Nadine Angerer looked tired but happy, having not slept a wink since the victory in Solna. But if there's one thing at which Germany's goalkeeper excels, in addition to stopping a ball, it's celebrating. So while she was looking out at the fans at the reception in Frankfurt's Römer Square with tired eyes, her mind was still as sharp as ever.
Those same fans know just how vital a contribution the 34-year-old made to Germany's eighth UEFA Women's European Championship title. It's little wonder that the captain was voted Player of the Final with around 61 percent of almost 7,000 votes in the German National Team Fan Club poll powered by Coca-Cola, well ahead of Wolfsburg duo Nadine Keßler (16 percent) and Lena Goeßling (14.5 percent).
In a DFB.de interview with editor Steffen Lüdeke on the Römerberg, Nadine Angerer spoke of the team's enthusiastic welcome in Frankfurt, the European Championship in Sweden and her future in goal for Germany.
DFB.de: Ms. Angerer, many congratulations on clinching the European Championship title! Have you been able to digest the victory yet?
Nadine Angerer: It's so difficult to express how you feel after a victory like that. I couldn't do it after the game, and even now, I still can't put it into words. I'm really happy, overwhelmed and still speechless. It's just unreal that we've done it again. We're the best women in Europe, and to have done it for the sixth time in a row – it's just crazy.
DFB.de: During the celebrations after the final, you put your hat on DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach. Now you're wearing it again. Didn't he like your choice of headgear?
Angerer: I think he did, but it wasn't a present. I had to be careful or he would have taken it with him. He thought my hat was cool, anyway. (laughs)
DFB.de: Were there moments during the tournament when you didn't think Germany could win it?
Angerer: We had to fight all the way in this tournament. We had a rough time in the group stage, when we really weren't very good. Then Celia [Okoyino da Mbabi] picked up an injury, and we had to play the hosts in the semi-final with the whole stadium against us, which made the victory over Sweden even better. We had to overcome so many hurdles, and we did it as a team.
DFB.de: The side consists mainly of very young players. Should the rest of the footballing world be worried? If this inexperienced team has already won a title, what's it going to be like when the players are even more mature?
Angerer: Yes, we have a solid, talented, very young team, but the tournament showed how high the standard is and how balanced the side is. This time around, our main strengths were our team spirit, will to win and the atmosphere within the squad. If this European Championship taught me anything, it's this: you don't win anything with eleven individuals. You can only do it if everyone's working towards the same goal and giving their all. But of course, we don’t have any reason to be anxious about the future, as many of the players are still developing, so the team could be really cool in the future.
DFB.de: Was there a key moment in this tournament when you thought the team was beginning to gain some momentum?
Angerer: Our coach Silvia Neid says it was the game against Italy. For me, the way we dealt with the loss to Norway in the group stage was equally important. We came together as a team and talked openly about things. It was clear that we couldn’t go on that way and had to change something if we didn't want to pack up and go home. We had a very honest, intense discussion, and it settled us. It felt like a wake-up call for the whole team.
DFB.de: As captain, were you in particular demand during this time?
Angerer: Yes, but it wasn't just me. All of the longer-serving players led the way: Saskia Bartusiak, Annika Krahn, Celia and some of the others. We took responsibility – we had to. It's clear that all the young members of the squad need players who can give them guidance in difficult situations.
DFB.de: Your role off the pitch was important, but your job on the pitch was even more crucial, especially when saving two penalties in the final. Did you prepare to face the Norwegian strikers in advance?
Angerer: Of course, I had watched them beforehand and knew which corner they both prefer, but then the mind games come into play. For example, I also realise that strikers know that I'm aware of where they usually place their spot-kicks, and then there's the question of what they might do in that situation. Ultimately, I've done well so far by making an intuitive decision. In the case of Solveig Gulbrandsen, I know she prefers to wait a while and react to the goalkeeper's movement, so I tried to keep still for as long as I could and unsettle her. I think that worked very well.
DFB.de: Your saves have made you the hero of that final, but do you also feel sorry for your opponents, Trine Rönning and Solveig Gulbrandsen, given that their misses made them the villains of the piece?
