Lamine Sané loves the atmosphere at the Weser-Stadion. The Senegalese was immediately impressed by the singing and dancing of the home fans. However, his appearance in the last 16 of the Champions League against Olympiakos remains incomparable. This experience in the Greek capital seven years ago remains the highlight for Sané.
We caught up with the Werder man in the latest edition of Four-Four-Two to ask him four sporting questions, four personal questions and two unusual questions. Sané tells us what reduced him to tears, who has the best dress sense in the changing room and why it’s not a good idea to play football in the living room.
# To hold a title in your hand is...
“… amazing. There’s nothing better. Playing in the cup final in France gave me goosebumps. We played at the Stade de France and the whole stadium was full. I can’t remember now exactly how many fans were there. I had tears in my eyes, because it’s the hardest competition in France. To win the game was a huge relief.”
# The toughest opponent that I’ve faced is...
“One of the toughest opponents was definitely Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But I’ve also played against Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o. Honestly speaking, I can’t choose just one hardest player that I’ve had to face.”
# At my international call-up…
“… there were 'administrative' problems (laughs). My passport wasn’t correct which meant that I couldn’t play. It was a friendly in Paris against Gabon. At first the opponents refused, but fortunately it was only a friendly and it got resolved in the end. Of course it was quite exciting. In the game I played against Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – another tough opponent.”
# A moment in my career that I will never forget…
“… is my first Champions League appearance against Olympiakos. When I walked into the dressing room at half-time I didn’t know where I was or what was going on. It was so incredibly loud in the stadium.Of course I finished the game and we won and in the changing room after the game I asked my best friend in the team what was going on. It was crazy!”
# My brother can do … better
“… Play the piano. I learnt to play the guitar for a while, but have since given up. Therefore I can ponder better than he can (laughs).”
# The biggest squabble that I had with brother was…
“… was when we were children. I can still remember it well. Our Mother had forbidden us from playing football in the living room, but of course we did it anyway. There were some flowers in water on top of the television and we hit them and they fell onto the TV and broke it (laughs).”
# Style is … for me
“… very important. That applies to my everyday life. That was always the case. Luckily through being a footballer I now have the means and the contacts in this field. So I go involved in it and it sparked my interest. I keep up with the fashion trends, but only from a distance. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet made it to the fashion week in Paris. In the team I like ‘Zetti’s’ style a lot. Everyone in the team has their own preferences. Serge is the odd one out, Thomas has an English touch. I monitor that very closely...”
# My favourite basketball team…
“… is the Lost Angeles Lakers. I’m a fan of basketball shirts. When I see a shirt that I like then I buy it.”
# When I dance with my long legs…
“… it looks funny. In the past I was a good dancer and followed the rhythm in my blood. I think that people of African origin have that naturally.”
# For an atmosphere in the dressing room we need…
“… 'Drobo'. Everyone said that yeah? He’s always in a good mood, always funny and creates a spark in the dressing room. He comes across as very serious on the outside, but on the inside he’s very different.”
