Vestergaard: “Working hard on my game“

In order to bring its stars closer to the club's supporters, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim has its own ‘Fans ask, players answer' initiative via the club's official Facebook page. Answering your questions this time is 19-year-old Danish defender Jannik Vestergaard.

Isa Dogan asks: Where did you begin playing football?

Jannik: I first played for Vestia Copenhagen, a very small club in the centre of the city. I spent a year there before moving to FC Copenhagen. Then I signed for Brondby and finally made my way here to Hoffenheim.

Charlien Leuenberger: Why do you wear the number 29?

It never really had any special meaning for me before. But that has changed since I have begun wearing it, mainly because it's my first proper squad number at a Bundesliga club.

Julius Joseph: How did it feel to score your first Bundesliga goal?

It was an amazing feeling, and one I'll never forget. I was just so happy and wanted to shout out at the top of my voice. Utterly indescribable.

Benjamin Daeter and Niklas Bollessen: With which player do you spend the most time?

I suppose I have the most contact with Dominik Kaiser, Matthias Jaissle, Andreas Beck and Sebastian Rudy. We all spend a lot of time together.

Sven Trabold and Klaus Vetter: Which players are your role models?

When I was younger, it was always Raul and Zinedine Zidane. They are players who are out of the ordinary, and they both played for Real Madrid, my favourite team. These days I don't really have any role models to be honest. But I try to learn a lot and you can do that by watching the best. I tend to watch a lot of Rio Ferdinand, Sergio Ramos and guys like that.

Christopher Heß: Why do you play as a central defender and not as a striker anymore?

That's a good question. Perhaps I wasn't good enough as a striker, or didn't score enough goals. One of my youth team coaches tried me out in defence, presumably because I had seemed to fit that position due to my height and strength in the air. It's hard to answer a question like that outright, but I can say for sure that I do feel at home in defence.

Denis Lasonczyk: What goals do you have for next season?

My personal goal is of course to play more games and perform consistently, and that means I have to continue to work hard on my game. Our goal for the team is clear: to compete with the sides at the top of the league and entertain our fans with some attractive football.