Serge Gnabry interview: ‘I’ve never had any self-doubt’

Serge Gnabry has been wearing the FC Bayern jersey for more than six years now. He has reinvented himself time and again and yet has remained true to himself. He spoke to the club members’ magazine ‘51’ about his development, his role in the team and what it means to have the Bayern gene in you.

Interview with Serge Gnabry

Serge, you were plagued by injuries last season. In the summer, you even missed the Euros in Germany because of it. How upsetting is something like that?
Serge Gnabry: “It doesn't leave me feeling bad. It felt like a lost year. Of course, I had hoped to play a lot, to make a big impact at Bayern and with the national team. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. At first, the disappointment is huge, but then it's all about willpower and work ethic. There are better things than rehab training when you can see the lads out on the pitch playing every day. That also hurts sometimes. And whenever I came back, whenever things had just started to go well again, there was always the next setback. It was a totally negative streak. But I fought through it, time and time again.”

Football is a performance-based business. How much room is there for doubt?
“I’ve never had any self-doubt. I've always done everything I could to get fit. But there are also things that you can't control 100 percent.”

Did you change things during this time in the hope that you could end the negative streak?
“There wasn't just one reason why I kept getting injured. So I didn't do anything differently. I'm still doing the same things as always, and things are going great at the moment. But of course I've also adapted things over the course of my career. I'm someone who always wants to learn something new anyway, who likes to explore new avenues. Depending on what my body needs at the time, I set new training stimuli, sometimes I do yoga, sometimes pilates, sometimes more stretching, sometimes less. And I've always been open to new approaches to mental training too. Head, self-confidence, self-awareness - all of these play a crucial role in sport.”

You're now playing your seventh season at Bayern. Have you had to reinvent yourself time and again - or is it more the art of staying true to yourself in order to survive over such a long period of time?
“I think it takes a bit of both. Everyone has to find their own mix, everyone is different. There are players who need continuity, who prefer to stay true to their processes. That's also a good thing in many cases, because you don't have to think about how to approach something. You have your rhythm; you have confidence in your own processes. But for me, it's sometimes better to try something new. I have a foundation of things that have always worked, but I'm also open to innovation.”

What has been new to you recently? And what has stood the test of time? Has there been a personal game-changer for you?
“For example, there are many exciting things that can contribute to regeneration and improving physical condition. I'm very interested in all of that. But you have to look at what really helps you. I now have a kind of toolbox from which I pull out the things I need every day. Sometimes an ice bath, sometimes an infrared chamber, sometimes yoga, sometimes stretching. What I also find very important is to engage with the game itself. Talking a lot with others about the game and the opponent. You always get new perspectives.”

When you play for Bayern for so long, you also become a carrier of the Bayern gene. What does that mean for you personally?
“I would describe this gene like this: You always want to win, you always have to win, and at the same time everyone else wants to beat you. You have to constantly fight against that because you don't want to lose, no matter what. I adopted this gene very quickly. It's very difficult for me to imagine not feeling this mentality in me at some point.”

How did the process of internalising this mentality work?
“It happens quite automatically. Anyone who comes to Bayern very quickly realises that a different wind blows in training, that games are approached differently. You see, feel and experience this desire to always win every day. That's exactly where this special ambition, this gene, comes from.”

Do you now feel you have the role of passing this gene on to a younger generation?
“Of course you develop a certain maturity, you move forward and take on responsibility, that's a natural process. I used to be one of the younger ones and was grateful for tips from the older players. Now it's quite normal for me to pass something on myself, to motivate, to say ‘Don't do this - do this and this instead’.”

How much resilience, grit and perhaps even the ability to suffer do you need for a career in professional football?
“You have to be mentally sound. Just to survive the competition, which is simply part and parcel of football. You have to play well every game, year after year, otherwise the next one comes along and you're out. Then there's the publicity. All of that can really get to you. So it's all the more important to have a good environment, to be able to distract yourself from time to time to clear your head. In the end, the love of the game is so great that you can put up with it all. We go onto the pitch, want to play football, want to win - and don't think about what will be reported in the media the next day. At some point, you develop a thick skin and you can also assess things yourself.”

You also find distraction from football in a social foundation that you set up a few months ago. Why was that important to you and what is the Serge Gnabry Foundation about?
“I'd had the idea for a while. As a professional footballer, I'm doing so well that I want to give something back. That's how I was brought up. I've also seen what others I've played with can achieve. Manuel Neuer, for example, Philipp Lahm or Per Mertesacker. I took their example and have now set up my own foundation. I decided to focus on the topic of health because it is important to me personally. With my team, I want to help people who need support due to an illness. On the other hand, we want to contribute to improving the conditions in care and medical facilities. We have a partnership with the Haunersche Children's Hospital in Munich, and we are currently discussing the areas in which we can make a concrete contribution: Research, medical equipment, nursing staff…”

A big topic with a lot to do. You take on responsibility at Bayern and in society. Where do you currently stand in your personal development?
“I would say I've reached the stage of adulthood, the stage of reason. In every respect. And that feels good. Of course, the youthful enthusiasm of the past was also great. But everything in its own time. I'll be 30 next year, which always sounds like footballers have to start thinking about the time after that. But I definitely don't feel like that yet - not even like I'm 29 [smiles].”

At 29, you're in the middle of your career, no longer quite young, but far from old. You stand right between players like Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise on the one hand and Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer on the other. What do you learn from these generations?
“More common sense from the older players. Even Thomas is starting to be sensible now [laughs]. And from the youngsters, the joie de vivre and joy with which they approach things. Sometimes it's just better not to think so much. Both are enriching.”

The full interview is available in this month’s edition of ‘51’