takes an hour and a half to get from Singen to Freiburg, which is easy enough to do on your day off. My friends and family also like to come visit me during the week. It was a lot more difficult when I was in Nuremberg, with a four-hour trip each way. 

What’s your insider tip for a hidden gem on the Bodensee? Where should someone from Freiburg who’s just here for the weekend jump in the water? 

Gailingen, which is on the Rhine, is a great spot. It’s got rushing waters and is very clean…

Swimming in the Rhine?! Isn’t that extremely dangerous?

It’s nice and relaxing. First, you do some keep-ups with your friends and then you jump in the cold water to cool off. You can let yourself float and swim around a bit. The important thing is to stay near the shoreline and not go in too deep. 

You won’t have much time to see your friends from Singen over the next days. The days in Schruns will be taken up by training camp activities. SC are hosting their training camp here for the 20th time. For you, it’s your first time… 

I’ve been at SC since 2020 but I’ve never been in Schruns with the club. It’s a great place, the rooms are very nice. The surroundings are great, to be honest. 

You would have come to Schruns with the first-team two years ago for pre-season, if you hadn’t been off elsewhere…

That’s true. I was away at the U19 EUROs in Northern Ireland with Türkiye. It was a great tournament, for both the team and myself. We drew against the later champions from Spain and only narrowly lost to finalists France. It was too bad that we then went on to lose in the play-offs for the U20 World Cup against Norway, 10-9 on penalties. 

Did you take a penalty? 

Yeah, late on. Fortunately, I scored.

You were also named in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament back then…

That was a great honour for me. The team was chosen by the UEFA officials at the tournament, together with the national team head coaches. I was really happy to have been selected for the Team of the Tournament. 

You then returned to SC Freiburg in August 2024, before being loaned to 1. FC Nürnberg. What happened back then? 

I spent a few days in Freiburg and took part in the friendlies against Strasbourg and Fiorentina. At the same time, talks were ongoing with the club’s management about whether I would join the first-team squad or if there was the possibility of a loan. When the news came that 1. FC Nürnberg were an option, then that all sounded good to me. And so I moved to Nuremberg on matchday 5 of the Bundesliga 2 season. 

Having all those decisions happen in such a short period of time can’t have been easy, especially given that you were just 19 years old. 

It was definitely intense, both mentally and physically. There was a lot being written about me during the U19 EUROs, but I was able to block that out and focus on the tournament. My agent, my parents and SC all left me alone to do that. The talks after the tournament were tiring, because there was a lot at stake for me. The decision to join Nürnberg then came as a relief; I knew that I would have a home for the next year or two.

Miroslav Klose was the coach when you arrived at Nürnberg. Up until a few weeks ago, he was the all-time record goalscorer at the men’s World Cup. What was that like for you? 

It was all brand-new to me. I arrived in Nuremberg when the season was already in full swing and didn’t know anyone. Things also weren’t going so well on the pitch for the club. It was definitely important to have a head coach that was willing to back me right from the start. Miroslav Klose is extremely friendly and down-to-earth, and he also has a great understanding of football. He’s interested in those around him and forms connections to them. It really impressed me that a star like that, who I’d only seen on TV previously, would be there like that for a new, young player like me. 

What comes to mind when you look back on your two years at Nürnberg?

Nürnberg is something else. A lot of fans and a lot of media attention. It was great for my personal development. It gave me a lot of joy to play there and I will definitely continue to follow the club and wish them well. 

You’re now once again one of the new players in a new team. What are you aiming to do at SC? 

I’m grateful to have been given the chance to prove myself here. Now, it’s about working hard every day and pushing myself to my limit. I want to help the team, and in order to do that, I obviously want to be on the pitch. 

The level of competition is high on the left flank: Jordy Makengo and Christian Günter are two very experienced players…

The competition is there, but it’s also something that helps strengthen the team and every player as well. I obviously want to come out on top, but I will also support the others if I’m not able to play right away. After just a couple of days here, I’ve already noticed that it’s a very tight-knit group. The veteran players like Günni set a great example for the rest of us. 

SC are coming off a great season in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Europa League. We can now look forward to another exciting campaign in the  Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Conference League play-offs. What are you most looking forward to? 

Playing in the Bundesliga is a childhood dream of mine, which I’m really looking forward to. Even though I wasn’t here, I could feel the excitement that the Europa League run ignited within the club. I hope to get to experience the same this season. We have a tough opponent coming up in the DFB-Pokal in the form of Düsseldorf - I faced them twice last season while at Nürnberg. We want to be successful in our first games of the season and lay the foundations for a successful campaign. 

Were you at the final in Istanbul? Can we set ourselves the goal of repeating the feat in 2027?

I was at the game in Istanbul. It was a special experience for me, because I’ve played several times there with the Türkiye youth sides, and this time I was able to watch my club play a European final there. The atmosphere in the stadium and the city with all the SC fans was fantastic. It was a crazy experience and I’m really hoping for a repeat. In order for that to happen, we need to work hard over the coming months. 

Interview: Sascha Glunk​​​​​​​