Dortmund (dpa) – Marcel Schmelzer found the atmosphere in the national soccer team uncomfortable because of the competition and lack of appreciation from national coach Joachim Löw.
The left-back said in an interview on Borussia Dortmund’s website that he “absolutely” thinks back to the time in the DFB selection with a stomach ache. “I was never happy there,” said the 34-year-old.
At first it was probably due to the rivalry. “There were already tensions. In addition, Löw said twice publicly that he was forced to work with me,” said Schmelzer. It was different in the U21 selection, with which the Magdeburg native became European champion in 2009. “Before in the U21s – that was a nice year under Horst Hrubesch, winning the European Championship, that was mega, that was fun,” he said in retrospect.
At Borussia Dortmund he always got on well with his competitors. “In the national team, your opponents say ‘hello’ to you in a different way than the other players; you also act differently in training. That was difficult for me at first. I felt uncomfortable,” he confessed.
Schmelzer was a national player from 2010 to 2014, but was not considered for the World Cup in Brazil and thus missed out on winning the title. Due to a protracted knee injury, he ended his career after this season.