Claudio Pizarro spent six seasons with Bayern, before switching to Chelsea in 2006 and then returning to his first German club, Werder Bremen. The Peruvian netted his 133rd Bundesliga goal last weekend (71 for FCB) and is now level with former team-mate Giovane Elber as the league’s highest-scoring foreigner.
Saturday’s cup final is a reunion with former team-mates for the man nicknamed Pizza. fcbayern.de asked the 31-year-old about the scoring record, the 2009-10 season, and Saturday’s DFB Cup final, a fixture he has already won four times.
Interview: Claudio Pizarro
fcbayern.de: Claudio, congratulations on drawing level with Giovane Elber in the all-time scoring chart. What does it mean to you, and have you already heard from your former strike partner?
Claudio Pizarro: “I’ve not heard from him personally, but he’s been very visible recently. After our game with Schalke, I was the guest in the evening Sportstudio show, and they set up a video link with him. He was very cheeky, he asked how much longer I needed for the record. I drew level with him the following week. I’ll have the record for myself soon enough.”
fcbayern.de: Werder picked up after Christmas and qualified for the Champions League in third. What’s your summary of last season?
Pizarro: “In the autumn, I thought we’d be title contenders. That’s the reason I came back to Bremen. I was a bit disappointed when things went astray. But I liked the way the whole team coped with adversity, we all worked hard, we were determined to improve, and we set ourselves a target which, despite setbacks, we achieved. So we can be satisfied with the season, which gives us a chance of the Champions League.”
fcbayern.de: You face Bayern in Saturday’s DFB Cup final. Is it still special for you, or is it like just another Bundesliga meeting with FCB?
Pizarro: “It’s obviously special. It’ll be my sixth final and it’s always been exciting. But it’s special as well because it’s the two clubs where I’ve won the trophy before. The cup’s being handed out again on Saturday, and I want to win it again.”
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