Exclusive Q & A with Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic

Exclusive Q & A with Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic

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Neven Subotić is a 26-year-old footballer, who plays as a centre-back for Borussia Dortmund and the Serbian national team, wearing the No. 4 shirt. He joined Dortmund in June 2009 and has since won the Bundesliga title with the club two seasons in a row (2011, 2012) and the DFB Pokal in 2012.

Subotić played his debut match for the Serbia national team in the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Romania on 28 March 2009. He recently signed a new two-year deal with Dortmund that will keep him at the club till July 2017.

Borussia Dortmund Fan Club London interviewed Neven via email. 

Borussia Dortmund Fan Club London (BVBLONDON): The Borussia Dortmund Fan club London is the biggest BVB fan club outside of Germany and as the only player in the team from an English speaking country many of our fans follow your game weekly, thanks that you take the time to answer some questions for the BVB fans in England Neven.

Neven Subotic (NS): That’s great! You are welcome, good to hear about the UK BVB fans and the London fan club.

BVBLONDON: Although you were born in Serbia, you were raised in the United States, Dortmund has had a number of players from the US like Kirvoski and Gyau, when you joined BVB as a player had you read about them? Did they talk to you about their experiences? Did you know about Dortmund growing up?

NS: I knew of the players but did not get in touch with them. As a child I watched Borussia Dortmund play on TV while I lived in Germany. They were very successful at that time and known for their great stadium and fans so I knew about BVB.

BVBLONDON: This year we saw the end of era with Jurgen Klopp and Sebastian Kehl leaving. Few games were so spectacular as the win over Hoffenheim in this year’s DFB Pokal Quarterfinal. You scored a great goal, what are your memories about the Hoffenheim game and will you be sad to see Sebastian leave the club after so many years of service?

NS: I also made a huge mistake in the match and it cost us a goal. Kehl saved me and the club that day. It was very a tough match and we deserved to win, but had trouble finding the net. Finally Kehl’s goal was a huge and deserved relief in a very special kind of way. I wish him well. He was a special captain and important figure in the club.

BVBLONDON: Talking about last season, as a Borussia player, games do not come much bigger than the Revierderby and last season’s 3-0 win in Dortmund was for us fans following the match at our Stammtisch in London as memorable as the guys in the Gelbe Wand, what was the match like for you as a player? An old saying in Dortmund goes ‘Derbysieg ist wie Meisterschaft’ is it really like that for the players? Do you celebrate like winning the championship?

NS: We players celebrate the wins against Schalke with the fans in the stadium. That is a unique type of win and we are very happy about it every time. For the fans it has an extremely high standing, almost like the title.

BVBLONDON: You have scored 15 goals for Borussia, which for a defender is pretty impressive, which was the most memorable goal you have scored for BVB and why?

NS: The double I scored vs Eintracht Frankfurt. Very special, probably my first and last time to score two goals in one Bundesliga game. A very special match. It’s always special to score for Dortmund.

BVBLONDON: Like many of us who follow BVB we are very excited to see a coach like TT (Thomas Tuchel) joining the team. TT comes from Mainz 05 your former club and has a reputation for being an amazing tactician and talent spotter, what are you hopes and expectations?

NS: Like many players, I’m eager to work with Thomas Tuchel and I look forward to the changes he imposes on the team this season.  

BVBLONDON: This coming Wednesday Puma launch the the new BVB shirts and we have seen a sneak preview and they ROCK! Especially the white third shirt, like many football fans, I collect football shirts and have around 20 including some amazing BVB shirts like the 2012 DFB cup final shirt, a question many fans would like to ask; do you keep any shirts? Or what happens to them?

NS:  I tend to use the shirts for donation purposes including for my aid foundation Neven Subotic Stiftung (www.nevensuboticstiftung.de). I also give the match shirts to family and friends as a gift.

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Members of Borussia Dortmund Fan club London seen here at Fan club’s Stammtisch in central London.

BVBLONDON: For us British BVB fans a Dortmund match here in England is a very special occasion, especially the memories of the Champions League final. Do you follow the Premier league?

NS: I do, especially while living in the US I couldn’t watch the German league at all, but I enjoyed following the premier league on TV.

BVBLONDON: Our member Steve Palmer would like to ask you – what are the best things about Dortmund, the club and the city?

NS: It’s always been very special to play for this club. Our stadium and fans are among the best in the world. Our biggest players came back, Nuri Sahin, when he left for Real Madrid was our best player. I wished him well and was glad to see him come back to Dortmund years later.

BVBLONDON: Borussia Dortmund Fan club London has 2,400 followers and we regularly have groups of even 100 fans meeting in London to watch Bundesliga. BVB now has many thousands of fans in the UK, who often travel to watch matches, do you have a message for the London BVB Fan club (British BVB fans)?

NS: All the best to you and the members of the London fan club, good luck for the season ahead!

BVBLONDON: Finally, London fan club would like to thank you Neven for the time you took to answer our questions, we would like to offer you honorary membership of Borussia Dortmund London Fan club would you accept?

NS: Thank you and best wishes to you all.

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