‘It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!' and just like every other year, the Werder players are making the most of the festive season to visit their families ...
‘It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!' and just like every other year, the Werder players are making the most of the festive season to visit their families ...
‘It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!' and just like every other year, the Werder players are making the most of the festive season to visit their families and spend time with their loved ones. The Green Whites have travelled to all four corners of the globe and all have their own way of celebrating Christmas.
There's double cause for celebration for Theordor Gebre Selassie. The Czech fullback celebrates his 29th birthday on Christmas Eve, which is of course when Europeans open their Christmas presents. But Theo never considered it a good thing to have a birthday on this date. "It wasn't the best thing to have Christmas and my birthday on the same day, because I never got two lots of presents," he told us. But in recent years, other aspects of Christmas have become far more important for Werder's number 23: "I'm now really looking forward to having a relaxing time with my family and friends. I love Christmas."
On the other side of the world, Christmas with Anthony Ujah is a little less relaxing, but means just as much. While in Europe, Christmas is usually celebrated indoors - in Nigeria, it is traditionally an outdoor celebration. "It's the best time of the year," said Ujah, explaining that: "The whole family comes together in my parents' home - but we spend most of our time out in the open. After all, it is unbelievably hot around this time of year in Nigeria."
It will also be a Christmas of high temperatures for Santiago Garcia, who is spending the holidays with his wife Carla in his homeland Argentina. "We're looking forward to it a lot. On Christmas Eve, everyone will sit around a big table and we'll all have a lot to talk about and tell each other - typically Argentinian," said the Werder left back.
Just like Anthony Ujah, Jannik Vestergaard will be dancing this Christmas. However, not in Copenhagen city centre, but rather ‘Rockin' around the Christmas tree': "In Denmark, before we open our presents, it's traditional for everyone to dance around the tree and sing Christmas songs," said Vestergaard, before going on to describe the traditional Danish Christmas dinner: "On Christmas Eve, we have sugar-roasted potatoes, roast pork and beetroot with brown sauce."
Manager Viktor Skripnik will also be enjoying a big Christmas dinner: "I'm very much looking forward to what is my favourite time of the year. I will celebrate Christmas with my wife and kids here in Bremen. Just like every year, we will have a traditional dinner. But it's not the same meal every year. Sometimes we have potato salad with sausages, sometimes goose and sometimes duck." The Werder boss is using the Christmas period to relax and recuperate, but he knows as well as anyone that "after a few days of relaxing, I'm itching to do something again, and the adrenalin is back. So that I don't get too frustrated I'm flying back to my home country Ukraine for New Year to celebrate with my extended family there."
Young Florian Grillitsch is also using the football-free season to spend a few days back home. "I'll be spending some time with my family in South Austria. Every year since I started living in Bremen, I've flown home for Christmas time. I've been looking forward to it for weeks," said the 20-year-old.
Philipp Bargfrede has been a father for one year now and will be spending Christmas with his son Elias and wife Carola. "Obviously there will be a number of presents under the tree for the little one, but this year we're trying to focus less on presents, and more on doing something good. I'm looking forward to everyone being together, parents and siblings, and of course to the food. My wife Carola is responsible for the Christmas tree, but I won't make her do it all alone, maybe I'll find the time to hang a cheeky Werder bauble on there," he said, smiling.
