Keeper in the TM interview
©IMAGO
Nikolas Polster was one of the winners of the first half of the season in the Austrian Bundesliga. Coming from the second division club SV Horn before the season, the 22-year-old fought for a regular place in goal for Wolfsberger AC. And he was also able to make an impression on the ÖFB U21 national team. Transfermarkt met the keeper for a chat.
Polster recommended himself for higher tasks at the second division team from Horn last season. His calmness and confidence between the posts earned him six clean sheets in 26 appearances. With these numbers and a lot of self-confidence behind him, he took on the new challenge in Wolfsberg in the summer. At the WAC, however, he initially had to line up behind Lukas Gütlbauer (24) and be content with the bench spot. But the Viennese native waited patiently for his chance, which he actually got after the second match day, and from then on he cemented himself as number one.
“I think I played a very stable first half of the season. This also has to do with the fact that I now only concentrate on myself. I have to admit, I used to compare myself with others and see which goalkeeper was playing my age. This made me jealous and I really wanted to force the next step in development. I have now significantly changed my mindset and am much more grateful and humble. Accordingly, I just enjoy the fact that I have earned number one status at the WAC,” Polster explains to TM.
Polster: Via Rapid and LASK to SV Horn and WAC
Polster can already look back on a number of changes in his young career. After leaving the Rapid Vienna Youth Academy in 2020, he joined LASK, where he was only used as a substitute and was also loaned out twice. Looking back, the young goalkeeper describes the experiences of the loan stations at Vorwärts Steyr and SV Horn as very instructive.
“Of course, the most important thing was that I was able to gain a lot of match practice and thus develop further as an athlete. In general, loans are always associated with challenges because you have to fully integrate into a well-coordinated team within a short period of time and then leave it again after six months or a year. At Vorwärts Steyr, with whom I was unfortunately relegated, I was confronted with hate messages on social media for the first time. I understand that professional football doesn’t just have its sunny side. “I also realized how important it is to do additional sessions in order to always squeeze out one percent and grow – both athletically and personally,” says Polster.
In order to work on his strengths even more conscientiously and in more detail, he also takes unusual paths. Polster spent part of the winter break in the USA and completed a multi-day performance training camp there. “I flew over with my teammate Angelo Gattermayer. We worked there with an athletic trainer in a small group consisting of young US players from all sports. In addition to the new impressions in the athletic field, the training sessions were also a kind of willpower training for me. Very often you tend to stop when your body says no. In the training camp I learned an incredible amount about what I can achieve when my head says yes. Then boundaries that previously existed quickly disappear and the body is automatically pulled along,” explains the goalkeeper. During the transition from 2023 to 2024, he had already used the winter break to improve his ability to react in several training sessions with the Austrian boxer Marcos Nader.
WAC keeper Polster: “Love getting new input”
“In fact, I really love getting new input, regardless of the area. The sessions with Marcos Nader were really cool. Whether it was hand-eye coordination or improving my ability to react, I was able to gain a lot from the collaboration. I am convinced that you can learn something from every athlete, regardless of sport. “You broaden your horizons and your self-confidence increases, which is incredibly important for a goalkeeper,” emphasizes the U21 national goalkeeper.
The extra sessions have also had an impact on his style of play and his charisma on the pitch. “I have now become much more stable in my actions. “I act more confidently in many situations than I did a few years ago, although of course I know that I still have a lot to learn and further develop my potential,” said the Viennese native, who laughs and agrees with the theory that goalkeepers have to have a pinch of crazy . “Of course goalkeepers are crazy, positively crazy. I just love the position. Of course, there are unfortunate situations in which you might react incorrectly and end up being the idiot. But you can just as easily be the absolute hero if you save the decisive shot in stoppage time. But I’m not a showmaker who always wants to show off loudly and shout like a crazy person. I prefer to try to give my teammates security with calm and composure. “I’m working on allowing more emotions into my game.”
Nikolas Polster: Keeper relies on mental training and intuition
Polster is now also paying more attention to his own body language. This helps immensely in unsettling the opponent. “As a goalkeeper you want to get into the striker’s head. One possibility is to use body language specifically. I show the opponent clearly through gestures and facial expressions where my place is and where his should be. I am also convinced that you can connect with the striker’s subconscious. Your own intuition often helps. It’s not for nothing that good goalkeepers can sense within fractions of a fraction what action the striker is planning to do next or where the penalty will be taken. “I’m working towards getting to a similar level,” said the WAC goalkeeper.
Mental training plays a big role for the 22-year-old. To this end, he works closely with the former Austrian national goalkeeper Helge Payer, who is now active as a mentor and mental trainer. “Helge and I have known each other for several years. Since then I have been very interested in topics such as visualization, affirmation and intuition training. Unfortunately, players often tend to eat up a lot of unprocessed experiences and thus unconsciously burden themselves. I’ve gotten into the habit of talking about mistakes or things that bother me. Your teammates will notice when you’re not clear-headed. In the same way, your opponents notice it and thus provoke mistakes. The mental training also helped me to show more gratitude. “I now write down five things every day that I am grateful for,” says Polster.
Polster also performs a special ritual when it comes to his goalkeeper gloves. “I think for every goalkeeper the gloves are the sanctuary. I also have a special ritual: after every training session, I clean them myself and then wrap them in a towel. I also always put my right glove on first. “When that’s not the case, I have a very strange feeling,” laughs the keeper.
Cushion about social commitment and your own market value
He knows how to understand his status as a professional footballer and the privileges that often come with it. Accordingly, he wants to give something back and is committed to helping African street children. “My mother founded a club in the Congo with a friend a few years ago. The aim of this is to enable children in the Congo to receive a school education. A school and a small hospital have now been built. Unfortunately, many kids in Congo don’t get the opportunities that children in Europe have. When you see the shining children’s eyes, happy about toys, books or footballs, you first realize what a privileged life we actually lead in Austria. That’s why I want to give back as much as possible and support the kids in Congo,” he says.
In Austria, the 22-year-old is predicted to have a great future. He has already made a statement at association level as a regular goalkeeper for the Austrian U21 national team. During the last market value update, it reached the million mark for the first time.
“Actually, I got the info from my brother who was waiting all day for the update. For me, this market value is confirmation of my current path and an incentive to move forward. If I’m honest, I obviously have big goals: My dream is to one day play for the Austrian national team and play in the Premier League for Arsenal or Liverpool. I believe that if I constantly improve my performance and develop accordingly, these dreams could perhaps come true in the future,” says Polster in conclusion.
Text and interview: Henrik Stadnischenko