AZ interview with Giovane Elber. The 51-year-old was FC Bayern’s star striker around the turn of the millennium. He now acts as its brand ambassador.
AZ: Mr. Elber, on Wednesday FC Bayern Munich’s semi-final second leg against Real Madrid will be about a place in the Champions League final. You are a former professional, a brand ambassador and a fan at the Bernabéu Stadium. Can the people of Munich get it?
GIOVANE ELBER: Our season, especially in the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup, wasn’t that good, but we were mostly very good in the Champions League. I think it’s about showing a strong team performance for Bayern on Wednesday. It has to be right. To do this we need a bit of luck and a Manuel Neuer in top form, because the decision might even come on penalties.
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FC Bayern’s CL triumph: Giovane Elber scored the decisive goal at the Bernabéu in 2001
Like in 2012 under Jupp Heynckes. In 2001 you scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 win at the Bernabéu, which was the cornerstone for progressing to the final. You also scored in the 2-1 win in the second leg a week later at the Olympic Stadium.
I have never scored a goal from a greater distance in my career than I did on May 1, 2001 – even if it was only a little more than around 20 meters. When the ball came, I didn’t think much, turned quickly and simply shot with my left hand. With links!
You had to have surgery on your left knee ten days beforehand.
Exactly, an arthroscopy had to be done and a few pieces of cartilage were removed. The day after our 2-1 win in the quarter-final second leg against Manchester United, following the decision of our team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, I flew to Berlin with Jens Jeremies and we both underwent surgery there. I accepted the risk, tried everything to get fit in time and said to Ottmar Hitzfeld: Coach, please let me play! Thank God it worked, including for Jens. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to play in the final when we won the title against Valencia because of his injury.
Advance to the final against Real: Giovane Elber loudly celebrates Bayern’s 2-1 victory over the Madrilenians on May 9, 2001. © imago sportfotodienst Advance to the final against Real: Giovane Elber loudly celebrates Bayern’s 2-1 victory over the Madrilenians on May 9, 2001.
from imago sports photo service
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Elber: “Harry Kane is all over the place”
Was it the most important goal of your career?
Yes! Because it stayed 1-0. Olli Kahn held up outstandingly in this game. After the game in the dressing room I couldn’t really be happy, it was a strange feeling. I felt completely empty, as if the game had all been a dream.
From your perspective as a former center forward: How important will Bayern’s goalscorer Harry Kane be on Wednesday? Carlo Ancelotti has left opponents Real without a center forward after Karim Benzema’s departure.
Even Pep Guardiola realized that you can only win the Champions League with a real center forward, Erling Haaland – see last season. But Real does it very well. Jude Bellingham keeps pushing into the front of the penalty area and is very dangerous to score. Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior come on the outside. I think Bellingham has become even better at Real. And when I see Kane interpreting his role at Bayern, I’m always happy that I didn’t have to run so much before and was mostly able to stay up front. Kane is all over the place – my goodness! And yet he still finds himself on the assembly line.
Giovane Elber: Naturalization test? “I was so scared”
You have been a German citizen since December last year. How did that come about?
I came to Germany in 1994 when I moved to VfB Stuttgart. Germany is now my home, the center of my life. I feel more like a German. However, when I get on the plane to Brazil to tend to my cattle on my farm, I switch to Brazilian. Until last year I only had a Brazilian passport.
What caused you problems on FC Bayern’s promotional trip to Japan and Singapore in the summer of 2023.
During our flight we noticed that I didn’t have a German passport. It said: Giovane, you don’t have an entry permit for Japan. Okay, I replied. Either it works or I just have to go back, that wouldn’t be a problem. Our travel agency contacted the Japanese authorities during the flight. After landing, a Japanese policewoman came up to me in the terminal and said in Portuguese: “Bom dia!”, meaning hello! She had Brazilian roots, was very nice and said: The authorities decide, you have to wait. Okay, no problem. After an hour or two the matter was settled. I was very relieved. That doesn’t happen to me anymore with the German passport (laughs).
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How difficult was the naturalization test?
I learned and read a lot beforehand, about history, politics, the state of Bavaria, the Federal Republic. I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to do it! People would have said, the Elber has now lived in Germany for 30 years and doesn’t pass the test! Luckily I scored 94 out of 100. As a child, I wasn’t that good at school at home in Londrina. My wife Cintia was even better than me, and of course she was particularly happy about that. We then received our naturalization certificates and passports from the Munich district administration department in December. A very proud and emotional moment for both of us. I am now Johannes Elber (laughs).
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2024-05-10 06:03:00
#Bayern #legend #Giovane #Elber #amazed #superstar #Harry #Kane #goodness
