The right arm of Niklas Süle kept stretching over to the next seat with the FC Bayern defender clearly peeved. At the last moment, his mate Sebastian Rudy joined the party and the hoped-for win on the video game was gone. Any possible frustration at the Mario Kart game quickly disappeared as the 3-0 away victory at Hannover 96 included several notable debuts for FC Bayern players.
"I've often tried it. And now it's finally happened," said a happy Rudi about his first Bundesliga goal for FC Bayern, which the midfielder has been after for a long time. And the goalscorer also thanked his former and new team-mate for his contribution. "Niki told me in the walk before the game that I'd score a goal. Of course, I believed him, said Rudy with a laugh. "At least I hoped it would happen. Great that it has."
Süle as a soothsayer – It was not the first time the central defender has been on hand with his apparent supernatural powers. "Mats (Hummels, ed.), Sippi (Rudy) and I went on a walk together before the Augsburg game. We talked about own goals. By coincidence, I scored one in the afternoon. This time we talked about Sippi's first goal of the season and he goes on scores one straightaway. It's a bit funny," he muses. "But I'm incredibly happy for him."
Praise for Lukas Mai
Süle had an unusual role on the pitch this time as he played in holding midfield - at least as a pro for the first time. "I played in defensive midfield almost all my time in the youth teams," explained Süle who only dropped back in the U17 and U19 teams. "It's obviously different. I did more running in holding midfield than I do in my normal position and I noticed that at some point," said the 22-year-old, "but I was able to get up front two or three times. It was great fun."
Lukas Mai also enjoyed a successful debut. The 18-year-old played in Süle’s 'favourite position' at Hannover - and immediately earned special praise from the international defender. "Hats off," said Süle sharing Mai's joy, "I know how nervous you are when you finally play in the position you’ve worked for through the youth ranks." Süle was happy to share advice with the U19 captain: "In two or three situations, I tried to have a word with himand he immediately put it into practice." Thomas Müller was also very happy with the debutant as he looked into the future: "The youth section can carry on like that!"
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