Couscous and career choices: "Four-four-two" with Lukimya

Assani Lukimya spoke in Check-Up about his home, childhood idols and his favourite food (photo: WERDER.DE)
First Team
Tuesday, 28.04.2015 / 16:18

Whether he's hard at work on the training pitch, in a tough situation during a Bundesliga match or relaxing in his free time - Werder's defensive giant Assani Lukimya is almost...

Whether he's hard at work on the training pitch, in a tough situation during a Bundesliga match or relaxing in his free time - Werder's defensive giant Assani Lukimya is almost always in good spirits. It's a characteristic from his people back home and the Congolese cherishes it every day.

So it came as no surprise when the 29-year-old central defender took to the "Four-Four-Two" interview in the best of moods. After speaking about his time with the national team, he also revealed which former team-mate left him in awe. Four personal questions, four questions on sporting matters and two unusual questions: WERDER.DE takes a closer look at one of the Green-Whites. 

Four personal questions

Busy parents: Assani Lukimya and his wife Asma (photo: WERDER.DE)

# In order to be fit and fresh for training in the morning, I need ...

"... nothing except for a good night's sleep. I am not the kind of person who needs to have breakfast in order to be fit. It's a simple matter of habit for me. A few years ago I would rather spend five more minutes in bed than have breakfast (laughs). However, I am always looking forward to training. "

# Congo is...

"... my home. I feel at home in Germany now, but my roots are in Congo. Most of my family still lives there. We regularly call each other, but visits are complicated. My town of birth, Uvira, is far off the beaten track. Despite significant poverty the people are always positive and in good spirits there. You might think they have more money than the people here. I have taken this attitude with me. I think it's important that you also find satisfaction in life."

# Couscous or Knipp [speciality in northwestern Germany]?

"Definitely Couscous! My wife is from Marocco. When her mother prepared a dish with couscous for the first time, I immediately fell in love with it. "

# Three things I can't do without in everyday life...

"My family. And that's it, we are talking about three people: my wife, my daughter and my son (laughs)."

Four sport related questions

Most talented team mate: Lukimya was left stunned by Kevin De Bruyne’s dribbling(photo: nph)

# My childhood football hero was...

"... Ronaldo. As a young player I was a striker as well and I loved the way he played the game. His dynamics and his knack for goals were incredible."

# My favorite swapped shirt...

"... is from Kevin-Prince Boateng. We used to live in the same area in Berlin and played together for Hertha's youth team. I always followed his career and was happy that he returned to Germany from Italy. When we played against Schalke, we just had to swap shirts. "

# The most talented player (team mate or opponent) I have ever seen...


"... was Kevin De Bruyne. He is an outstanding talent. I am happy he's able to make continuous progress in the Bundesliga. His will make it all the way to the top. There is so much more potential to be released in him."

Who would have thought? Lukimya is a fan of muscle-man Hulk (photo: nph)

# I ended my international career because...

"The stress of playing for club and country was not for me, I couldn't deal with it. It was more important for me to make the next steps at Werder. It is different if you start playing for the national team at a young age, then you are used to the rhythm, but if you start later, all the travelling gets to you. I was not used to it. "

 

Two unusual questions

# If I were a character from "Avengers"...

"... it would be Hulk, of course. He's great. Perhaps it is a good fit for me (laughs)."

# If I had a different skin color...

"... not much would be different. As far as I can tell from my life, it i'm lucky that it doesn't make a difference these days anymore. However, I am aware that not all people have that. That has to change."

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