Hello Mario, welcome back. How does it feel to be back on your old haunting ground and to meet up with some familiar faces again?
Mario Gomez: "Quite honestly, it feels like I was never actually away. That’s a very good feeling! I am mega-happy and very proud to be back here and that both clubs came to terms on the deal. There I must thank my former club from Wolfsburg for granting my wish to leave and I’d also like to express my gratitude to those in charge at VfB, who made everything happen so quickly. Now I am just looking forward to things finally getting going."
In the second half of the season, you’ll be taking to the turf at the Mercedes-Benz Arena once again. At the international against Norway in September you said that it was something very special to play there. What is it that makes the Arena so special for you?
Mario Gomez: "The Mercedes-Benz Arena is the stadium with which I associate the most emotions, because I simply experienced so much here. Every time I’ve returned here, such as for the international match, I’ve always felt very much at home."
For VfB, the absolute focus is set on top-flight survival. A challenge one must rise to…
Mario Gomez: "…absolutely. Until last summer, I had no idea what it meant to be stuck in a relegation battle. Then I had the year with Wolfsburg, which went on to the last second. It’s a massive strain, you don’t play with the same ease as you do when you are further up the table. I am however convinced that the team and whole club, with its surroundings, is strong enough to achieve the goals we have set ourselves – regardless of how massive a challenge that is. So far in my life, I have always opted to face the challenges – which is the case now too. The feeling of being back here is so good, that I am really looking forward to what awaits me."
With your return to VfB, you go full-circle in your career. You were educated here in the youth teams and celebrated huge successes here. Do you have the feeling that you can now give something back?
Mario Gomez: "I am not much of an advocator of such expressions of ‚going full-circle‘. Life goes on! Regardless of how my career developed in the past, it is an exceptionally good feeling to be back here. I enjoyed several great years here when we were the ‚Wild Young Ones‘. That’s something I will never forget and, no matter where I played, I always followed how VfB were doing. For me, there is nothing quite like being back home."