Emre Can: Paris via Basel

DFB.de regularly profiles a Germany international ahead of an important match. Today, that is Emre Can as he prepares to face Sevilla in the Europa League final with Liverpool this evening. This would already be Can’s second European title after winning the Champions League with Bayern in 2013. But this time he would do it as a regular starter and also a key performer in the squad.

He is the only remaining Germany international in the final of the Europa League. This evening at Basel’s St. Jakob Park, Emre Can will be looking to secure Liverpool’s first European title since their Champions League victory in 2005. The Reds won that final in spectacular fashion on penalties after coming from 3-0 down at half time. Can was only eleven years old at the time, but now he is 22 and one of the pillars in Jürgen Klopp’s team.

Can has found sporting happiness in Liverpool and calls his club “one of the biggest in the world”. The league is harder and the football quicker than in the Bundesliga, which the self-styled leader has adapted to because of his physical robustness and pace. The midfielder is a fans’ favourite at Anfield and they have even created a song for him. “A lot of fans are already patting me on the back in town,” explained Can.

Emre Can’s role model is Zinedine Zidane

Can therefore is not sad about leaving the Bundesliga behind. After four years at Bayern München, during which he made his league debut, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 after he found it difficult to break into Bayern’s competitive midfield. Under coach Sami Hyypia, Can immediately became a first-team regular, with the Frankfurt-born player making 29 league appearances. After just one year with Leverkusen, he made the move to Liverpool in England. “When I look back at my development since 2009, it really is fantastic. I made my Bundesliga debut, played for Germany’s youth teams and now I play in the Premier League,” recounted Can, who names Zinedine Zidane as his sporting role model.

Coach Jürgen Klopp has also played a large role in this impressive season. After predecessor Brendan Rodgers decided to primarily deploy him at right back, Klopp came in and allowed Can to play in his preferred position in defensive midfield. Since then he has become the nerve centre of Liverpool’s midfield. “Our relationship is very, very good. It’s great fun to work with him and I learn a lot from him. I have progressed even further since he took over,” said Can in explanation of his success.

Teammate Touré: "Can is a real leader"

The fact that a 2011 winner of a Fritz Walter Medal in the U17s category possesses real talent is nothing new. Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge once labelled him as “one of the biggest talents in German football”, and former Germany international Steffen Freund actually said, “He is the most complete footballer I have ever seen”. Can is also held in high regard at his current club. Teammate Kolo Touré predicts that the young German will have a great future in Liverpool: “There is no doubt that the youngster will become a new king here. He is a real leader.”

Can’s impressive performances have also not gone unnoticed by Germany’s coach. Liverpool’s number 23 was given his full international debut in the 3-1 win over Poland during EURO 2016 qualification back in September, and has since won five caps. But Can does not want to make demands like he could as a key player in Horst Hrubesch’s U21 side. “I am still new. I will be trying to take my chance whenever it comes,” said Can. “I know my role, and I have no problem with taking a backseat. There are a lot of players that I can learn from both on and off the pitch – and that’s what I’ll do.” If everything goes as planned, then he will be part of Germany’s final squad for the European Championship in France, but he does not want to simply watch the tournament unfold from the bench – “My objective is to be out on the pitch”.

Quick return from injury

A few weeks ago this all seemed incredibly unlikely. Can injured his right ankle in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinal against Borussia Dortmund. After tearing several ligaments, it seemed certain that his season would be over, but that was not the case. Just three weeks after suffering the injury, Can was back playing again – and in the starting XI. Can played the full 90 minutes of the semi-final second leg against Villarreal and certainly played his part as Liverpool overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit with a 3-0 victory at Anfield to qualify for the final in Basel.

Awaiting the Reds there are the defending champions Sevilla, who will be looking to win the trophy for the third consecutive year. Liverpool have failed to win anything domestically this season, and that makes success in this final even more important at the end of the 2015/16 season. “Our main aim was, as ever, to reach the final in Basel, and we have done that. I think we deserve to be in the final, and now we want to win it,” said Can last week. “We are not easily beaten and I want to head to the EUROs in France with a winner’s medal around my neck.”