Timon Wellenreuther hasn’t had much chance to unwind. The Germany U21 international was in action with RCD Mallorca just six days before Christmas. He now faces another game on Saturday, as his side travel to Elche, and they need to pick up points if they want to stave off relegation to the Segunda Division.
During his short winter break, the 20-year-old Schalke loanee took some time to chat with DFB.de. Timon Wellenreuther talks about an exciting year with debuts in the Bundesliga and Champions League, the contact with his parent club and life as a second-division player in Spain.
DFB.de: What was your personal highlight of 2015?
Timon Wellenreuther: This year had a lot of highlights for me, but it has to be my eight Bundesliga appearances and the two games against Real Madrid in the Champions League. The 4-3 away win with Schalke at the Estadio Bernabeu in particular remains unforgettable. Being called into the U21 squad and the six games under Horst Heldt were of course the icing on the cake. Playing for Germany is the biggest thing there is.
DFB.de: Are you in touch with FC Schalke 04 and coach André Breitenreiter?
Wellenreuther: There’s no direct contact at the moment, but I know that Schalke are monitoring my development.
DFB.de: Where do you see room for improvement in your goalkeeping ability?
Wellenreuther: I prefer the modern style of goalkeeping, which involves being involved in the build-up play. It’s important that I give off a sense of composure and presence on the pitch. I want to improve myself in every department each day, and I learn new things with each game and training session.
DFB.de: What’s it like to be a professional German footballer living in Mallorca?
Wellenreuther: We train hard and it’s a long, old season with 42 games. The weather in autumn and winter is very pleasant and the island offers plenty of things to do in your spare time. Who else has a beach on their doorstep?
Timon Wellenreuther hasn’t had much chance to unwind. The Germany U21 international was in action with RCD Mallorca just six days before Christmas. He now faces another game on Saturday, as his side travel to Elche, and they need to pick up points if they want to stave off relegation to the Segunda Division.
During his short winter break, the 20-year-old Schalke loanee took some time to chat with DFB.de. Timon Wellenreuther talks about an exciting year with debuts in the Bundesliga and Champions League, the contact with his parent club and life as a second-division player in Spain.
DFB.de: What was your personal highlight of 2015?
Timon Wellenreuther: This year had a lot of highlights for me, but it has to be my eight Bundesliga appearances and the two games against Real Madrid in the Champions League. The 4-3 away win with Schalke at the Estadio Bernabeu in particular remains unforgettable. Being called into the U21 squad and the six games under Horst Heldt were of course the icing on the cake. Playing for Germany is the biggest thing there is.
DFB.de: Are you in touch with FC Schalke 04 and coach André Breitenreiter?
Wellenreuther: There’s no direct contact at the moment, but I know that Schalke are monitoring my development.
DFB.de: Where do you see room for improvement in your goalkeeping ability?
Wellenreuther: I prefer the modern style of goalkeeping, which involves being involved in the build-up play. It’s important that I give off a sense of composure and presence on the pitch. I want to improve myself in every department each day, and I learn new things with each game and training session.
DFB.de: What’s it like to be a professional German footballer living in Mallorca?
Wellenreuther: We train hard and it’s a long, old season with 42 games. The weather in autumn and winter is very pleasant and the island offers plenty of things to do in your spare time. Who else has a beach on their doorstep?
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DFB.de: How do you get on understanding your Spanish-speaking teammates?
Wellenreuther: It was difficult at the start, but I’m getting better every day thanks to my regular Spanish lessons. On the pitch, it worked out well right from the start. I had the key phrases down very early on.
DFB.de: Your club is in a relegation battle. What makes you confident that you will leave the danger zone soon?
Wellenreuther: We have good players and a good team. We’ve often been better than our opponents and have undeservedly come away without the three points or have sometimes gifted them. But it’s still tight in terms of the table and we will find our way away from the bottom in the new year.
DFB.de: What goals do you have for 2016?
Wellenreuther: I want to perform well at Mallorca for the rest of the season and have a successful European qualifying campaign with the U21s. We’ll see if anything else happens.
DFB.de: You’re the first-choice goalkeeper for the U21s. When will we see you in the senior team?
Wellenreuther: That is obviously the dream for any footballer. It’s a goal that’s still far off for me though, and there’s a lot I want to achieve before then.
DFB.de: It’s a very short winter break in Spain. What were your plans for the two weeks?
Wellenreuther: I actually only had a week off. I was of course at home in Karlsruhe over Christmas and spent time with my family and friends.
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