Julian Weigl’s rise to prominence has been as swift as it has been impressive. After moving from TSV 1860 Munich to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2015, he has firmly established himself as a key part of the midfield, and made a big impression in the league and Champions League, so much so that he has been a part of every national team squad since May, including being called up to Euro 2016. However, Weigl did not get his career started on the pitch; rather, the halls, as a futsal player.
The modern variant of indoor football is on the rise in Germany. The DFB national futsal team was founded last December, and they are set to face England for their first official games on 30th October and 1st November in Hamburg. 21-year old Weigl spoke with DFB.de about a possible guest appearance for the national team, the advantages of futsal for football development and discussed how futsal gave him his first experience of the Signal-Iduna Park.
DFB.de: Mr. Weigl, word has it that you were discovered in futsal?
Julian Weigl: Yes, that is true. I was with 1860 Rosenheim playing in the Bavarian Championships for futsal. Between the final group game and the semi final, 1860 Munich’s chief scout came to me and we had a short discussion, and then things went from there. I was then called by the people at 1860 and joined them for training.
DFB.de: What was your greatest success in futsal?
Julian Weigl: I remember that I was top scorer and voted best player at the Southern German Championships. We qualified for the German Championships through that, but unfortunately we only finished second in that. Despite that, it was a great experience. Thanks to that we were given tickets to a Borussia Dortmund game at the Signal-Iduna Park.
DFB.de: When was the last time you played futsal?
Julian Weigl: After my time with 1860 Rosenheim, I was finished with futsal. For 1860 Munich I participated in a ‘normal’ indoor football tournament, but I still watch a lot of futsal whenever I am back home. It is a really enjoyable variation of football, and watching it is always a lot of fun.
Julian Weigl’s rise to prominence has been as swift as it has been impressive. After moving from TSV 1860 Munich to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2015, he has firmly established himself as a key part of the midfield, and made a big impression in the league and Champions League, so much so that he has been a part of every national team squad since May, including being called up to Euro 2016. However, Weigl did not get his career started on the pitch; rather, the halls, as a futsal player.
The modern variant of indoor football is on the rise in Germany. The DFB national futsal team was founded last December, and they are set to face England for their first official games on 30th October and 1st November in Hamburg. 21-year old Weigl spoke with DFB.de about a possible guest appearance for the national team, the advantages of futsal for football development and discussed how futsal gave him his first experience of the Signal-Iduna Park.
DFB.de: Mr. Weigl, word has it that you were discovered in futsal?
Julian Weigl: Yes, that is true. I was with 1860 Rosenheim playing in the Bavarian Championships for futsal. Between the final group game and the semi final, 1860 Munich’s chief scout came to me and we had a short discussion, and then things went from there. I was then called by the people at 1860 and joined them for training.
DFB.de: What was your greatest success in futsal?
Julian Weigl: I remember that I was top scorer and voted best player at the Southern German Championships. We qualified for the German Championships through that, but unfortunately we only finished second in that. Despite that, it was a great experience. Thanks to that we were given tickets to a Borussia Dortmund game at the Signal-Iduna Park.
DFB.de: When was the last time you played futsal?
Julian Weigl: After my time with 1860 Rosenheim, I was finished with futsal. For 1860 Munich I participated in a ‘normal’ indoor football tournament, but I still watch a lot of futsal whenever I am back home. It is a really enjoyable variation of football, and watching it is always a lot of fun.
DFB.de: What are the advantages of futsal?
Julian Weigl: Futsal is very, very good for players’ technical development. It teaches you how to deal with having minimal amounts of space and how to play out of almost any situation. The ball barely bounces, so you have to keep the ball on the ground. Futsal is a great school and alternative to regular football.
DFB.de: Are the rules of futsal completely sensible in your eyes? Or do you think they could be improved?
Julian Weigl: Sometimes I find the rules a little extreme. For example how the ball has to be back in play within five seconds. I find it good that fouls are added up and that a sixth foul leads to a penalty. Things like that ensure the game is much less violent and the number of injuries is far less than in regular indoor football.
DFB.de: The DFB futsal team have their first official game in less than a month…
Julian Weigl: Yes, I had been told that. A friend of a good friend has been invited to the side a few times, so I have followed their progress a bit. I think it will be very useful but it will probably take a while to get to the top international level. Spain and Brazil are really strong and it is already stark to see the level they have got to so quickly.
DFB.de: Is it possible that we will see a guest appearance from Julian Weigl in the DFB futsal team?
Julian Weigl: I have wanted to be a part of things for a while! (Laughs) But it has been a long time since I played the game myself, I am not sure it would be any kind of benefit for the team.
