U21 national player in an interview
©IMAGO
Max Weiß moved from Karlsruher SC to FC Burnley in the Premier League for 4 million euros in the summer. The U21 national goalkeeper is number two behind Martin Dúbravka and has collected his appearances in the cup competitions. In the Transfermarkt interview, the 21-year-old goalkeeper talks about the long-term plan at Burnley FC, how he wants to prove himself in a talented German goalkeeper generation and why Erling Haaland is “surreal”.
After a few months in England, White is out of action in the Premier League, which the former KSC keeper is calm about. “The plan was for me to play less here initially. It’s a very big step from the 2nd Bundesliga to the Premier League – especially in terms of the pace, the physicality and the quality of the players. That’s a completely different number and it took me a few weeks to acclimatise and adapt to the speed,” he explains. White gained playing time in the EFL Cup against Derby County (2:1) and Cardiff City (1:2). “From a personal point of view, my two appearances in the cup were quite good, they were fun and helped me. The FA Cup starts in the winter and then ideally I have the chance to get a few more games in. Until then it’s about developing as well as possible in training, adapting and being ready if something happens to take my chance.”
Just like Weiß, the 36-year-old Dúbravka, who lost 6-0 with Slovakia against the DFB team on Monday, also joined the promoted team in the summer. He was also given preference by coach Scott Parker because of his experience from 173 Premier League games with Newcastle United. “If you move from the 2nd Bundesliga to the Premier League, then it’s clear that you won’t be number one as planned. Of course that would have been my wish, but it’s understandable. In Martin Dúbravka we have a really good keeper who is great as a person and helps me a lot. We benefit from each other throughout the goalkeeping team. The plan is that I improve in the long term, get built up and then take advantage of my chance as soon as it comes.”
White is happy that he can work with the experienced Slovakian and is reaping the benefits from it. “He has an unbelievable calmness. He doesn’t show anything. When he hits the ball out, he hits the ball out and stands behind his decision – without any discussion. As a young goalkeeper, I can learn a lot from that. You notice the experience at 36 years old, he’s in top form and takes young players by the hand. That’s very admirable,” describes the German U21 international Dúbravka, who has been under contract in England since 2018.
The move to Burnley FC meant a big change for Weiß, because he didn’t miss a minute at KSC in 2024/25 – making him one of the long-running favorites in the 2nd Bundesliga. He played in all 37 possible games, even though it was his first year as a regular goalkeeper. “Playing time is a very important issue. That’s why my last year in Karlsruhe was particularly good because I was on the pitch in all competitive games, which helped me a lot in my development. Then the question logically arises as to what happens next. I wanted to take the next step. Even if I had less playing time at first, the move to England was an unbelievable difference in quality. You can’t compare that, because the training also gives me a completely different boost for my development. When I’m still on the pitch, “I’m playing in the best league in the world. It’s a dream come true for me, which is why it was the best decision to make the move.”
Burnley keeper Weiß: “That’s what makes the league so cool”
White moved from SV Sandhausen to Karlsruher SC’s youth team in 2019. After six years, saying goodbye was particularly difficult for him. “The KSC has grown close to my heart and is very important to me. It is my second home. I have to say that I have really become a fan of this club, which is not so common in the professional business. I met many of my closest friends there, with whom I still have a lot of contact. I talk to David Herold or Markus Miller several times a week. These are relationships that didn’t make the next step so easy for me.” Weiß has settled in well in Burnley and raves about the team and the club, which is “very familiar”. These factors helped him to quickly feel at home in his new home.
In England, White meets world-class players with the Clarets. One of them is Erling Haaland, who scored a brace and provided a goal in Burnley’s 1-5 defeat against Manchester City. “It’s completely surreal and crazy. You can’t put it into words. You can’t prepare for these players. I saw it against Man City from the bench. Of the 90 minutes he was completely unremarkable for at least 70 minutes and in the end he was still the decisive man. That’s a brutal quality! I spoke to Martin after the game and when he conceded a goal he had the feeling that the ball couldn’t get past him anywhere and Haaland put it in anyway. That’s exactly the appeal of the Premier League and that’s what makes it so “The league is so cool that you can compete with the elite every week.”
But in addition to the quality of the opponents, he is also impressed by the stadiums and the fans on the island. “We already played at Old Trafford, that was unbelievable. The stadium has an aura, then the coach speaks about the ‘Theater of Dreams’ in the speech and you just think ‘whoa’. I’m looking forward to Anfield Road. I think all stadiums in England have something special to offer. It’s a great atmosphere, completely different to that in Germany.” In mid-January, the reigning champions will face ex-Leverkusen player Florian Wirtz.
White about England: “All corners and crosses are brutal for goalkeepers”
The move to the Premier League also presents him with new challenges as a keeper, as Weiß explains. “Football here is much more physical. The referees just let things go a lot more and I have the feeling that they also want the game to be tough. And the game is much faster, even in training. You have to handle many situations completely differently in the Premier League because you have less time. Corners are an example because you are dealt with a lot more than in Germany. Everyone uses their tricks.” Leaders Arsenal are considered one of the best set-piece teams in Europe and have their own dead-ball coach in Nicolas Jover. This is also why they lead the Premier League.
Weiß explains that goalkeepers are required to behave differently than in Germany. “In terms of game structure, the development in England has been to increasingly play with long balls in order to reduce sources of error and minimize the risk. All corners and crosses are brutal for goalkeepers because they require something completely different than in Germany. You have a lot of clever players who step in front of you at the last moment or knock your hand away. Neither VAR nor referees can see that. You are thrown out of rhythm, have no chance of getting the ball and then you just think to yourself ‘what should I do now?’. That “It’s something that takes time and you have to find a few tricks yourself on how to react in each situation.”
How White wants to prevail against the German competition
With Bernd Leno, who has been showing good performances at FC Fulham for years, and Manchester City’s number two Stefan Ortega, there are two other German keepers in the Premier League. However, the German goalkeeping school does not have a special status in England. “You develop this personally in how you perform, how you behave in the club and what your work ethic is. People see how you prepare and follow up your training, whether you are in the weight room, how you treat your body and your teammates.”
Weiß, who played for numerous DFB junior teams, is part of a promising generation of German goalkeepers. In the U21 national team he forms the goalkeeping trio with Mio Backhaus from Werder Bremen and Dennis Seimen from SC Paderborn, with Backhaus currently number one. He knows how White wants to prove himself against the competition. “My strength is working in space. Because of my presence, I am my own type, I worked on that in the long term with Markus Miller and that was my goal. You have to develop and find your own style. We believe that spatial defense is a huge point where you can help your team. That is the area in which I can help the team the most – also thanks to my size and stature.”
“There are so many different strengths and playing styles that I don’t think every goalkeeper can cope in every league, which is why this is a personal issue for keepers. England is a very physical league that you have to be made for. You have to like the way they play and enjoy getting involved in all the duels. That’s why it’s definitely not a disadvantage for me because I think that this physicality suits me well in England,” explains Weiß, who is one of the world’s most valuable goalkeepers up to the age of 21 counts.
Weiß is self-confident about his goals: “My big goal is of course to play in the Premier League permanently. And then I want to fight my way up to win titles at some point. That’s why you play football at this level, because you’re always striving for more. And then at some point you can also think about the national team.”