Between intense training sessions, new signing Jerome Gondorf takes a seat in the conservatory of the team hotel for one of his first in-depth Green-White interviews. Whoever thinks the midfielder may be tired or even a little irritated by the tough training sessions, is sadly mistaken. You’d never hear the 29 year old complain about playing football. “I could play all day,” he says.
In the first part of this interview with WERDER.DE and WERDER.TV, Gondorf speaks about his late Bundesliga debut, his maybe surprising qualities as an entertainer and his strengths as a midfielder who links attack with defence.
WERDER.DE: Let’s start by looking a little into your past. You were 27 when you made your Bundesliga debut, are you a late starter?
Jerome Gondorf: “Yes, I think you can say that. I made the decisive step in my career late on, and above all, if you take the first and second divisions as a the measure, you can say I’m a real late starter. I only played in the Bundesliga for the first time three years ago.”
WERDER.TV: When did you realise your career could still take this path?
Jerome Gondorf: “When we won promotion to the second division. In doing that, we achieved something no one expected, as expectations in Darmstadt were quite different. Firstly, we wanted to steady ourselves in the division, but we achieved a miracle. Then something started to grow inside me. I wanted to prove myself even more, to pit myself against even better players. With the promotion to the top-flight, I realised my dream – it’s where every player wants to play.”
WERDER.DE: Your father used to encourage you to follow a career as a comedian or an actor…
Jerome Gondorf: “Yes, that’s right (laughs). At home, I’ve always been someone who likes to perform something at parties or birthdays. I have a talent for it and so my father would have liked to have seen me do something like that.”
WERDER.DE: Are you a player that makes for a good atmosphere in the team?
Jerome Gondorf: “I’m definitely not someone who creates a bad atmosphere – I think that’s important. I’m a funny guy. In the changing rooms you can chat and have fun, but on the pitch you have to be focussed.”
WERDER.DE: You see yourself as a fighter. Have you always been like that?
Jerome Gondorf: “No, in my youth I was more of a classic number ten. Someone who likes to play nice passes, rather than close them down. When I signed my contract at the Stuttgarter Kickers and had Dirk Schuster as a coach, I changed. A fighter mentality was needed, the will to give absolutely everything I had on the pitch. That made me the player I am today.”
WERDER.DE: How long did that take?
Jerome Gondorf: “Not long; I had to adapt quickly, otherwise I wouldn’t have had a chance of surviving in the team. It was about team spirit, about will, passion, readiness. We had to put in a lot of effort. These things will also be important at Werder.”
WERDER.DE: What characterises your game?
Jerome Gondorf: “I always give everything – I never do things by half. I’m also like that in life. When I decide to do something, I apply myself 100%. You have to go the whole nine yards and I try to get that across to the group. I’m at an age in which I have responsibility on my shoulders and experience to share. I try to lead from the front.”
I’m at an age at which I have responsibility and experience to share.Jerome Gondorf
WERDER.DE: You’ve inherited an important number at Werder.
Jerome Gondorf: “I’m not Clemens’ successor. This number has brought me luck in the past and suits my position well. Players sometimes emboss and represent a great era, just like Clemens has done here. Everyone knows what he’s done for the club, but if you were to link that to the number of the back of a shirt, you’d need a few more numbers in the Bundesliga. I don’t see this number eight as a burden at all.”
WERDER.DE: What can we expect of you in the middle of the park?
Jerome Gondorf: “I’m versatile in midfield. I can play in front of the defence, box-to-box, the number 10 position – whatever the system requires and what kind of ideas the coach has. It’s perhaps one of my strengths to not be tied down to a certain position. Thanks to my running and footballing ability, I'm a player that links defence and attack."
