Konnichiwa, Anrie. Our kit man Meuschi has told us that he’s teaching you Swabian, is that right?
Anrie: “(laughs) He speaks a lot of Swabian with me, that’s true. I can’t always follow him, he speaks very quickly, but we understand each other.”
Your transfer from Shoshi High School in Koriyama to VfB in summer 2022 was accompanied by a big press conference. The media interest in Japan was huge, the VfB management joined via video. What was that like for you?
Anrie: “There were lots and lots of people at the press conference. In Japan, these things are sometimes made bigger than they actually are. I was really quite surprised.”
If someone had said to you two years ago that you’d be playing in the UEFA Champions League in 2024, how would you have responded?
Anrie: “I wouldn’t have believed it. Or to put it another way: I wouldn’t have believed that it can happen so quickly and I’m surprised myself. It wasn't a dream, but rather a goal of mine.”
You made your Bundesliga debut on 24 August of this year against Freiburg. How was that for you?
Anrie: “I didn’t even expect to be involved. The moment I came on, though, I wasn’t that nervous. It was more sheer excitement at being on the field. I used to follow the Bundesliga during my high school days and had been really looking forward to this moment.”
Who did you speak to afterwards?
Anrie: “I called my parents straight after. They’re always the first people I speak to. Obviously, I got some messages but the parents should always be the first point of call – they’re the ones who made this moment possible in the first place.”
And it didn’t stop there. You were brought on in the 63rd minute for Josha Vagnoman against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu as VfB returned to the European stage. What was that moment like?
Anrie: “To make my first Champions League appearance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu was absolutely special. It was no ordinary game, one you experience only once in a lifetime. I really wanted to compete with all the players I normally only know from the console. I was very happy about my substitution.”
Did you swap shirts at full time at the Bernabeu?
Anrie: “No way. I’m not giving away my first Champions League shirt (grins)!”
Our next opponents are Holstein Kiel at home. What can we expect against the Bundesliga newcomers?
Anrie: “It’s going to be a tough game. Kiel have a great team spirit and defend well, which in turn makes it more difficult for us to score goals. We need to be very focused and play to our strengths. Kiel have a good team, including a one-time Japanese international in Shuto Machino. We’re looking forward to it.”