Exclusive - Yann Sommer: "It's Bayern vs PSG not Mbappe vs Sommer"

The last time we spoke to you (August 2022), you told us that you were thinking about your future at the end of the current season. Today you are an FC Bayern player, can you tell us how you ended up here (considerations, first contacts)?

The first contact came about 2 or 3 months ago, after Manuel Neuer's injury happened. After that, it actually happened very quickly. When everything was decided, I came to Munich and the first game was already two days later. And of course, a lot of things change. You're at a new club that has big demands and aspirations, which is of course nice as a footballer. I was very happy about this change. Of course, you then also adjust your own aspirations and goals. So now I'm looking forward to the next tasks.

How did you adapt to the club? Did you already have "friends" who helped you integrate?

No, I didn't know anyone really well beforehand. But it went very quickly. The team received me well after my arrival and the whole club gave me a very warm welcome. As a player, that's of course very valuable when you come to a new club and it's made easy for you to feel at home. In the dressing room, too, everything worked out great.

What preconceptions did you have about FC Bayern (club, dressing room, atmosphere) before you signed that have been dispelled or refuted now that you've seen the club from the inside?

None, really. Of course, before joining, when I was still playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach, I only dealt with Bayern Munich as an opponent. And sure, when they played in the Champions League, I watched certain games. But apart from that, I didn't concern myself much with things that took place at Bayern, because I was concerned with Gladbach. But what I did notice is that the club is big: it's a world club with big goals, and yet internally very, very warm, down-to-earth and human. That's something that didn't surprise me, but I was very happy about it. You have the hard business on one side, and internally in the club you have professional work, but very, very human, and that's nice.

Which player surprised you the most in training?

Of course, I already knew the players very well because we have played against each other many times in the league. Therefore, there were no extreme surprises. I was very positively surprised by how the team collaborates and how it functions on the pitch. The demands on each other are also very high in the training sessions. You expect a lot from the other players and that is extremely positive because as a team it is the most successful way. I knew about the quality of the team and the individual players and that's why it's a great teamwork every day.

And on a personal level, have you already moved with your family or are you still staying in a hotel at the moment?

We have arrived well. My family has also been here for a few days. We have also found a home to move into and everything is well furnished by now. That was also an important step for me, that we can now really arrive as a family. Before that, I was in a hotel for a few weeks, which is not the same, of course, so I am very happy that we are here together now.

How do you feel a few days before one of the most important games of the season (Bayern vs PSG)?

Yes, of course. The pressure is greater when it's a knockout game and it's a question of whether you advance or not. But I'm really looking forward to such tasks. Those are exactly the tasks you want as a footballer. The decisive games against big teams, together with a big team. There is nothing better. It will be very exciting because they are two good teams playing against each other. And as I said before, we will prepare very well and do everything to advance one round.

You're facing a Kylian Mbappe (100%), 2 years after your last famous encounter in the penalty shootout at the European Championship. Are you ready for this duel in the game? How do you prevent this player from scoring a goal?

First of all, I see it as a duel of us as a team against PSG. It's clear that individually - like with Mbappe, Messi or Neymar - they have a lot of quality, just like us. That's why it's the game "Bayern against PSG". Of course you prepare very well for players like Mbappe and you think as a defensive team how to play against him. And then you try to put him in the game and see that he has little joy in the game. Then we did a good job. That's primarily our biggest goal.

Here you are finally in a "contender team" in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. What difference do you see in your position when you play for an outsider or a "favourite"?

What changes is that you might have a little less to do in certain games. Otherwise, not much changes. In terms of the style of football played, it's very similar to what we did at Gladbach. I was very involved in the game and was a player at the back, and I'm the same at Bayern now. But there are many games in the league where you have less to do. But that's basically something positive: it means that the team defends very well, that we stand well and compactly, and also have the ball a lot. That is absolutely positive for the goalkeeper. That is the only thing that has changed in my goalkeeping.