Malick Thiaw made his debut for the Germany national team in the 1-0 defeat to Poland on Friday evening (16th June). The 21-year-old, who played from the start in Warsaw, even almost got on the scoresheet towards the end of the contest. We spoke to the AC Milan defender to discuss his fulfilment of a childhood dream, the messages after the game and his return to Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday.
DFB.de: Malick, when you were called-up to the national team for the first time back in March, you said that you dream in German, although you also speak Finnish, English, a bit of Wolof and now Italian. On Friday, you played for Germany for the first time in Poland. Is that a dream come true?
Malick Thiaw: Yes, one hundred percent! It’s something that I’ve dreamt of since I started playing football. On Friday I was able to fulfil a childhood dream. My family sat in front of the television to watch and they were really happy for me.
DFB.de: You celebrated your debut with a strong performance at centre half, you almost scored and you received a lot of praise for your 87 minutes in Warsaw, not only from head coach Hansi Flick, but also from director Rudi Völler. Although the match was lost 1-0, do you still feel like a winner after your game?
Thiaw: There’s no way that I felt like a winner. You’re only a winner if you win as a team and unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do that. I was satisfied with my individual performance and happy that I was able to make my debut. But above all, I wanted to win the game.
DFB.de: You looked confident and relaxed out on the pitch. Did you feel the same way? Or were you nervous ahead of your debut?
Thiaw: I was a bit nervous before the game but it was a nervous excitement. It’s important for my game that I feel that, so it didn’t bother me.
DFB.de: You must have received lots of messages after your debut. Which one surprised you the most?
Thiaw: I can’t single one out. There were too many for that (laughs)! Family, friends, former teammates, messages from those in the Bundesliga, messages from Milan. Lots of people got in touch and everyone was really happy for me.
DFB.de: You made your Champions League debut for AC Milan this year, and now you’ve made your debut for the national team. How do you process all that happening in such a short space of time?
Thiaw: It has without a doubt been a great year for me. And even though it wasn’t this season, I can’t forget the promotion with Schalke, which was also great. And it wasn’t very long ago either. I remain humble despite the successes. That’s how I have been brought up. Football brings me a lot of joy but there are other things in life. It doesn’t make me a different person because I play football at this level. And it doesn’t make me a better person than others.
DFB.de: After achieving these goals so early in your career, what’s next on the list?
Thiaw: I have certainly achieved some of my goals, but by no means all of them. I still have many more and I have to keep working hard in order to achieve them. I didn’t win any trophies this year, for example.
DFB.de: That takes the shine of it a tad?
Thiaw: There’s always room for improvement.
DFB.de: You’ll be back in Gelsenkirchen with the national team on Tuesday. You were at Schalke for seven years, first at youth level and then in the Bundesliga. Will it be an emotional return?
Thiaw: I’m really looking forward to Schalke. It’s a game that will mean a lot to me. I have lots of fond memories of my time there. I’ve already mentioned the promotion to the Bundesliga. That was something very special. My family will be in the crowd and I’ll also have lots of friends there.
DFB.de: What do you need to do differently as a team in order to be successful against Colombia?
Thiaw: We have to be consistent at the back. Even though we didn’t allow Poland to do too much, they still managed to score. We have to make the most of our chances when they come. We had lots against Poland, but we have to take them.
DFB.de: Gelsenkirchen will be one of the ten host cities in next year’s Euros. How much are you looking forward to this tournament?
Thiaw: A lot. Hosting the Euros will be something special. I can’t really imagine what it will be like at the moment because I’ve never experienced it, but I’m really looking forward to it. I was only five during the 2006 World Cup so I can’t remember it anymore.
DFB.de: You’re already a European champion; you were a part of the team that won the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The U21s are getting their European Championship underway on Thursday. How will you follow the tournament?
Thiaw: I will try to watch every game. The team is very good. They could be very successful.
DFB.de: What do you hope your successors in the U21s can achieve?
Thiaw: I hope they can win the title! And that they have lots of fun and pick up valuable experience.
