Konrad Laimer has been with FC Bayern since the beginning of the month and has already experienced a lot in that short time. On the Audi Summer Tour 2023, fcbayern.com interviewed the new Munich midfielder in a traditional ramen restaurant in Tokyo. In a special atmosphere, the 26-year-old spoke about his strengths, preseason with FCB and an unusual record.
Interview: Konrad Laimer
Servus, Konrad! You've been on the Audi Summer Tour since Tuesday. What are you looking forward to on the trip?
"Now I've already been privileged to eat ramen here once, so I don't know if it can get any better (laughs). But seriously, for me it's the first time I've been part of a tour of Asia like this. Everything is new, everything is exciting. I'm looking forward to experiencing it all: The cities, the friendly matches, the fans - I just want to enjoy it. But of course we'll use the time here first and foremost to get fit as a team for the new season and to get the rhythms right."
Konrad Laimer's first day in Tokyo - the best pictures:
How's it gone in your first few weeks at FC Bayern – have you settled in yet?
"These are very intensive days with the training camp at Tegernsee and now with the Asia tour. We have three warm-up matches here, it never stops. So we're spending a lot of time together and getting to know each other well. It's been very easy for me to settle in here."
Apart from striker, centre-back and goalkeeper, you've actually played every position in your professional career - will you complete the set at some point?
"I have indeed been around a bit on the pitch. Once I even played as a centre-back, but not from the start. Of course it's fun to try out other positions, but basically I feel most comfortable in midfield."
Is this versatility compared to specialists in one position more of a curse or a blessing?
"Especially in my early days as a professional, it was often the case that I was used in different positions. Most recently, I almost always played in midfield - whether more attacking or more defensive doesn't really make a difference. It's often just a matter of adapting to an opponent or to what the coach wants you or the team to do. So it's certainly not a disadvantage."
What are your strengths in the central position?
"I win a lot of possession and can transition quickly afterwards. I'm a player who invests a lot, who runs a lot, who's always here to serve the team. Now I'm trying to take my next steps with and without the ball at FC Bayern and to fit in here as best I can."
You yourself say that you're very ambitious. That'll certainly help you here. What else do yoou think a Bayern player needs?
"You have to offer a lot if you're to make it at this club. FC Bayern always has the highest standards. It's great to be a part of it. When you show the ambition to want to win every game, it's a good match. I try to improve every day in training and bring my best possible self to the pitch so that we are successful as a team."
As a serial DFB Cup winner, you've switched to the serial champions. Does the name Kurt Sommerlatt actually mean anything to you?
"No, I don't know it.“
In the mid-1950s, he won the DFB Cup three times in a row with Karlsruher SC and Bayern, the only player to achieve this so far. Would you like to match that?
"Definitely! I've been to Berlin a couple of times now, won the cup twice. I'd love to go there again next year and win it a third time. But at Bayern there are basically only the highest goals - and those are to end as winners of all the competitions we play in."
All you need to know about the Audi Summer Tour 2023:
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