You have now been in Dortmund for a year. How has this year been for
you? How have you developed?
“Yeah, it all went so fast, you know, since I signed. We went into
lockdown, we started training and playing without fans and for me it has
been going so fast but also so slow, at the same time. It’s difficult to
explain but it has been going very fast. And also we had no idea this
would happen but I was lucky I could play in front of the yellow wall and
in front of our fans and I hope that soon we can play in front of them
again.”
How is the new coach Edin Terzic?
“Edin and I have a good relationship ever since I came here and we’ve
been talking a lot about different things, he’s been crossing a lot of
crosses for me to head into the back of the net and yeah, we have a good
relationship and I’m looking forward to build on that, to get even better
and to perform for him.”
4-2-3-1 under Terzic, with Marco Reus behind you in the number 10 role,
how has the partnership with him been working out?
“Yeah, of course, he is a big legend here and we need him at his best. He
has a vision that no one else has, you saw that goal from Sancho against
Leipzig and the ball to me, it’s amazing. I need these balls, so he has to
give me more.”
In your debut against Augsburg, you singlehandedly decided the match
with a hattrick. Describe this moment?
“So the first goal, a good ball from Sancho, I knew he was a good player
and I knew he could pass it through and I just did the run, and then Toto,
he played me through in front of goal and it was a nice gift from Hazard
and the third goal, an amazing ball from Marco Reus and yeah, to get a
hattrick on a debut is very nice, it’s always nice to score a hattrick and on
a debut it’s maybe even better.”
You’ve already set a number of records. Are certain records and
achievements important for you?
“Yeah, to be honest, that’s not my main focus, my main focus is to try and
win something as a team, that’s what I want to do in my career, I want to
win trophies and titles, so it’s not my focus to win different individual
things but when they first come it’s a nice thing, you know. As you said,
there are some records and the golden boy, and I appreciate it a lot. I
appreciate it when people appreciate the work I’m doing and the things
I’m doing. It also gives me motivation to take the next step when you get
something like that.”
How do you like the Bundesliga so far?
“Yeah, I like it. There are a lot of good teams, tough teams, and a lot of
nice stadiums around the country. As you know, I’m enjoying it and it’s a
nice league.”
In terms of nutrition, is Cristiano Ronaldo a role model for you?
“Yeah, I’ve read something here and there, but I don’t know if it’s true,
but I have my own plan and follow my own things with the people around
me. So, it’s not something I do exactly the same as him because I don’t
know how he does it. He is a big inspiration for all of us and yeah, look at
him, the man is a machine.”
You moved to Molde FK aged 16 and developed into a good player there.
Do you have any anecdotes you can tell us about those early days?
“I have a lot of friends from Molde now, that I still speak with and I will
probably be in contact with for the rest of my life. I have a lot of good
memories, both on and off the pitch. We were some young guys, we were
on the same national team together, like under 18 or something, and we
also played in Molde together, so we were always travelling together,
joking around at home in Molde and with the national team. I remember, I
lived in an apartment and a good friend of mind Eman, he lived right
under me and sometimes I’d joke with him like ringing his bell late at
night and I remember one time I was just inviting people in, random
people, and then I just left, this was really funny. I have a lot of good
memories with these guys and I appreciate the time there.”