Angerer: Honestly, no, at least not in the moment that I stopped those shots. There's no room for pity. But I've got to say, the Norwegians had a fantastic tournament and were superb opponents in the final. I was particularly impressed that they didn't let up after the first penalty. They never gave up and put pressure on us right up to the final whistle.
DFB.de: You're now off on holiday to Fuerteventura. Can you completely switch off and just relax and what will you be doing on holiday?
Angerer: I'll be doing more renovations on my little house, but that’s relaxing for me too. The tournament was so exhausting, particularly mentally. I'll try to come down and give my brain a rest too, and then I'll go back to my goalkeeping coach and slowly get back to fitness.
DFB.de: Your club career is taking you to Australia now. What excites you most about that overseas adventure?
Angerer: Exactly that: the adventure. I certainly could have earned much more money playing somewhere else, but that’s not what football is about for me. I wanted to take the opportunity to get to know a new league and new players. I've played in the Bundesliga for so long, so now I just want to take on a new challenge.
DFB.de: Isn't this move abroad going to affect your career with the national team?
Angerer: No, I talked everything over with the coach. I'll also be travelling from Australia for all the training sessions. It's a huge challenge, I know, but I think I can manage it if I have the right attitude. I'm keen to play for Germany, and I'm keen to play in Australia. So I'm happy to accept the demands that go with it.
DFB.de: In that case, are the FIFA World Cup Canada 2015™ and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio realistic targets for you?
Angerer: I'll take them as they come. Right now, I can only say that I feel completely fit, I'm in great shape and I love this team. And as long as that's the case, I'll carry on.
DFB.de: What's more, 34 is still a good age for a goalkeeper.
Angerer: Age isn't such a factor for me – experience is far more important. Anyway, motivation is the most crucial thing, and age isn't an issue in that respect. If you're 22 and unmotivated, your youth doesn't help you at all. I'm 34 and still completely motivated, and that’s essential. Moreover, I still love what I do. I enjoy training, I have fun playing football, I love being successful and winning titles. And it's difficult to imagine that changing in the foreseeable future.
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Nadine Angerer looked tired but happy, having not slept a wink since the victory in Solna. But if there's one thing at which Germany's goalkeeper excels, in addition to stopping a ball, it's celebrating. So while she was looking out at the fans at the reception in Frankfurt's Römer Square with tired eyes, her mind was still as sharp as ever.
Those same fans know just how vital a contribution the 34-year-old made to Germany's eighth UEFA Women's European Championship title. It's little wonder that the captain was voted Player of the Final with around 61 percent of almost 7,000 votes in the German National Team Fan Club poll powered by Coca-Cola, well ahead of Wolfsburg duo Nadine Keßler (16 percent) and Lena Goeßling (14.5 percent).
In a DFB.de interview with editor Steffen Lüdeke on the Römerberg, Nadine Angerer spoke of the team's enthusiastic welcome in Frankfurt, the European Championship in Sweden and her future in goal for Germany.
DFB.de: Ms. Angerer, many congratulations on clinching the European Championship title! Have you been able to digest the victory yet?
Nadine Angerer: It's so difficult to express how you feel after a victory like that. I couldn't do it after the game, and even now, I still can't put it into words. I'm really happy, overwhelmed and still speechless. It's just unreal that we've done it again. We're the best women in Europe, and to have done it for the sixth time in a row – it's just crazy.
DFB.de: During the celebrations after the final, you put your hat on DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach. Now you're wearing it again. Didn't he like your choice of headgear?
Angerer: I think he did, but it wasn't a present. I had to be careful or he would have taken it with him. He thought my hat was cool, anyway. (laughs)
DFB.de: Were there moments during the tournament when you didn't think Germany could win it?
Angerer: We had to fight all the way in this tournament. We had a rough time in the group stage, when we really weren't very good. Then Celia [Okoyino da Mbabi] picked up an injury, and we had to play the hosts in the semi-final with the whole stadium against us, which made the victory over Sweden even better. We had to overcome so many hurdles, and we did it as a team.
DFB.de: The side consists mainly of very young players. Should the rest of the footballing world be worried? If this inexperienced team has already won a title, what's it going to be like when the players are even more mature?
