Naldo: My family feels integrated here. I was in Bremen for seven years and I’ve now spent two and a half years here. I’m looking to the future. It’s also important to remember that my children were born here.
DFB.de: Germans are known for being disciplined; Brazilians are more laid back. Where do you fit in on this scale?
Naldo: I guess I’m more German. Punctuality is very important to me. I’m from the south of Brazil though and the people there share a lot of traits with people here. Consequently, the transition was quite easy for me.
DFB.de: You have four Brazil caps but none since 2009. Why is this?
Naldo: It’s difficult to say. I’ve had no contact with them since 2009. People didn’t think I could return strongly after my knee injury but I have managed to do so. There’s a lot of politics involved with the team. It’s not just about how you play – who you are is important too.
Wolfsburg’s Naldo has already tasted DFB Cup success. In 2009 he lifted the trophy with Werder Bremen. One year later he lost at the same stage with the same club. Since joining Wolfsburg in 2012 he has reached successive semi-finals but is looking to go one better this year. Ahead of tonight’s quarter-final against Freiburg (19:00 CEST) he spoke about the tie, his time in Germany and the Brazil national team.
DFB.de: The quarter-finals are upon us. What are your thoughts on the game?
Naldo: It’s good to be playing at home but it isn’t going to be easy. We need to put in a good performance. If we perform to our strengths, we should be fine.
DFB.de: You recently beat Freiburg 3-0 in the league – is that an advantage?
Naldo: Not necessarily as this is an entirely different game. Cup games are always dangerous. I think that they will play more defensively this time out. We’ll soon see. We need to draw on the second half performance against Stuttgart. We made too many errors in the first period. Maybe the international break hindered us slightly to begin with, however, we’re back in the groove now.
DFB.de: SC Freiburg have won their last two league games. What do you think of them?
Naldo: Freiburg are always tricky opponents. They are always looking to score and created some good chances against us recently. The recent victories will give them confidence.
DFB.de: The highest victory in your career came against them. In 2009, when you were a Werder player, you beat SCF 6-0…
Naldo: I remember that game well as I scored from the spot. That was a long time ago though. It will be difficult in the Cup.
DFB.de: You’ve lifted the Cup once before. What do you remember about the occasion?
Naldo: Leverkusen could have levelled late on but thankfully the chance wasn’t taken and we closed the game out. The atmosphere was incredible and I’d like to experience it again with VfL.
DFB.de: You’ve lost successive semi-finals…
Naldo: We’ve lost to Dortmund and Bayern previously. We didn’t create anything against Bayern but we played better against Dortmund, however, they put in a clever performance and scored. We’re currently in good condition and feel like we can beat anyone.
DFB.de: You’re known for getting on the scoresheet and have netted six times already this season. Which do you prefer: Scoring or keeping a clean sheet?
Naldo: Making sure we don’t concede is certainly better. It annoys me when we concede avoidable goals, like the one we let in on Saturday against Stuttgart.
DFB.de: In 2014 you became a German citizen, which meant you had to take a test. Why was this important to you?
Naldo: My family feels integrated here. I was in Bremen for seven years and I’ve now spent two and a half years here. I’m looking to the future. It’s also important to remember that my children were born here.
DFB.de: Germans are known for being disciplined; Brazilians are more laid back. Where do you fit in on this scale?
Naldo: I guess I’m more German. Punctuality is very important to me. I’m from the south of Brazil though and the people there share a lot of traits with people here. Consequently, the transition was quite easy for me.
DFB.de: You have four Brazil caps but none since 2009. Why is this?
Naldo: It’s difficult to say. I’ve had no contact with them since 2009. People didn’t think I could return strongly after my knee injury but I have managed to do so. There’s a lot of politics involved with the team. It’s not just about how you play – who you are is important too.
