Liverpool newcomer Ndukwe: “I often went into the cage as a child” – DiePresse.com

Since the U17 World Cup and reaching the World Cup final, you have been considered one of the country’s greatest talents. Why do you become a footballer in Vienna, how does it work?

In the beginning, I’ll say, it was always for fun, it was a hobby. Football just started that way for me, it was better than basketball. I always enjoyed that. As a child, I was maybe four, five, six years old, of course you don’t have this seriousness. You don’t think that far ahead. But then it starts, in the club.

You mean WAF Brigittenau?

Yes. Then I thought, wow, I’m just playing for Brigittenau now. And that was really great. But then at some point the chance came to go to Austria. It wasn’t really an issue for me, but it was for my parents; at that time.

For many in Vienna, wearing the purple jersey is like landing on the moon.

At that age I didn’t quite understand who Austria was (laughs). But everyone told me that it would be better if I moved there and played there. I did that.

Then advisors take notice, or is that just a cliché of the big clubs? Does someone suddenly stand there and introduce themselves with a business card and vision?

As a child you didn’t have an advisor, but that was only the case at U15. Then someone wrote to my parents or spoke to them. Then Georg Lederer came from the “More than Sports” agency. We decided on him, it was the right thing to do. There was another one, but he seemed more serious to all of us.

When children play soccer, they usually want to score goals. Few people want to be goalkeepers, even fewer want to be defenders. Why did you become one?

Hey, you don’t always have to have fun shooting on goal! (laughs) You can also have fun preventing them. And I used to score goals as a defender, quite a few in fact. If I had the ball, with a clear view of the goal or with a clear path, then I simply shot! Really hit it – and he was in! I could also defend well because I was so big and strong.

Good keyword, size. I was once a basketball player and I know about the problems that accompany you. What do you do for motor skills, how did you train body coordination?

Yes, as a bigger person it’s always a bit tiring because it’s harder to move, to run fast, to keep up. I’m fine with it, it’s a question of training and movements. You’ll do this automatically at some point, but you have to train these movements for a very long time.

When you start a sport, you usually have a role model. One you admire. Who is your idol?

Neymar!

Why?

Like Marko Arnautovićc and many other Viennese children, I used to often go into the cage. I always watched Neymar’s tricks on YouTube, he inspired me to go out and show them. He was always so creative. I thought that was really cool.

“Cage” is what they call fenced sports fields in Vienna. Where is yours?

The cage I started in is right across the street from our apartment. In the 20th district, right in the middle, right across from my building. When I look out the window at home, I see him!

Do you still go kicking there now?

No, not really anymore. You have to be careful there. I don’t have that much time to go out there now either. I also have to make sure I don’t hurt myself.

What are the school grades like?

At the moment? Very good! This is important. My parents attached great importance to ensuring that school was not forgotten alongside football.

Education is important for life. But it seems to be a lifelong dream for many footballers when Liverpool FC calls. It’s almost a fairy tale for Viennese teenagers and . . .

. . . it is of course fascinating. At the beginning, every club can be interested in you. That’s great too. But interest doesn’t mean that they want you and that a top career awaits. That’s why I was very surprised because never before had such a big club wanted to get to know me. That was in the middle of the U17 World Cup. I was really fascinated when my advisor told me about it. After the tournament, Georg told me that the “Reds” wanted to meet with me. Craziness. I knew then that things could get more serious. That was, in a good sense, a shocking moment. It also took a long time to understand everything after I signed.

They should train with the first team, learn from exceptional talents like Virgil van Dijk, but first play in the second team and gain experience in England. Or, after a while, be loaned out to a club there for practice.

Yes.

So what is it like there at Anfield Road. There weren’t many Austrians there yet. Both died far too early, unfortunately: goalkeeper Alexander Manninger and Besian Idrizaj.

I visited the stadium last time when I signed the contract. It’s really cool. Really cool. We had a tour, I saw the stands and the field, the many photos in the catacombs. It was beautiful.

A sensitive question, but a serious one: How does a teenager deal with success or praise so that his head stays clear and on task?

You mean the praise of Arsène Wenger? When someone like him says that I’m the best young defender I’ve seen in ages, I think to myself: Okay, there’s a reason for that. (laughs) It’s also a huge honor to hear that from him because everyone knows him and you don’t need to say much to him. I was also lucky enough to sit next to him in the World Cup semi-final against Italy, where I wasn’t allowed to play because of the yellow card suspension! Dominik Dobis, who didn’t play either, was there.

Tell us more, that sounds like a great experience.

OK. We go up there to the, I don’t know, VIP club or premium area. There were seats available and we sat down to watch the match. Then he came towards us, everyone around immediately wanted a photo with him. Wenger then just sat down to our left and started chatting. Of course we immediately asked for a selfie, of course. But I was totally surprised that he knew us! He knew everything. Incredibly cool.

And all the praise, the handling of it? How do you stay on the carpet?

So I can say that I’m pretty down to earth and I don’t really feel the burden on me. It’s good that people talk about me like that, but I try not to let it consume me so much. I just try to carry on like I always do.

Hand on heart: Are there already pats on the back or “dreamers” who are talking about Rolex and Rolls Royce? They don’t mean well.

I need to learn to assess people faster, I think. Just smile and move on when you hear something like that. Yes. Just smile and move on. So that you can simply end this conversation quickly.

If you look in the rearview mirror now: the U17 World Cup has opened all doors. How do you remember it?

Every now and then I really look back and remember it very fondly when I also look at my phone and see photos. Then I think to myself: ‘What a cool time that was!’ Because every day was even cooler than the next. And yet it was so exciting because you go into every match with the feeling that after a defeat you’ll fly home the next day. But we kept moving forward.

Do you also get a medal or certificate as runner-up world champion? Where is it hanging at home?

Yes, we got a silver medal. And it hangs in our living room, where everyone who comes to visit can see it.

How important is sport and football for young people your age? I often hear oppressive things, with obese tendencies.

For me personally, and I think for most others who enjoy playing football, it is extremely important. Because everyone plays football at that age with the ulterior motive of wanting to become a professional, or perhaps being able to. That’s why you put sport first, yes. But there are also those who point the finger at us and say: ‘You’re just running after a ball.’ They just don’t understand the meaning behind it. But you don’t need to pay so much attention to people like that because they just want to put you down for whatever reason.

Do you still have a childhood dream? Because this time ends or is long gone.

It’s Liverpool, that’s my first step. My dream is to play in top leagues and win games in the Champions League. That would be crazy. Or one day playing at the World Cup with the senior national team.

Does participating in the World Cup provide incentive and motivation for younger players like you?

Who knows, maybe we were also the motivation for the senior national team with the U17 World Cup (laughs loudly).