Wanderers’ German playmaker Alex Baumjohann has no regrets over career path
YOU might think you’ve heard this story before: a German wunderkind playmaker who grows disillusioned in the Bundesliga and rediscovers the joy of playing football in the A-League.
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YOU might think you’ve heard this story before: a German wunderkind playmaker who grows disillusioned in the Bundesliga and rediscovers the joy of playing football in the A-League.
But while it’s easy to see Alex Baumjohann as the new Thomas Broich — and some of the parallels make it tempting — Western Sydney’s new No 10 has his own story to tell.
Both, it’s true, were marked out for great things in the unforgiving hothouse of German football, both impressed hugely at Borussia Monchengladbach, and both were scouted by Bayern Munich.
But whereas Broich grew to hate the demands made of elite footballers, Baumjohann actually signed for Bayern aged just 21 and thrived on the expectation, even if the reality of it proved challenging.
“Everybody handles pressure differently,” he said. “For me it wasn't a big pressure to do what I love most in my life which is playing football.
“For me, pressure is when you have to work all day to take care of your family, to get food, when you have difficult situations.
“I played in Brazil (last year), and saw so many people living in really harsh situations - that is pressure. For sure, (when you play football) everyone looks at you, and you play in front of 80,000 people, but football is the thing I enjoy most.
“When I was young, I dreamed of being a professional footballer. I signed my first contract at just 16, and I had a lot of targets.
“Schalke was already a big club but I dreamed to play for the biggest clubs in the world one day. At 21 I had the option to sign for Bayern, a big step and I really enjoyed it.
“Things didn't go as well as I expected, I signed there in January for June but when I came there was a different coach.
“But I would do it every time again, it was such a good experience. Maybe I could have been a little more patient and stayed there longer — a year after I left, Jupp Heynckes, the most influential coach for me, came back to Bayern and for sure I would have got more chances.
“But it's always easier to look back. I'm really happy with my career, I don't regret it at all.”
Certainly there were high points, such as reaching the Champions League semi-finals with Schalke in 2011, but it was injuries that stymied him in the end, tearing knee ligaments twice in a year.
After the second of those, a deteriorating relationship with his club, Hertha Berlin, allowed the idea of exploring the world to take root, and he headed initially for Brazil to experience playing in such a different football culture.
Some 18 months later he answered a call from Markus Babbel to be part of his revolution in Western Sydney, and the way he speaks of his new head coach is revealing as his new team heads west to host Brisbane in Mudgee.
“I am happy that I have a coach who gives me confidence,” he said. “In my position that is important, a coach who trusts you. Even if you play a game that's not that good, you don't score or give an assist, you continue to play.
“Before, there were a lot of moments when I didn't have this, and that's really hard for a player in my position.
“I play No.10 my whole career, my job is to serve the passes. I have to be creative but maybe you don't have a good day, you have two men on you.
“You can't play well every day, but in the past I had a lot of trainers who if I don't score or assist, I'm out in the next week. I'm thankful Markus gives me the confidence.”
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