Sitting in bundesliga.com, Austrian under-21 alien Baumgartner talks about his decisive season for Hoffenheim, how the young Austrian’s skill idolizes David Alaba of Bayern Munich and a verbal exchange with Julian Nagelsmann that helped him maintain a positive attitude about his career after the most difficult moment of his life. Far…
bundesliga.com: First, what first season you have for Hoffenheim. What do you like to be in that position?
Christoph Baumgartner: “Of course, it’s really adorable because I’ve dreamed of having a Bundesliga player. It’s a really special feeling to play in the Bundesliga. Of course, if you can score goals or get assists, then it’s even better. “
bundesliga.com: You say it’s your dream to play in the Bundesliga. Has it been a long adventure from your first dreams to your current position?
Baumgartner: “Yes, of course, it was a long journey. Many guys start with this dream of having a Bundesliga player when they’re young, and you have to move on, even if sometimes there are also difficult times. At the end of the day, it will be worth it and when you achieve that goal, it will be the most productive feeling you can have.”
bundesliga.com: he was signed through Hoffenheim while he was still at a youth academy in his home country, Austria. Has it helped you get through more than one academy, what’s the classic way to expand?
Baumgartner: “Of course I could be very knowledgeable at any of the academies. Like you said, I think any of the academies worked very well and helped me a lot because you know other vital things not just for your football career. also your personality, which is also vital to your total life. That’s why I think it’s smart to have played in the two most sensible academies.”
bundesliga.com: What is your opinion on your own development? Would you say there’s a key experiment along the way?
Baumgartner: “I think it’s hard to describe a specific situation, but if you can score a lot of goals in your youngsters in the Austrian Bundesliga, you may realize that you have a lot of skill and a great chance of fitting a more sensible player. Array then, after moving to Germany, it was great to see that he was also one of the most productive young players in the academy. He’s helping to build self-confidence, and if he paints hard, that’s what I did, so he would possibly make the leap to the first team.”
bundesliga.com: How do you think Austrian football has evolved as a whole since you were given participation?
Baumgartner: “I think Austrian football has evolved a lot, especially in recent years. We also won the last match against Germany, you may not forget it, so we are not like a small ski country as we were before. Well, it’s especially young, and it’s easy for an Austrian to come to Germany because you don’t have language disorders and it’s helping because, for other nationalities, I think it’s more complicated if you don’t perceive the player or the coach, a big point that’s helping Austrians come here to Germany.
bundesliga.com: David Alaba is lately the most productive Austrian player. Would you say his career has served you and other young players in style?
Baumgartner: “Of course. I think David Alaba showed the most productive way to do it. I think he’s a world-class player and he showed how a young Austrian man got here and then Bayern. He evolved very well for a year at Hoffenheim, and is now one of the players in the world.”
bundesliga.com: Is David Alaba a role-playing style for you?
Baumgartner: “I think David Alaba is an idol for many young players in Austria because he is the best known player. The Bundesliga, in particular, has a very large audience in Austria, so everyone is watching the Bundesliga. That’s why David is an idol for many young players, adding to me.”
bundesliga.com: Like Alaba, he has already played in several other career positions with Hoffenheim so far, such as number 10, in the band and even as a centre forward. Do you have a favorite position?
Baumgartner: “I think one of my strengths is that I can play in many other positions, but if you ask me what position I prefer, I would definitely say it’s position number 10. This is also the position I’ve been in. betting a lot lately. I feel comfortable out there because I don’t think it’s a real No. 9, with a lot of muscle and power. I’m more of a player than a striker, who helps the boys move forward and score goals. “
bundesliga.com: You scored six and added two assists this season. But what do you prefer more, dial or help?
Baumgartner: “To be honest, I prefer to score more, but a pass is, of course, a good thing. I think all players, or at least a lot of players, would say scoring is something more special.”
bundesliga.com: This season has been a crusade for you in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim. What were the maximum steps to get to where you are now?
Baumgartner: “Of course I had to paint very hard to come here and also to stay here. I think it’s also less difficult for smart young players to play on a smart team because your teammates are bigger, and then you play better automatically. If you have this quality to play at this top level, then you will grow if you work out with those more productive players. We have those more productive players, and when you’re in the box with them, you can be very informed and it’s easy to play with them.”
Look: Christoph Baumgartner’s magic for Hoffenheim!
bundesliga.com: Other people have dubbed you “the new Andrej Kramaric” while your teammate was injured. Would you say that nickname makes sense?
Baumgartner: “No, I’m definitely not a new Kramaric, because I’m not that smart. I feel like he scored a hundred goals for Hoffenheim, and I think he’s a world-class player. I’m definitely not an Andrej Kramaric, however, I can tell a lot about him. The connection that Andrej and I have is smart: we paint well in combination on the floor, and it’s helping me and it’s helping me. However, I am far from Andrej Kramaric.”
bundesliga.com: The chance to qualify for Europe is there for you and the Hoffenheim. What do you think of your chances?
Baumgartner: “I think if we look at the picture, it turns out that we are not far from Europe, and that is also our purpose to achieve it. We have some really difficult and vital games to come, and we need to win them. Games. Then I think it’s imaginable to succeed in the Europa League.”
bundesliga.com: Many others may not know you made your Bundesliga debut with Hoffenheim last season with Julian Nagelsmann. But in your game at the moment, you were expelled. What classes have you learned?
Baumgartner: “Maybe it was a really vital moment in my career because I learned that it’s not always easy to play in the Bundesliga, and if you make a mistake, and of course it was a big mistake, then you have to.” I think the total club, the total team and the new coach have helped me a lot in that and go ahead and show the global that you’re smart and that you can’t replace that mistake. It was also my mood — I just looked forward, and I don’t think it worked wrong.”
See: Highlights of Mainz 4-2 Hoffenheim (Red Baumgartner 00:45)
bundesliga.com: When you think about betting your first games as a pro, you never think you’re expelled. How complicated was it to deal with this mistake being a young player?
Baumgartner: “It was one of the worst nights of my life. I may not sleep, of course. You think about this situation. In fact, it was useless and, of course, also complicated, because we were 2-0 at the front, and I think we can win this game even with one less player. But yes, we lost and it was a rough night. Like I said, I had to go on and I think it worked well.”
bundesliga.com: And, of course, since then, he’s made his breakthrough, but hasn’t it been easy to move on right away?
Baumgartner: “It was really hard. It’s not like I could break my hands and it would happen. I think my mistake was a vital way to learn, and I aimed at the right things. I spoke to Julian Nagelsmann at night and he said it was wrong, of course, but he told me to stay and keep running like this. He said I played very well for 40 minutes on the court, but this scenario can’t happen. Still, he said, stay, go and have a very smart career. I keep that phrase in my brain: go ahead and then you’ll have a wonderful career. A few days later, when I was back in Austria with my family, it was the only thing I was trying to stay in my brain. Not the red card, but the positive one.”
bundesliga.com: Do you think this strong mindset has helped you do it?
Baumgartner: “No, I think it’s the hardest thing for me in my life. There are even more difficult conditions in my life. I learned from that, and that’s why I think it’s not good, of course, even unless it evolves as a result of that.”
bundesliga.com: Did you talk about being at home with your circle of relatives in Austria, and we hear that they are also a circle of crazy football relatives?
Baumgartner: “Football plays a big component in my family. When I was little and coming home from my own game, we turned on the TV and watched football again. He was perfectly general in my family. Besides, my brother is a professional footballer in Austria. He’s got a contract at Bochum, so we’ll see how he keeps developing. But, of course, football is a very vital component of our lives.”
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