Sané: André Breitenreiter, my manager at Schalke, had already hinted to me a couple of days before that something like this might happen. On Friday he then took me aside and told me I’d been picked for the senior team. Not long after, Joachim Löw rang.
DFB.de: So you weren’t surprised to hear his voice on the other end of the line?
Sané: Yeah I was surprised. I didn’t know how it all worked - what the procedure was. So I hadn’t been anticipating a personal phone call from him. That made it even better.
DFB.de: You mentioned your father before - Souleymane Sané. He was a Senegal international and a successful Bundesliga player with Freiburg, Nuremberg and Wattenscheid. What was it like being brought up by a professional footballer?
Sané: As a child I never saw it as anything unusual. I didn’t know any different. Obviously I did at some point realise and understand that he didn’t have an every-day job, and that people knew him and admired him. First and foremost as a kid, you’re proud of having a father like that. My friends were always happy to see my Dad - that's nice for a young lad. Later in my career I benefited from his experiences as a professional footballer. We talked a lot about my game, and he used his experiences to help me prepare for the future.
DFB.de: Your Mother is also a big part of your life: Regina Weber, Germany’s only Olympic medal winner in Rhythmic Gymnastics. In 1984, she picked up Bronze in Los Angeles. Was it always clear that you would be following the footsteps of your father? Or could you have pursued a career in gymnastics?
Sané: A gymnast? I don’t think so. (laughs) I’ve pretty much always played football. I’ve never wanted anything else.
DFB.de: You have inherited speed and skill on the ball from your father. What did you get from your mother?
Four goals and three assists in the Bundesliga, plus a goal and an assist in the Europa League - Schalke's Leroy Sané has been one of the stand out players of the new season. His performances have not gone unnoticed by manager of Die Mannschaft Joachim Löw who has called up the 19-year-old for Germany’s international friendly in Paris Saint-Denis against France. In an interview with DFB.de, Sané spoke to us about his first impressions of life with the DFB senior team, the U21s and his parents.
DFB.de: Mr. Sané, you’ve just completed your first training session with the Germany senior squad. How did it feel to train alongside the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira?
Leroy Sané: It was obviously a really special feeling to be training with the seniors, alongside such big players. I would never have thought that this dream would become reality so quickly. As well as that, the Bayern players were also training at Säbener Straße separately from us. It was just a great experience on the whole for me.
DFB.de: How nervous were you ahead of the first training session with the first team?
Sané: Obviously I was a bit nervous, but I was mainly excited. Playing at Schalke, I’m now quite used to standing on the pitch with big stars of the game. But it still doesn’t compare to the first training session with the World Champions. If you look at the careers of players like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Thomas Müller or Lukas Podolski, you can only be grateful for the opportunity to walk along the same road as them. I have tremendous respect for their achievements.
DFB.de: Your career has moved forward very quickly and has reached an almost dizzying pace recently. Debuts in the Bundesliga, the U21s and the Champions League - all of which came about in the space of three months. Do things sometimes move a little too quickly for you?
Sané: It is true that quite a lot has happened recently. But I don’t think anything has gone ‘too’ quickly. I don’t worry about that. I just take things as they come. That’s why I don’t really have any problems coping with the increased pressure and higher expectations. My family, especially my father give me terrific support. At my club Schalke 04 as well, my teammates, the manager and the club representatives are all there for me to give me advice. This all helps me cope with all the new experiences in my life of late.
DFB.de: The next big thing was the call up from Germany manager Joachim Löw. Please explain exactly how that transpired!
Sané: André Breitenreiter, my manager at Schalke, had already hinted to me a couple of days before that something like this might happen. On Friday he then took me aside and told me I’d been picked for the senior team. Not long after, Joachim Löw rang.
DFB.de: So you weren’t surprised to hear his voice on the other end of the line?
Sané: Yeah I was surprised. I didn’t know how it all worked - what the procedure was. So I hadn’t been anticipating a personal phone call from him. That made it even better.
DFB.de: You mentioned your father before - Souleymane Sané. He was a Senegal international and a successful Bundesliga player with Freiburg, Nuremberg and Wattenscheid. What was it like being brought up by a professional footballer?
Sané: As a child I never saw it as anything unusual. I didn’t know any different. Obviously I did at some point realise and understand that he didn’t have an every-day job, and that people knew him and admired him. First and foremost as a kid, you’re proud of having a father like that. My friends were always happy to see my Dad - that's nice for a young lad. Later in my career I benefited from his experiences as a professional footballer. We talked a lot about my game, and he used his experiences to help me prepare for the future.
DFB.de: Your Mother is also a big part of your life: Regina Weber, Germany’s only Olympic medal winner in Rhythmic Gymnastics. In 1984, she picked up Bronze in Los Angeles. Was it always clear that you would be following the footsteps of your father? Or could you have pursued a career in gymnastics?
Sané: A gymnast? I don’t think so. (laughs) I’ve pretty much always played football. I’ve never wanted anything else.
DFB.de: You have inherited speed and skill on the ball from your father. What did you get from your mother?
Sané: That’s not easy to say. Certainly the athleticism and agility, but it was the case that I was a stand-out at school. I think I benefit from the fact that both my parents are so sporty. She comes from a different sporting area, but that’s not a disadvantage as she has a different perspective on certain things.
DFB.de: Your father was a footballer and both your brothers also play. Is the Sané household all about football?
Sané: We don’t talk about football all the time at home. Nor did our father push us into football at a young age. I’m sure that he wouldn’t have had a problem if any of us had chosen a different path.
DFB.de: He hasn’t made any mistakes anyway, and in fact, has led you to into a circle of World Cup winners. How has it been in Munich with the national team since your arrival?
Sané: Just like it was with the junior teams, no problems. I knew several players already and have already played with Julian Draxler and Antonio Rüdiger. I get on well with these two, but I also get on with the others. It’s the same with all the staff. It’s really not difficult to feel at home here.
DFB.de: You have been selected in two teams, and after the France game, you will rejoin the U21s for the game against Austria. Which team do you feel you belong to most?
Sané: That’s difficult to say. At the moment I feel like a definite part of the senior team, but I’m also excited to go the U21s after the France game. No doubt, when I get back there, I will feel like I belong to that team again.