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Malick Thiaw made his debut for the Germany national team in the 1-0 defeat to Poland on Friday evening (16th June). The 21-year-old, who played from the start in Warsaw, even almost got on the scoresheet towards the end of the contest. We spoke to the AC Milan defender to discuss his fulfilment of a childhood dream, the messages after the game and his return to Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday.
DFB.de: Malick, when you were called-up to the national team for the first time back in March, you said that you dream in German, although you also speak Finnish, English, a bit of Wolof and now Italian. On Friday, you played for Germany for the first time in Poland. Is that a dream come true?
Malick Thiaw: Yes, one hundred percent! It’s something that I’ve dreamt of since I started playing football. On Friday I was able to fulfil a childhood dream. My family sat in front of the television to watch and they were really happy for me.
DFB.de: You celebrated your debut with a strong performance at centre half, you almost scored and you received a lot of praise for your 87 minutes in Warsaw, not only from head coach Hansi Flick, but also from director Rudi Völler. Although the match was lost 1-0, do you still feel like a winner after your game?
Thiaw: There’s no way that I felt like a winner. You’re only a winner if you win as a team and unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do that. I was satisfied with my individual performance and happy that I was able to make my debut. But above all, I wanted to win the game.
DFB.de: You looked confident and relaxed out on the pitch. Did you feel the same way? Or were you nervous ahead of your debut?
Thiaw: I was a bit nervous before the game but it was a nervous excitement. It’s important for my game that I feel that, so it didn’t bother me.
DFB.de: You must have received lots of messages after your debut. Which one surprised you the most?
Thiaw: I can’t single one out. There were too many for that (laughs)! Family, friends, former teammates, messages from those in the Bundesliga, messages from Milan. Lots of people got in touch and everyone was really happy for me.
DFB.de: You made your Champions League debut for AC Milan this year, and now you’ve made your debut for the national team. How do you process all that happening in such a short space of time?
Thiaw: It has without a doubt been a great year for me. And even though it wasn’t this season, I can’t forget the promotion with Schalke, which was also great. And it wasn’t very long ago either. I remain humble despite the successes. That’s how I have been brought up. Football brings me a lot of joy but there are other things in life. It doesn’t make me a different person because I play football at this level. And it doesn’t make me a better person than others.
DFB.de: After achieving these goals so early in your career, what’s next on the list?
Thiaw: I have certainly achieved some of my goals, but by no means all of them. I still have many more and I have to keep working hard in order to achieve them. I didn’t win any trophies this year, for example.
DFB.de: That takes the shine of it a tad?
Thiaw: There’s always room for improvement.
DFB.de: You’ll be back in Gelsenkirchen with the national team on Tuesday. You were at Schalke for seven years, first at youth level and then in the Bundesliga. Will it be an emotional return?
Thiaw: I’m really looking forward to Schalke. It’s a game that will mean a lot to me. I have lots of fond memories of my time there. I’ve already mentioned the promotion to the Bundesliga. That was something very special. My family will be in the crowd and I’ll also have lots of friends there.
DFB.de: What do you need to do differently as a team in order to be successful against Colombia?
Thiaw: We have to be consistent at the back. Even though we didn’t allow Poland to do too much, they still managed to score. We have to make the most of our chances when they come. We had lots against Poland, but we have to take them.
DFB.de: Gelsenkirchen will be one of the ten host cities in next year’s Euros. How much are you looking forward to this tournament?
Thiaw: A lot. Hosting the Euros will be something special. I can’t really imagine what it will be like at the moment because I’ve never experienced it, but I’m really looking forward to it. I was only five during the 2006 World Cup so I can’t remember it anymore.
DFB.de: You’re already a European champion; you were a part of the team that won the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The U21s are getting their European Championship underway on Thursday. How will you follow the tournament?
Thiaw: I will try to watch every game. The team is very good. They could be very successful.
DFB.de: What do you hope your successors in the U21s can achieve?
Thiaw: I hope they can win the title! And that they have lots of fun and pick up valuable experience.
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