It is unlikely that Ridle Baku ever gets bored. In addition to his career as a professional footballer, the 26-year-old also owns a restaurant, runs a transportation service and has a social project in Congo. In this interview he discusses how he manages it all, and more besides.
Ridle Baku, let’s start with the magical cup night this past week. What was your experience of the game against Dortmund?
Ridle Baku: “It was our first home win this season and a really exciting match. Scoring a goal so late in extra time in the DFB Cup releases an unbelievable surge of energy. The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible.”
Your father is responsible for calling you Ridle, which was actually your nickname, wasn’t it?
Ridle: “Exactly, my name is actually Bote Nzuzi Baku. My dad’s a massive football fan and played the game for a long time himself. He really liked Germany international Karl-Heinz Riedle, which is how I got my nickname. A few years ago I officially changed my name to Ridle because it’s what everyone’s called me since I was a kid.”
In November 2023 you told us in great detail about your project ‘Improved after’ in Congo. What has happened since then?
Ridle: “World Vision monitors a number of projects on-site and they keep me up to date with pictures and videos. We’ve already achieved good results by providing the children there with textbooks, water and protection. But attacks can happen every day, which makes it difficult to ensure continuous progress.”
In addition to being a footballer and committed to social projects, you’re also a businessman and restaurant owner. How do you juggle it all?
Ridle: “The only way is to manage your time well. And you also need to have a good team around you, otherwise it’d be impossible to do it all. I own ‘Kelly’s Fresh Kitchen’ in Mainz and also have a chauffeur service called ‘RB VIP Shuttle’. But football is obviously my priority.”
How did you arrive at the idea of offering a chauffeur service?
Ridle: “I travelled regularly between Wolfsburg and Mainz on my days off. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my family or doing other things, but I’d always arrive late and stressed-out when I went on the train. I’d had the idea for a while but just didn’t dare to dive in. About six months ago I finally took the plunge with a friend from school. The VIP shuttle has been really well received.”
Are there any celebrities among your clients?
Ridle: “Maxence recently booked a shuttle and we’ve also taken MMA fighter Christian Jungwirth. We transported Travis Scott’s team to his concert in Frankfurt. It’s great fun to chat to people from all of the world, not just from the football community.”
To finish, let’s switch focus to the upcoming game against FC Augsburg. What needs to happen for us to get our first Bundesliga home win of the season on Saturday?
Ridle: “There were lots of positives from the game against Dortmund. If we can play with the same energy and willingness to run then I’m sure we’ll be successful.”
