At just 19 years of age, Jonathan Tah has played at multiple clubs. At youth level, the 1.92 metre tall defender established himself as a key player at Hamburger SV, before being loaned out to Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2014. After a year of gathering experience in the second Bundesliga, he transferred to Bayer Leverkusen this summer, where he has already been involved in the Champions League.
Tah picked up a reward for all his hard work after being presented with the gold Fritz-Walter-Medal before the European Championship qualifier tonight in Frankfurt against Poland (20:45 CEST). The defender made his debut for Germany U21s against Denmark in the 2-1 match in Lübeck. Jonathan Tah spoke to DFB and Ronny Zimmermann about the honour, his qualities and weaknesses, his journey to becoming a professional and the new U21 side.
DFB.de: Mr. Tah, you have been awarded with the gold Fritz-Walter-Medal. What does this mean to you?
Jonathan Tah: It’s obviously very special for me. The Fritz-Walter-Medal is the most prestigious award at youth level, especially if you look at all the players who have won it in the past. It’s a huge honour to win this prize. It’s also a good opportunity to thank everyone who has helped and supported me along the way. Last season, Marcus Sorg (U19 coach) supported me a lot with the youth national team. His faith in me was extremely beneficial to my career.
DFB.de: Offensive players are quite often the focus. Does this make it more special to pick up this award as a defender?
Tah: Yes, I believe so. Attackers have the advantage of attracting more attention in games. When defenders are the centre of attention then it’s usually because they’ve had a howler (laughs). I’m happy therefore that I’ve received this honour and that my quality has been noticed.
DFB.de: In terms of qualities, what are your biggest strengths?
Tah: I don’t really want to look at individual qualities. I was captain at the U19 European Championship in 2015, and that’s exactly what football is about: the team. I think it’s important for the team to stick together, work hard together and develop as one. I am a team player and I want to continue to show this.
At just 19 years of age, Jonathan Tah has played at multiple clubs. At youth level, the 1.92 metre tall defender established himself as a key player at Hamburger SV, before being loaned out to Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2014. After a year of gathering experience in the second Bundesliga, he transferred to Bayer Leverkusen this summer, where he has already been involved in the Champions League.
Tah picked up a reward for all his hard work after being presented with the gold Fritz-Walter-Medal before the European Championship qualifier tonight in Frankfurt against Poland (20:45 CEST). The defender made his debut for Germany U21s against Denmark in the 2-1 match in Lübeck. Jonathan Tah spoke to DFB and Ronny Zimmermann about the honour, his qualities and weaknesses, his journey to becoming a professional and the new U21 side.
DFB.de: Mr. Tah, you have been awarded with the gold Fritz-Walter-Medal. What does this mean to you?
Jonathan Tah: It’s obviously very special for me. The Fritz-Walter-Medal is the most prestigious award at youth level, especially if you look at all the players who have won it in the past. It’s a huge honour to win this prize. It’s also a good opportunity to thank everyone who has helped and supported me along the way. Last season, Marcus Sorg (U19 coach) supported me a lot with the youth national team. His faith in me was extremely beneficial to my career.
DFB.de: Offensive players are quite often the focus. Does this make it more special to pick up this award as a defender?
Tah: Yes, I believe so. Attackers have the advantage of attracting more attention in games. When defenders are the centre of attention then it’s usually because they’ve had a howler (laughs). I’m happy therefore that I’ve received this honour and that my quality has been noticed.
DFB.de: In terms of qualities, what are your biggest strengths?
Tah: I don’t really want to look at individual qualities. I was captain at the U19 European Championship in 2015, and that’s exactly what football is about: the team. I think it’s important for the team to stick together, work hard together and develop as one. I am a team player and I want to continue to show this.
DFB.de: In what areas do you think you can improve?
Tah: All of them (laughs). I’m working on many individual aspects. For example I want to improve my weaker foot, and make sure that I communicate more in games.
DFB.de: You spent the majority of your youth career at Hamburger SV. When did you first realise you could make it as a professional footballer?
Tah: (reflects) It’s hard to say. Since I started playing football, it was always my goal to become professional. I gave my all to achieve this. I was really focused on this during my time with Hamburger SV’s U19s. The coach of the Bundesliga team was often watching, and that was a big motivation for me to work harder in training.
DFB.de: Are there any players that you looked up to particularly?
Tah: Yes, of course. My role model was always Jérôme Boateng. I can learn a lot from him; how he reads the game, how he goes into tackles, how he motivates the whole team with his defensive actions – it’s very impressive.
DFB.de: In the transfer window just gone you moved from Hamburger SV to Bayer 04 Leverkusen. You will be playing Champions League in the future.
Tah: I am really looking forward to that. The Champions League is exactly what I wanted, and I want to prove myself at that level - it’s a fantastic competition. Bayer Leverkusen have made me feel welcome and I feel very comfortable in the team.
DFB.de: You have played 24 national games for youth sides, and have recently made your debut for the Germany U21 team. The squad has been newly assembled by DFB coach Horst Hrubesch and has won the first game 2-1 against Denmark. What impression have you got of this team so far?
Tah: There is a lot of quality in the team. Almost all the players have Bundesliga experience behind them. I think that we can be a very successful team although it’s clear that we still have a lot to learn. We need to get to know each other as a team, learn each other’s game, and bring out all our individual strengths.
DFB.de: The long-term goal must be the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. A part of the U21 side will take part in the tournament at the end of the season. Is this a motivating factor?
Tah: It’s a huge factor, it pushes you a lot. To play in an Olympic games is simply a dream and everyone will give their all to be involved. The coach will decide ultimately who goes and who stays.
