VfB Stuttgart face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first game of their new Champions League campaign. This is also the big stage for new signing Fabian Rieder, for whom games "with even more pressure" are one of the best things.
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- German runners-up VfB Stuttgart face defending champions Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu on the first matchday of the Champions League.
- Fabian Rieder is also in the thick of it. The Swiss international moved to southern Germany on loan from Stade Rennes in the summer.
- For Rieder, the match against Real Madrid is also a reward: "You train for this for years and put in so much effort."
On September 14, 2021, 19-year-old Fabian Rieder made his debut for Young Boys in the Champions League in a 2-1 win over Manchester United. Three months later - again against the English record champions - Rieder scored his first goal in the premier class. Rieder remembers: "Incredibly nice, a great memory that I was able to make at a young age. Just playing in the Champions League and then scoring a goal in front of almost 70,000 spectators is one of the best things. I still get a tingle in my stomach today."
He hopes to be able to repeat this in the upcoming Champions League campaign, explains Rieder, who has long since developed from a YB youngster into an international player. He was loaned from Stade Rennes to VfB Stuttgart for the current season and can now play in the top flight again: "I think that's one of the greatest things a footballer can experience." After all, the Champions League is the best stage to showcase yourself: "Here you play against the best players in Europe. It's one of the best things for any footballer to be able to play in front of so many fans in the evening. Games where everything is at stake, where everyone is watching. It's something very special for me, but also for the club, this competition."
Rieder struggles to describe the emotions when the Champions League anthem is played: "It's such a wow effect, there's not much more you can say about it. Chicken skin." However, as soon as the referee blows the whistle, you feel an "incredible adrenaline", which also helps you to play.
The fact that the pressure is higher doesn't bother Rieder at all. On the contrary: "You have to be aware of this atmosphere and be able to deal with it. For me, it's one of the best things when there's even more pressure. That's why I always feel very comfortable on the pitch at such big games."
"If it was the CL final, it might be even nicer"
Fabian Rieder and his VfB Stuttgart have a big game coming up on Tuesday. They kick off their Champions League campaign against record winners and defending champions Real Madrid.
Rieder immediately goes into raptures: "Incredibly big names like Mbappé, Vini, Rodrygo, Valverde and Bellingham are playing there. I think the list goes on and on. An incredibly big club that has already won an incredible number of Champions League titles." For Rieder, games like the one against Real Madrid are a reward: "As a footballer, there's nothing better than competing with the best. You train for years for this, you put in so much effort."
VfB Stuttgart's CL program
- September 17: Real Madrid - VfB Stuttgart
- October 1: VfB Stuttgart - Sparta Prague
- October 22: Juventus Turin - VfB Stuttgart
- November 6: VfB Stuttgart - Atalanta Bergamo
- November 27: Red Star Belgrade - VfB Stuttgart
- December 11: VfB Stuttgart - Young Boys
- January 21: Slovan Bratislava - VfB Stuttgart
- January 29: VfB Stuttgart - Paris Saint-Germain
For Rieder, a game at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid is comparable to the European Championship, which he also remembers as "incredibly beautiful": "Of course, a game at the Bernabéu in the Champions League is one of the most beautiful things. If it was the CL final, it might be even better, but we're not there yet."
Stergiou misses the scoop
With Fabian Rieder, only one Swiss will be in the Stuttgart squad against Real Madrid. Leonidas Stergiou, who has been playing for VfB for a year, has to miss out due to injury. Following a back injury that Stergiou suffered during the European Championship with Switzerland, the full-back is still in recovery training. The game against Real Madrid therefore comes too soon: "It's a shame that the highlight is the first game," said Stergiou.
