Mario Götze: "I am absolutely fit"

Mario Götze is a football player through and through, which makes it all the harder for him to have been reduced to watching Germany's EURO 2012 matches from the outside.

DFB.de writer Steffen Lüdeke and Götze sat down to talk about titles, trophies, and a role he's not used to playing - that of sub on the bench.

team.dfb.de: Mario, you've had a replica of the German championship trophy made; where are you going to keep it?

Mario Götze: I've also ordered a replica of the German FA Cup trophy, and both will be put on the trophy shelf in my room in my parents' house. And there’s more room on the little chest of drawers next to the TV…

team.dfb.de: Is living with your parents a choice you're making because you want to stay "grounded"?

Götze: It's just that that's where I feel completely at home. I love living in a familiar environment and having my family surround me. That's not going to change anytime soon. We're thinking about having an extension built, where my brother and I could move in, leaving the "old" house for our parents and my little brother.

team.dfb.de: In 2002, you were one of the ball boys when Borussia Dortmund won the Bundesliga; what do you remember of the 2-1 against Werder Bremen at the Westfalenstadion?

Götze: Ooh, that was a long time ago! The most fascinating thing for me was to be so close to the players and to the action on the pitch. The atmosphere was incredible.

team.dfb.de: Was there any Borussia player you looked up to for inspiration?

Götze: I quite liked Marcio Amoroso, and Tomas Rosicky of course. But my true idol was Zinedine Zidane.

team.dfb.de: Did that change after he head-butted Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final?

Götze: I really found no explanation for his behaviour. I mean he had converted that penalty, the stage was set for the crowing moment of his career, and then he goes and destroys it all. But to answer your question – No. I still think he's an outstanding player and a fantastic person.

team.dfb.de: You're not just a player, but also a football fan; have you been watching a lot of football at this championship?

Götze: I've watched every match that I possibly could. I love watching football, especially at the Euros, with the continent's best teams and the best players competing against each other.

team.dfb.de: Even at a time when so far you've had to sit on the bench?

Götze: (hesitates) I admit that it's really hard, especially when I could just as well be one of the players on the pitch. It's wearing me down. I can't be happy with the situation as it drives to me self-doubt, which is never good. But I have to learn how to cope with the situation. What I can and will do is bust a gut in training, just to show the coach that he wouldn't make any mistake if he gave me a chance.

team.dfb.de: What was it like when your injury kept you sidelined at Dortmund? Did you still enjoy watching football then?

Götze: That wasn't too easy, either, but the difference was that I knew that once I had recovered from injury, I'd be back on the team. That made it easier to bear.

team.dfb.de: Is this why training is something you look forward to? Because you can be play football again?

Götze: Of course I look forward to training sessions, that goes without saying, but training is one thing, and playing in official matches quite another. The last time I played a full 90 minutes was in early December last year. That says it all. I'm dying to be back playing more often and more regularly, I'd even say it's a physical craving.

team.dfb.de: Before the tournament you said you were still some two or three percent short of full fitness…

Götze: That's correct, but that was then. I am absolutely fit now.

team.dfb.de: It seems you've muscled up in post-injury rehab; does this not carry the risk of you losing your agility?

Götze: I think I can judge for myself what's useful and what isn't. I did work out pretty hard on my upper body because I wanted to become a more robust player. What I need now is minutes on the pitch, having fun doing what I do best. Many people are trying to comfort me saying 'hey, you're still young, you've got your future ahead of you', but no player sitting on the bench can be satisfied with that. So I'm trying to make the best of it, train as hard as I can, and leave everything else to the coach. But the key thing is we've won three out of three group matches, and that we're a real team with a joint goal. This tournament is not about how player X or player Y feel!

team.dfb.de: What are your personal impressions of the tournament so far?

Götze: Everything's pretty intense. Everything is perfectly organised, from the team movements and flying to and from venues, to being together with my team-mates for such a long time, enjoying the highest standards in terms of accommodation, food, and training pitches. But football is football, that's the core business, and in that respect the Euros are not that much different from other competitions.

team.dfb.de: Which teams have impressed you the most?

Götze: I'd say the Portuguese are very strong in attack, not to forget Spain, with their great team and attractive style of play.

team.dfb.de: So you kept your fingers crossed for Spain to go through to the quarter-finals?

Götze: Yes! Anything else would have been a shame, don't you think? At the end of the day, quality made all the difference. And the beauty of it is – there's still the possibility of us playing against each other in this tournament. I love playing against the best!

team.dfb.de: Germany, too, had a bit of a narrow escape. Weren't you getting slightly panicky when Germany and Denmark were drawn 1-1 and Portugal took the lead against the Netherlands?

Götze: Oh yes, I think everybody was thinking 'what if…'. Denmark came close to scoring but fortunately Niklas Bendtner only hit the post. Everything could have been over in an instant. How crazy is that?

team.dfb.de: And now Germany are set to meet Greece in the quarter-finals, a defense-oriented team against which creativity is likely to come in demand. What kind of match do you expect?

Götze: There's no doubt it will be difficult, they're a well organised side and were surprise winners against the Russians. That said, we should be able to impose ourselves eventually. We've won three times in a row, we're full of self-confidence.