Exploring Munich with Konrad Laimer

Even prior to Konrad Laimer's arrival in Munich, you could find his name on every city map. And at FC Bayern, too, it seems as if the Austrian simply belongs here. He shows FC Bayern members' magazine "51" his 'Platz' (place), on and off the pitch.

An Austrian rides through Munich

There are various ways to explore Munich. On foot or by tram, for example. Or you can take a rickshaw, like Konrad Laimer. For a video shoot by FC Bayern partner "GetYourGuide", he boarded the airy vehicle and enjoyed the ride through the Munich city centre to the Viktualienmarkt. "Like the Emperor of Austria!" he shouted with a laugh from his seat shortly before reaching his destination. Laimer was clearly having fun and felt at home.

That was true in that moment, but after almost nine months in Munich, it's also generally the case. "It was easy to find my feet here, both in the city and in the dressing room," he says when we meet him for an interview a few days later. Laimer leans back in his chair and strokes his beard. He's very much in a good place right now. After a four-week injury lay-off due to a muscle strain in his calf, he's back on the pitch and has reached the Champions League quarter-finals with the team. So things are running, as they say in Austria.

Konrad Laimer appreciates being close to home

After Leipzig, Munich is the 26-year-old's second stop on his career far from home. Although "far" is not entirely accurate in this case: Munich and Salzburg are less than two hours' drive from each other. "That's a nice bonus," says Laimer. He smiles mischievously: "There's no language barrier either. I get by well in Munich with my Austrian."

You could say that after nine months at FC Bayern, Laimer already passes as a Munich native. If he hadn't been wearing a bright red tracksuit during the video shoot, he wouldn't have stood out at all at the Viktualienmarkt. He could have been one of many people picking up a fruit and vegetable juice from a stall. He enjoys getting out and about in the city and doesn't live far from the Viktualienmarkt, he says: "It wasn't my first time here, I've walked through and shopped here a few times."

Is he already familiar with Laimer Platz? "I haven't been there yet, but I've heard that it exists," he says with a grin. "That's really cool: Even before I came here, there was a Platz (square) that bears my name." How could you not feel welcome?

Laimer Platz - in Munich and on the pitch

Laimer Platz is located in the west of Munich. The U5 underground line stops there, so the square features on every timetable. And on the pitch? Where's Laimer Platz there? "Sometimes it's there, sometimes there, sometimes there," says Laimer, and as imprecise as his statement is, it's also accurate. This season, he's already played as a holding midfielder, an attacking midfielder and right-back, as well as on the right of midfield and as a right winger for the national team. Where hasn't he played yet in his career? Laimer reflects: "I've done everything at the back, I've done everything in midfield, I've played up front on the left and the right - the only thing missing is playing at number nine and in goal, but I still have a few years left."

In Austria, they have a word for what Laimer is: a Wunderwuzzi. It sounds funny, but it's meant in recognition of someone who can do everything, a jack-of-all-trades. Laimer himself sees his prodigiousness as a strength. The coach can deploy him anywhere. "I'm someone who accepts that and then gives it his all, no matter where Laimer Platz is on the pitch."

Bayern all-rounder puts the team first

What makes Konrad Laimer so valuable as a footballer is not just what he can do with the ball. It's his mentality. The Austrian puts the team first, he always gives one hundred per cent, and the only thing that counts for him is winning. He once said about himself that he lives and breathes football. And that is very accurate, according to someone who knows Laimer very well. "With him, you always know where you stand. It's not about a lack of commitment," says Benno Schmitz.

The 29-year-old Munich native progressed through the youth system at FC Bayern and now plays for 1. FC Köln. At Salzburg and Leipzig, Schmitz was Laimer's roommate at training camps. They also went on holiday together a few times. "We always got on well together and still get on very well today," he says. On the pitch, Laimer has always excelled in his work against the ball. "He's simply a pressing player," says Schmitz, "he runs at anything that moves." However, Laimer has also developed his possessional play in recent years. "You could say he's always been able to play against the ball, but now he's added playing with it too. That's why he's now at Bayern."

Insider tips for new Munich resident Laimer

Laimer has to laugh when he hears who we've been talking to about him. "Benno didn't say anything bad," he says, not as a question but as a statement. He knows he can rely on him. If their stories are to be believed, they were exemplary roommates at the training camps. "We always went to bed quite early, were very well behaved. Konni was brought up well, he isn't a slob," says Schmitz and Laimer confirms this in all seriousness. "What are you meant to do when you're tired from all the training?" he says.

In Salzburg, Laimer showed Schmitz around town and they often went out for dinner together. "That was always very cosy." In return, Schmitz would like to have given Laimer a tour of his home city of Munich. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out so far, says the man who now lives in Cologne: "I'm only in Munich during the international break, when he's on international duty." However, he did send Laimer a few insider tips via WhatsApp.

A special connection to FC Bayern

The pair will meet again in mid-April at the Allianz Arena when Köln are the visitors in the Bundesliga. "Konni is very ambitious and finds it difficult to lose," says Schmitz. He knows Laimer will do everything in his power to come off the pitch as a winner. It's interesting: even before Laimer pulled on the Bayern jersey, he somehow always carried the spirit of the club within him. The "Mia san mia", the absolute will to win. "You have to bring that to the table, otherwise you won't make it this far up the ladder," says Laimer. "Training, playing, your private life, everything is just more fun when you're winning. The best thing is to always win."

Perhaps it's because of this affinity that Laimer felt drawn to FC Bayern from an early age. "There was always a connection," he says, recalling the first time he went to the Allianz Arena as a child. It was a match against 1. FC Köln, which ended in a 2-2 draw, that much he remembers. A quick internet search shows that it was a game in April 2006, 18 years ago, shortly before Laimer's ninth birthday. His cousin was invited to a friendly at Säbener Straße back then. "I went along. And afterwards we watched the game at the Allianz Arena."

Laimer grew up in Salzburger Land, more precisely in Abersee, a small town on the Wolfgangsee lake. "It's very idyllic there: mountains all around and Lake Wolfgangsee in the middle. It's a great place to grow up," he says. When he thinks back to his childhood, he always sees himself with a ball at his feet, either with his brother and his cousins in the garden at home or on the football pitch of USC Abersee, his boyhood club. Football is firmly anchored in the Laimer family. "We couldn't live without it," he says. His father and grandfather also played football, and when Konni has a game, "neither of them can sit still," he says with a laugh. "I'm sure my grandad can still get really annoyed in front of the TV."

Of course, everyone in Abersee is proud of "their" Konni, who is now at FC Bayern. A jersey of his - and, incidentally, of Sarah Zadrazil, who also played in the youth set-up at USC - hangs in the clubhouse. Laimer himself simply tries to keep on being the Konni he always was. Konni remains Konni, and with his down-to-earth and determined manner, he belongs to FC Bayern like Laimer Platz does to Munich. It's just a good fit. "Basically, I'm someone who turns up with energy and attitude and always wants to win," he says about himself. "That describes FC Bayern - and that's how I am too."

© Photos: Fritz Beck

There was some good news from the training pitch yesterday: