“Family man” Gebre Selassie

24.02.2015 Family man Gebre Selassie shows WERDER.DE his home
First Team
Tuesday, 24.02.2015 / 16:18

It was exactly a week ago that Theodor Gebre Selassie extended his contract with SV Werder. One of the main reasons behind that was that the Czech Republic...

It was exactly a week ago that Theodor Gebre Selassie extended his contract with SV Werder. One of the main reasons behind that was that the Czech Republic international and his family feel at home in Bremen. WERDER.DE visited the right-back, his girlfriend Leona and son Noe at their flat and the 28-year-old took part in an interview.

The first part of this exclusive interview talks about family man Gebre Selassie, his unusual background to becoming a professional footballer and his live away from the pitch.

WERDER.DE: Your son Noe is now eight months old. He takes up a large part of your life, as we can see with the amount of toys and pictures.

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "It revolves around him. He has changed our lives a lot, as it does when you have children (he laughs)."

Proud dad: Theodor Gebre Selassie with his son Noe (photo: WERDER.DE)

WERDER.DE: You can see from your perspective that he gives you a lot of motivation and strength. Or does he get on your nerves at times?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "He motivates me a lot. He makes it clear to me that there are more important things than football. He supported me whilst I was out through injury but the first few months were very stressful for both of us. He didn't sleep well, was awake for all but two hours and above all my fiancée lost her strength. It's a lot better now."

WERDER.DE: What's a day like in the Gebre Selassie family? Does "Dad Theo" have to change the nappies from time to time?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "I change the nappies when I have to! If I'm alone with Noe then I don't have a problem but when Leona is there then she prefers to do it (he laughs)."

WERDER.DE: You've always said that you're a family man. When will you be getting married?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "It's already been planned. We're going to get married in the summer in Liberec in the Czech Republic."

WERDER.DE: How would you describe yourself as a dad?

Theodore Gebre Selassie: "I find it hard to talk about myself. I'm very proud in every respect and I'm a family man. When Noe can nearly walk then we'll definitely do a lot more together than we do now. He has an unbelievable amount of energy..."

WERDER.DE: ...like his dad. Will he become a sportsman some day?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "Hopefully, maybe even a footballer."

WERDER.DE: We've been tipped off that you're a very ambitious man whether playing table football, table tennis or football. Is that true?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "Yes, that's true. My problem is that when I can partly play a sport and I lose, then I'll play for ages until I win (laughs). That's the reason I don't play tennis against my girlfriend. She was a professional so I'd definitely lose."

WERDER.DE: You appear to have fun playing lots of sports....

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "I find all ball games fun. We always did a lot of sports when I was younger. My sister is a professional handball player. Up until 6th grade I played handball myself for a team, I played volleyball until 9th grade and I've always played football. My mother wanted me to play ice hockey but I thought it was too dangerous. A friend was hit in the face with the puck and had teeth knocked out. I regularly watch ice hockey nowadays because Leona's brother (Pavel Zacha, Anm. WERDER.DE) plays in Canada and is a very talented player for the Czech youth team."

WERDER.DE: Which sports do you play in your free time?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "Thankfully everybody around me is crazy about sports and I can play all sports with Leona. She is very good at tennis, table tennis, basketball and obviously also football. She was a tennis player, her father was her coach and she always played football tennis with us boys. This was when we got to know one another."

The Czech Republic international gave his interview with WERDER.DE from his couch (photo: WERDER.DE)

WERDER.de: Was there a point when you said that you were only going to concentrate on football?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "That's difficult to explain and a long story. I've always played football for fun. For my parents, school was the most important thing. Even though I trained every day at high school, I never expected to become a professional footballer. It's not an easy path to take in the Czech Republic."

WERDER.de: How did you go about it?

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "When I was 18 years old, we had our final exams at school. My mum is a teacher so I had to completely focus on the exams. I was playing in the fourth division for my home club's under 19 team at the time. However after that, I was just a normal student with a rucksack on my back catching the bus every morning to go to university. Just like everybody else. My club's first team (FC Vysoèina Jihlava, Anm.WERDER.DE) played in the second division. One of the coaches brought me in to the squad; I signed my first professional deal. It was clear to me then that I had to try and carve a career out of football."

WERDER.de: And your mother was probably less enthusiastic....

Theodor Gebre Selassie: "She was unhappy and thought that you couldn't achieve anything as a footballer. It took three, four years for her to accept my decision. Only when I became an international, could she slowly understand. On the other hand, my father found it good. He's a doctor. He has seen that sport keeps you healthy and that as a professional, you can live for longer."

In the second part of the interview that will follow on Wednesday, the defender will be talking about his love for TV programmes and why he likes to interact with the fans on social media.

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