After a difficult first half of the season in Wolfsburg, Cédric Zesiger is thriving in Augsburg. In an interview with blue Sport, the 26-year-old defender talks about the last few weeks and also looks ahead to his future.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Cédric Zesiger started the season as a regular in Wolfsburg, but was then relegated to the substitutes' bench.
- During the winter break, the defender moved to Augsburg. The 26-year-old is still undefeated with his new club. When Zesiger has been on the pitch, he has yet to concede a goal. If he also keeps a clean sheet against former club Wolfsburg on Saturday, he will equal the Bundesliga record.
- Augsburg has an option to buy Zesiger. The international player spoke to blue Sport about his incredible streak and his plans for the future.
A Swiss central defender is attracting attention in the Bundesliga with a special streak: Cédric Zesiger has played seven games since his transfer in the winter, and his team has kept seven clean sheets. He doesn't play for the high-flyers Bayern Munich, but for the "small neighbor" from the same state, FC Augsburg.
"We are a unit on the pitch - from front to back. It works, which makes it difficult for any opponent. In the end, we also have a goalkeeper in goal who is on a high (Finn Dahmen - ed.)," explained Cédric Zesiger in an interview with blue Sport. With his 7th clean sheet, Zesiger drew level with football legend Philipp Lahm.
"It's certainly nice to hear that you've done something right in recent weeks," said the man from Bernese Seeland. On Saturday, Zesiger could even equal Jurica Vranjes' Bundesliga record if he finishes a game without conceding a goal for the eighth time in a row. But the mark is not important to him: "If we win 2:1 at the weekend, I'll be just as happy."
Will Zesiger stay in Augsburg?
Augsburg host Wolfsburg of all teams on Saturday. Zesiger played at VfL for the last year and a half before being loaned out to the Fuggerstädter this winter. He wanted to establish himself as a regular defender in Wolfsburg, but was sidelined before the transfer. "It's certainly a special game, but I'm looking forward to it," says Zesiger.
Augsburg has an option to buy at the end of the season. The club would have to pay 4 million euros for the 1.94-metre defender: "They're certainly thinking about it. At the same time, it's still a bit too early. I feel comfortable here with my family. My son was born in Augsburg, so the bond with this city is already very strong. Things are going well and I can play. That's why it would be nice if I could stay here beyond the summer," summarizes Zesiger.
Gala performance in Dortmund
With his current form, "Zu-Null-Zesi" would be a bargain. The national team defender (4 international caps) put in a stellar performance against Champions League quarter-finalists Borussia Dortmund in the last Bundesliga match (1:0 win for Augsburg).
"I felt like I had a magnet in my head," said Zesiger after the BVB game. A sentence you rarely hear from a player after a game. "It felt like every cross from Dortmund came to my head. According to the statistics, there were around 40 crosses, over ten of which landed directly on me," explained the 26-year-old. "I just tried to defend everything away."
The saying with the magnet has its origins in his time in Bern (Zesiger played for YB from 2019 to 2023). "We always joked with Fasi (Christian Fassnacht - editor's note) that he had a magnet in his head and the ball always found its way to him. I then said to him: 'Give me a magnet today too, maybe I'll even score a goal'."
