FOOTBALL4GOOD MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2019

That was a crazy, awesome time! I’ve always only been here with my dad, traveling a lot to see family members, always joining them for meals and staying with them. Last time, we travelled quite a bit, spent more time in the city. Now that I’m older, I also want to know what’s going on in the city, go out a bit, also without my dad, experience a few things. I want to experi- ence the culture and what life is like. YOU HAVE ALSO BEEN SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY HERE IN IVORY COAST. WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM? DO YOU KEEP IN TOUCH REGULARLY? When my dad is on the phone, for an hour or so in the evening, he passes the phone over to me. Now, my French is not the best, but it is enough to communicate, to have a short conversation. It’s always a bit difficult [to keep in touch] because there are other things or places to visit, other cities where I like to spend my time, but for me family is definitely what matters most. I have a lot of family in Stuttgart, where I come from, where I was born. Of course, I do see my family here in Africa a lot less, especially because it is almost im- possible for them to come to Germany. But I try to come down here every few years to visit everyone and see how everyone is doing and also be more involved in the culture and the family here. YOUR FAMILY – IN PARTICULAR, YOUR FATHER – HAS NOT ONLY PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN YOUR PERSONAL, BUT ALSO IN YOUR PRO- FESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AS A PLAYER... The most important person in my development is my father, who trained me from an early age, who supported me, on and off the pitch. I think I’ve already mentioned in countless in- terviews that, without my dad, I probably would not be where I am today. Many people have talent but, unfortunately, they simply don’t have the support they need. I had the 100 percent backing of my parents, especially of my father, of course, who was more interested in football [than the others]. And I had the whole of my family living in Stuttgart behind me. Serge Gnabry’s fa- ther, Jean-Hermann Gnabry (far right in top photo), joins his son’s visit to TackleAfrica. A DIFFERENT SIDE OF THE SUCCESS STORY GNABRY’S FATHER REFLECTS ON HIS SON’S CAREER Serge Gnabry’s greatest supporter “at home” is undoubtedly his father, a man who has doggedly forged his own path in life. Initially coming to Germany to master the language, the death of his father prompted him to remain and provide financial support to the family he had left behind in his home country, Ivory Coast. We speak to Jean-Hermann Gnabry who has been following his son’s studded footsteps, as a father, coach, supporter and close advisor, who shares his side to the Bayern Munich star’s success story. DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN SERGE PLAYED FOR THE FIRST TIME? Yes, he started football at an early age. His “Oma” (grandmother) bought him a rubber ball and that’s when it all began. That’s when it started. When he was four and a half, we sent him to a club. It had become unbearable at home, because he just shot the football at everything. So, we sent him to a club and I stayed there to train him. WAS THERE A MOMENT WHEN YOU NOTICED THAT SERGE HAD THE PO- TENTIAL TO SUCCEED AS A PROFES- SIONAL FOOTBALLER? Yes, but I didn’t want to let him know that. I always played it down, also to myself, even when people asked: “What do you think of your son?” “He can do more,” was all that I responded. YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THERE TO SUPPORT SERGE AND EVEN TRAINED HIM YOURSELF IN THE BEGINNING… Yes, I trained him until U-13. Then he went to another coach. He was discovered at 14. I waited a few years until he turned sixteen and then we went to Arsenal in London. I went with him because I did not want to leave him alone. Big city, new country. And at only 16! I thought, ‘No, I’ll go with you.’ In the beginning, people asked me why I accompanied him. And I said: “That’s my son and I want to go and see how he’s doing there. What would it be like for him, if no- body else was there?” SERGE DIDN’T HAVE AN EASY TIME AT ARSENAL: MANY INJURIES AND NOT CLOCKING MUCH TIME ON THE PITCH. THAT MUST ALSO HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT FOR YOU AS A FATHER. HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THAT YOURSELF AND SUPPORT HIM? It was a good time at Arsenal but, of course, also not so good because of the injuries. As soon as he recovered, came the next injury, there were many ups and downs and it really affected me. But I said to myself, ‘If he sees his father so upset by this, then what is the little one, the boy, going to do?’ I said, ‘Ok, chin up, we’ll suffer together, and later we’ll celebrate together.’ HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE HIM TO IMPROVE? I know that he can play beyond his current ability. Serge can go a long way. He knows that, too. That requires a lot of hard work. I always say that he has to do more than the others. Not just be better, because if you also work harder than the rest, you will automatically do better. That’s the theory. SO, YOU’RE SAYING IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP PUSHING NO MATTER HOW SUCCESSFUL YOU ARE. THE COM- MITMENT NEVER STOPS, DOES IT? No. Oliver Kahn once said, “Even when people praise you, you have to do more, because you have to continue, you can’t afford to relax.” That doesn’t work, because the com- petition is rising up close behind you. You’re not alone. There are many good players and you have to make sure that you keep going higher. Because the way down is fast. On the way up, it’s a rocky road. But, going down…psssht [makes a downward hand gesture]...that’s fast. There’s also an art to getting to the top. And when you’re at the top, there’s also an art to staying there. Only very few manage to stay there. You may be there now, you may have ended up there. But staying there, that’s the hard part. I always try to make that clear to him: even if you are at the top, make sure you stay there. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO STAY AT THE TOP? If you are not strong mentally, then it’s over. As a footballer and athlete in general, you must always be hun- gry and, of course, have the skills. As a footballer you must smell the action, anticipate it. When a situation arises, you have to be there before it happens. Because, if a situation arises and you still have to set off, then it’s too late. The ball is always faster than the game itself. The ball is faster than the player. You always have to be ready. WHAT KIND OF PERSON IS SERGE BEYOND THE PITCH AND HIS ACHIEVEMENTS? He has matured also beyond the pitch. If you don’t know who he is, you can’t tell that he is a professional footballer, that he plays for Bayern, and that makes me very proud. At mealtimes, he is the one who clears the table. He lays the table. Sometimes I am ashamed because some people [in his position] don’t do anything. They don’t even clear away a spoon, but he does it and that’s what I like about him. He has kept his feet on the ground as we had hoped and didn’t get snooty nosed. No matter how much money he earns or how well he plays, it’s im- portant for him to just stay human. 12 13 FOOTBALL4GOODMAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019 IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWWITH SERGEGNABRY