Joël Schmied is turning his back on FC Sion during the winter break and now wants to force his way into 1. FC Köln. In an interview with blue Sport, he talks about his first impressions and ambitions at his new club.
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- At the age of 26, Joël Schmied is taking the plunge abroad and moving from FC Sion to 1. FC Köln in the second Bundesliga.
- In an interview with blue Sport, he talks about his arrival in Cologne, the biggest differences compared to FC Sion and his ambitions in Germany.
Joël Schmied about ...
... the first contact with Cologne
"The first contact was at the beginning of December. I was happy, the call pushed me and didn't put me under pressure. I was in an extremely good mood at that time and was able to exude goal threat. It went very well for Sion and for me personally. Then we were in almost daily contact and you realized that a transfer to Germany is a completely different order of magnitude than in Switzerland. The first call lasted two hours and they explained the whole city to me. But they also wanted to know a lot about me personally. That's when I realized: Cologne focuses on personality. They want a player who fits into the team from a playing point of view. But they also want guys who fit in in terms of personality."
... the negotiations
"In the end, it got tighter and tighter. There was time pressure, I wanted to make a decision before the second half of the season so that I could focus. It was relatively tight, but I'm extremely happy that the two parties found each other. It's a great deal for everyone.
I was able to switch off well, we still had championship action. It was much more difficult for those around me, especially my mother and my girlfriend. They only had Cologne on their minds. (...) I certainly needed longer to fall asleep. But the people around me slept two hours less per night than I did."
... his arrival in Cologne
"I can confirm the cliché that the people of Cologne are extremely open. They approach you and try to make it as easy as possible for you to get started. The whole staff, but also the players. They also help me find accommodation and are extremely helpful. In Switzerland, it's more a case of going and getting, here it's both. Here, they also approach you. I've been very well received."
... the biggest differences
"The intensity in training is completely different. I took part in the final training session and had side stitches left and right. I have to give myself time to adapt to the rhythm.
The club is much bigger (than Sion). The whole town lives for the club. You see an FC sticker on every car and you see souvenirs everywhere. I've even been given an electric car, it's the first car I've received from a club."
... the intact chances of promotion
"It would be a childhood dream to get promoted with FC and soak up all the emotions of the city. The first Bundesliga has always been my goal in life. If I could achieve that, then the hard work would have paid off. And that has to be our goal."
... his fighting qualities
"I may not have been the ten-man, the golden foot on the pitch right from the start. But my mentality and commitment have been rewarded. I was able to take a step forward every season and was lucky enough to have coaches who counted on me. You need luck in football."
... his ambitions at the new club
"I'm 26 now. You have to be realistic, this is probably one of the last moments where you can still make the step abroad. I'm glad it worked out. My goal here is also to assert myself. I know that it will be much more difficult here than in the places I've been so far. But that has to be my goal. If I didn't have any ambitions, I could have stayed in Sion. But I want to represent Switzerland in beautiful Cologne."
... his time at FC Sion
"After three and a half years, I've grown fond of the club. It has a much worse image than it actually has. A lot of people put their heart and soul into this club. (...) I look back on these three and a half years very positively. FC Sion is a school of life that I can recommend to everyone."