Angerer: Yes, we have a solid, talented, very young team, but the tournament showed how high the standard is and how balanced the side is. This time around, our main strengths were our team spirit, will to win and the atmosphere within the squad. If this European Championship taught me anything, it's this: you don't win anything with eleven individuals. You can only do it if everyone's working towards the same goal and giving their all. But of course, we don’t have any reason to be anxious about the future, as many of the players are still developing, so the team could be really cool in the future.
DFB.de: Was there a key moment in this tournament when you thought the team was beginning to gain some momentum?
Angerer: Our coach Silvia Neid says it was the game against Italy. For me, the way we dealt with the loss to Norway in the group stage was equally important. We came together as a team and talked openly about things. It was clear that we couldn’t go on that way and had to change something if we didn't want to pack up and go home. We had a very honest, intense discussion, and it settled us. It felt like a wake-up call for the whole team.
DFB.de: As captain, were you in particular demand during this time?
Angerer: Yes, but it wasn't just me. All of the longer-serving players led the way: Saskia Bartusiak, Annika Krahn, Celia and some of the others. We took responsibility – we had to. It's clear that all the young members of the squad need players who can give them guidance in difficult situations.
DFB.de: Your role off the pitch was important, but your job on the pitch was even more crucial, especially when saving two penalties in the final. Did you prepare to face the Norwegian strikers in advance?
[bild2]
Angerer: Of course, I had watched them beforehand and knew which corner they both prefer, but then the mind games come into play. For example, I also realise that strikers know that I'm aware of where they usually place their spot-kicks, and then there's the question of what they might do in that situation. Ultimately, I've done well so far by making an intuitive decision. In the case of Solveig Gulbrandsen, I know she prefers to wait a while and react to the goalkeeper's movement, so I tried to keep still for as long as I could and unsettle her. I think that worked very well.
DFB.de: Your saves have made you the hero of that final, but do you also feel sorry for your opponents, Trine Rönning and Solveig Gulbrandsen, given that their misses made them the villains of the piece?
Angerer: Honestly, no, at least not in the moment that I stopped those shots. There's no room for pity. But I've got to say, the Norwegians had a fantastic tournament and were superb opponents in the final. I was particularly impressed that they didn't let up after the first penalty. They never gave up and put pressure on us right up to the final whistle.
DFB.de: You're now off on holiday to Fuerteventura. Can you completely switch off and just relax and what will you be doing on holiday?
Angerer: I'll be doing more renovations on my little house, but that’s relaxing for me too. The tournament was so exhausting, particularly mentally. I'll try to come down and give my brain a rest too, and then I'll go back to my goalkeeping coach and slowly get back to fitness.
DFB.de: Your club career is taking you to Australia now. What excites you most about that overseas adventure?
Angerer: Exactly that: the adventure. I certainly could have earned much more money playing somewhere else, but that’s not what football is about for me. I wanted to take the opportunity to get to know a new league and new players. I've played in the Bundesliga for so long, so now I just want to take on a new challenge.
DFB.de: Isn't this move abroad going to affect your career with the national team?
Angerer: No, I talked everything over with the coach. I'll also be travelling from Australia for all the training sessions. It's a huge challenge, I know, but I think I can manage it if I have the right attitude. I'm keen to play for Germany, and I'm keen to play in Australia. So I'm happy to accept the demands that go with it.
DFB.de: In that case, are the FIFA World Cup Canada 2015™ and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio realistic targets for you?
Angerer: I'll take them as they come. Right now, I can only say that I feel completely fit, I'm in great shape and I love this team. And as long as that's the case, I'll carry on.
DFB.de: What's more, 34 is still a good age for a goalkeeper.
Angerer: Age isn't such a factor for me – experience is far more important. Anyway, motivation is the most crucial thing, and age isn't an issue in that respect. If you're 22 and unmotivated, your youth doesn't help you at all. I'm 34 and still completely motivated, and that’s essential. Moreover, I still love what I do. I enjoy training, I have fun playing football, I love being successful and winning titles. And it's difficult to imagine that changing in the foreseeable future.
