Topping their group and reaching the Quarter Finals, Ludwig Augustinsson and Sweden had a great tournament. Augustinsson, who has recently extended his contract with SVW, scored his first goal for his country in their 3-0 win against Mexico. After returning from the World Cup, Ludde found time for a chat with us.
WERDER.DE: You’ve had an eventful few weeks. Can you sum up your summer in one sentence?
Ludwig Augustinsson: It was a great time, I think that sums it up best. It was a dream come true to play in the World Cup and go so far. Scoring a goal was unbelievable.
WERDER.DE: Is that a moment that you’ll remember for the rest of your life?
Ludwig Augustinsson: Yeah, probably. I’ll always remember the second the ball flew over the line and the celebrations that followed. It was such an important game for us, we couldn’t lose. Yeah, that was my best moment of the World Cup.
WERDER.DE: Presumably your phone blew up with messages after the game…
Ludwig Augustinsson: Definitely – I’ve still not replied to them all. I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to everyone who I didn’t reply to (laughs). There were simply too many, though I was obviously pleased with the support.
WERDER.DE: Your journey came to an end in the Quarter Finals. What was the overall feeling – pride at having come so far or disappointment at losing to England?
Ludwig Augustinsson: We were all very disappointed for two or three days after the game. We knew that we could play much better than we showed against England. However, pride was the main feeling. You can only be happy about getting to the World Cup Quarter Finals with your national team. It was the first time Sweden had played at the tournament for twelve years, so we just want to do the whole thing over again (laughs).
Scoring that goal was just unbelievableLudwig Augustinsson
WERDER.DE: How did people back home in Sweden react?
Ludwig Augustinsson: “I think that the national team sweetened the Swedish summer. The whole country stood still during each game, because everyone was glued to the telly. It was proper World Cup fever. That became apparent upon our return. Everyone was so proud of us. Suddenly loads of people in town all wanted to chat to you, get a photo or an autograph.”
WERDER.DE: Did you stay in touch with your Werder teammates during the tournament?
Ludwig Augustinsson: “Of course you’re extremely focused during such a tournament, but I still stayed in touch with plenty of the Werder lads. With my teammates, with the staff and coaches, you name it. It was great to have their constant support.”
WERDER.DE: Now you’re back in Bremen and not the only Swedish member of the team. What’s your relationship with Felix like?
Ludwig Augustinsson: “We were both at the same club. I believe that we share the same mentality. He loves to train and is extremely professional. Felix used to play with my little brother, with him at right back and Jonathan at left back. So I’d met him a few times and already knew him a little. He’s a good bloke. I’m happy that he’s taken the step to the Bundesliga. It was the right decision. It’s also great to have another Swede in the team, and I think that it’s good for him to have somewhere there to turn to for help.”
WERDER.DE: Did you speak to him before his move?
Ludwig Augustinsson: “We were connected on WhatsApp. Of course we chatted a bit before his move. I explained a bit about the club. Now we can have a natter off the pitch on the regular.
WERDER.DE: You missed a lot of preseason training due to the World Cup. Do you think you might be ready for the first game, anyway?
Ludwig Augustinsson: “I reckon so. I’m in good nick, but certainly a few weeks behind the others. They’ve been training hard and have played several friendlies. I hope to play in the first round Pokal game, but the management are incredibly professional and will decide what’s best for me and the team.
