He likes horses, loves good food and always has a smile on his face. No other Werder player knows as many facets of Thomas Schaaf than him. And he is the only one who still has an absolute season highlight still to come....
He likes horses, loves good food and always has a smile on his face. No other Werder player knows as many facets of Thomas Schaaf than him. And he is the only one who still has an absolute season highlight still to come....
He likes horses, loves good food and always has a smile on his face. No other Werder player knows as many facets of Thomas Schaaf than him. And he is the only one who still has an absolute season highlight still to come. WERDER.DE caught up with Claudio Pizarro during his first week of holidays on Ibiza. The Peruvian striker took the time between swimming, cocktails and a bit of summer feeling to look back on the season.
PART 2
You spoke about wanting to pass your experience onto younger players. That doesn't only apply for Werder but also certainly for the Peruvian national team as well.
Yeah, that's right. It was very important for me to play for my homeland again. That's why I absolutely wanted to go to the Copa in Argentina.
When exactly will you arrive with the team and what do your preparations look like?
I go to the national team in early June. It could be that a physiotherapist from Werder will come with and accompany me during that time. Excellent medical attention is very important to me so that I stay fit. You can really tell the differences to the Peruvian possibilities. I already talked to Thomas about that.
The tournament starts on 1 July. What kind of chances do you and Peru have?
I think we have a very good team. We have a chance to get past the group stage.
You will be playing against Mexico, Chile and Uruguay. Those are not exactly no-name teams.
Not at all. It will be very difficult, but we want to advance. All three played at the last World Cup and also played a big role. With Chile and Uruguay, we have two teams in the group which are in top form in South America. We, on the other hand, finished the World Cup qualification group in last place. In order to be better, we have to enormously improve ourselves.
Is there something you are really looking forward to at the Copa America in Argentina?
It is something special to play in the stadiums there. The atmosphere is just good. For me it's not the first time that I will play in Argentina.
Can the football in Peru be compared to the Bundesliga?
Not really. There are 16 teams in the league and you play 44 matches with the championship and the finals games. There are some stories which you couldn't even imagine in Germany.
Well, tell us one.
I remember some games where we were sitting in the changing rooms with oxygen masks during halftime. Lima is pretty low in the valley but other stadiums are over 3,000 meters. You are totally exhausted after a couple minutes and need oxygen because the air is so thin.
With the many trips and matches, your children often have to wait for their papa in Bremen.
As a professional you don't have time for a couple of days of doing things with your children, and spend more time with them. As a coach that certainly wouldn't change at all. You would actually probably have to spend more time with the profession.
Which headline would you most like to read next season about yourself?
... that I remain injury-free!
And your sporting goal?
...that Werder Bremen will become German champions.
