Marcel Schmelzer found the atmosphere in the German national team uncomfortable because of the competition and lack of appreciation from national coach Joachim Löw. He thinks back “absolutely” with a stomach ache to the time in the DFB selection, said the left-back in an interview on the website from Borussia Dortmund. “I was never happy there,” said the 34-year-old.
At first it was probably due to the rivalry. “There was tension there. 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.
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At BVB he always got along well with his competitors. “In the national team you get said ‘hello’ in a different way by your rivals than by the rest of the players; the training is also different. I had a hard time with that at first. I felt uncomfortable,” he confessed.
community All topics related to BVBHave your say now! Schmelzer was a national player from 2010 to 2014 and made 16 appearances, but was not considered for the World Cup in Brazil and thus missed out on winning the title. “As much as it bothered me and as unfair as I thought it was at the time – at some point I had to focus on Borussia Dortmund again,” revealed the left-footed player. After a protracted knee injury, he recently ended his career as the most loyal professional in the Bundesliga, having not been active in the past two seasons.
Schmelzer could have left BVB three times
With the Black and Yellows, Schmelzer became German champion twice and won the DFB Cup three times. An early departure never materialized, although options arose several times. “There were three opportunities to change. I said goodbye twice – once after the 2012 double and once when a new coach started with us. I didn’t want to deal with a possible change.” The third time “it actually would have worked. The club just didn’t want to let me go.”
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