Tah: Everything is a lot bigger here. It’s all very different to what I’ve experienced so far – even the size of the staff that are here to look after the players and the team. Training is also crazy. The quality of the players – there are real World Champions here, and you certainly can see that. It’s all very impressive. I’m just enjoying every sensation and insight that it gives me.
DFB.de: Everyone knows your CV: the youngest-ever Bundesliga player for HSV, then you were loaned to second-division Fortuna Düsseldorf, then you made the jump to Bayer 04 and the Champions League. And now you’re in the national team. How do you deal with such a fast-paced career?
Tah: Recently it has all gone very fast. It’s exactly seven months since I signed a contract with Bayer Leverkusen, and before that I was playing in the second division. That’s crazy when you think about it. Before the season I’d never have thought that I would make so many consistent appearances – but the manager has believed in me and counted on me. His trust has given me lots of confidence, and through that I’ve also earned the trust of the team, which makes me even more confident.
DFB.de: In Benedikt Höwedes and Jérôme Boateng, two of Germany’s first-choice defenders are injured. Be honest – have you had any thoughts in the back of your mind about how that could possibly open a door for you into the side?
Tah: Not at all – I’m sympathetic to any player who gets injured, and there’s no room to feel anything else. But obviously in football you sometimes get the chance to profit from someone else’s bad luck. The injuries to those two players hadn’t been on my mind – I’d never have thought that it would have an impact on me. In terms of the national team, all I was thinking about was the U21s. I was only thinking about Horst Hrubesch’s side – the senior squad wasn’t in my mind at all.
DFB.de: But now you’re here. What are your intentions for your week with the Germany squad?
Tah: I want to give my all, I want to show what I can do, I want to prove that it was the right decision to call me up. I was to put in the same type of performances that I have been for my club. However, I am aware that I’m right at the start of my career. I want to learn, I want to gain experience and I also want to enjoy my time here.
DFB.de: How much are you hoping that you’ll earn your first cap for Germany against England on Saturday?
20-year-old Jonathan Tah has been in and around the senior national squad since Tuesday. He’s spent his first days, his first training sessions, his first evenings among World Champions. The Bayer Leverkusen defender sat down with DFB.de to talk about his first call-up to the national side.
DFB.de: Mr. Tah, what was it like when you got the call-up? How long does a conversation like that last, where Joachim Löw tells you you’re part of his squad for the first time?
Jonathan Tah: I’d already received the news about my call-up from Rudi Völler, so I knew the head coach would call me to let me know personally. The conversation with Joachim Löw didn’t last that long. We just spoke a little bit – well, to be honest he did most of the talking.
DFB.de: And what did he say?
Tah: That I’ve been putting in consistently good performance, and that I’d earned my call-up. And me? I just said ‘Thank you’ a lot – I couldn’t really find any other words.
DFB.de: Who was the first person you told about the call-up? Did you let your family and friends know straight away?
Tah: I had to wait a little bit actually, because straight after I got the call I had training with Bayer Leverkusen, but after that I called and messaged a lot of the people who are most important to me.
DFB.de: How quickly did word of your call-up spread round the Bayer 04 camp?
Tah: Our head coach Roger Schmidt mentioned it briefly in his speech before training – so the players were all aware.
DFB.de: And they all booed right? Nobody was happy for you…
Tah: (laughs) No, of course not, obviously everyone congratulated me. The players all know what an honour it is to be called up to the national team, and they let me enjoy the moment.
DFB.de: You’ve achieved a dream of yours by getting called up to the national side, or so you have said. Can you describe how it felt?
Tah: That’s not easy. Above all I’m proud. Proud to have made the next step; proud at how my development is coming along. This call-up is a great way of being acknowledged, and it’s given me another push, another burst of confidence. Above all I’m very thankful – I know just how many people I have to thank for this, especially Bayern Leverkusen, my teammates and the coaches there.
DFB.de: You said that you were totally surprised by the call-up. However, Löw’s assistant coach Thomas Schneider has been in Leverkusen to watch games recently. Did you know nothing of that, or did you not take notice of his presence?
Tah: Obviously I knew, everyone finds out about things like that. But I always try not to let myself get affected by things like that. On top of that I certainly didn’t assume he was there for me – there are lots of other Germany international at Bayer 04, so I just assumed I wasn’t the one being watched.
DFB.de: You’ve spent your first few days in and around the national side. What have your thoughts been so far? What is life like as a member of Die Mannschaft?
Tah: Everything is a lot bigger here. It’s all very different to what I’ve experienced so far – even the size of the staff that are here to look after the players and the team. Training is also crazy. The quality of the players – there are real World Champions here, and you certainly can see that. It’s all very impressive. I’m just enjoying every sensation and insight that it gives me.
DFB.de: Everyone knows your CV: the youngest-ever Bundesliga player for HSV, then you were loaned to second-division Fortuna Düsseldorf, then you made the jump to Bayer 04 and the Champions League. And now you’re in the national team. How do you deal with such a fast-paced career?
Tah: Recently it has all gone very fast. It’s exactly seven months since I signed a contract with Bayer Leverkusen, and before that I was playing in the second division. That’s crazy when you think about it. Before the season I’d never have thought that I would make so many consistent appearances – but the manager has believed in me and counted on me. His trust has given me lots of confidence, and through that I’ve also earned the trust of the team, which makes me even more confident.
DFB.de: In Benedikt Höwedes and Jérôme Boateng, two of Germany’s first-choice defenders are injured. Be honest – have you had any thoughts in the back of your mind about how that could possibly open a door for you into the side?
Tah: Not at all – I’m sympathetic to any player who gets injured, and there’s no room to feel anything else. But obviously in football you sometimes get the chance to profit from someone else’s bad luck. The injuries to those two players hadn’t been on my mind – I’d never have thought that it would have an impact on me. In terms of the national team, all I was thinking about was the U21s. I was only thinking about Horst Hrubesch’s side – the senior squad wasn’t in my mind at all.
DFB.de: But now you’re here. What are your intentions for your week with the Germany squad?
Tah: I want to give my all, I want to show what I can do, I want to prove that it was the right decision to call me up. I was to put in the same type of performances that I have been for my club. However, I am aware that I’m right at the start of my career. I want to learn, I want to gain experience and I also want to enjoy my time here.
DFB.de: How much are you hoping that you’ll earn your first cap for Germany against England on Saturday?
Tah: I’ll try and make myself available, I’ll try and perform in training – but even if I don’t get on the pitch, it’s still such a huge thing for me to have been here. However, I obviously am hoping that I can make my debut – maybe even on Saturday.
DFB.de: But it wouldn’t be your first appearance at the Olympiastadion…
Tah: That’s true, I played my first Bundesliga game here against Hetha.
DFB.de: That must be a good omen!
Tah: Yes. However, we did lose that game 1-0.
DFB.de: In the summer there’s a big tournament going on: the European Championship in France. How often do your thoughts get ahead of you and do you find yourself thinking about the EUROs?
Tah: Not at all. It’s still far too early. We’ve still got a lot of important games coming up for Bayer Leverkusen, and I want to concentrate on those. It wouldn’t help at all if I spent all my time thinking about whether I’m going to make it into the final squad or not.
