A common feature of being a second-choice goalkeeper is that you only make an appearance late in the season or maybe aren’t involved at all. But when Marius Müller unexpectedly came on for the injured Kamil Grabara in the away match at Eintracht Frankfurt, it didn’t just mark his debut for VfL but also his first ever outing in the Bundesliga. In this interview, the 31-year-old stopper describes the mixed feelings he experienced when he made his top-flight bow and how he’s approaching the upcoming home game against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Marius, since last Sunday you’re officially a Bundesliga goalkeeper. How does that feel? Is it any different?
Marius: “It wasn’t like that at the time of the substitution, at least. First of all, I had to make sure I got some calmness on the pitch. But afterwards, of course, I was more aware of it. The Bundesliga has been a goal I’ve been working towards for a very long time. It was always my motivation, even during difficult times in my career, to achieve it one day. In that respect, a bit of a weight has been lifted off me. That quickly subsided, though, because now it continues.”
When you’re at that point and move to the Bundesliga as an experienced keeper, you must surely visualise that moment. Was it as you’d imagined in Frankfurt?
Marius: “I certainly couldn’t have imagined it better as I grew up less than half an hour away from Frankfurt. I had a lot of friends and family members in the stadium for this specific match: my dad was there, my sister, my father-in-law and my best mate, for example. When you then make your debut in front of the people who know exactly what it means to you and you can share it personally with them, it’s very special. But I also feel for Kamil because you don’t wish an injury on anybody. At the same time, it’s my job to block that out and do my best to give the team the same backing that Kamil has.”
You’re now guaranteed to be in goal again on Saturday, so you’ll be walking out at the Volkswagen Arena for the first time. What will that do to you?
Marius: “Looking at it quite matter-of-factly, it will be a football match like every other one I’ve played in my life. And once the whistle goes, I’ll only have my sights on success. Nevertheless, I’m really looking forward to now being able to show the fans what I can do at my new home stadium.”
Your first home match is also against none other than the German champions. How do you see your chances?
Marius: “We’re going into it with the ambition of playing successful football, which means getting the three points. Of course, you always have to consider the opponents, and we’re undoubtedly coming up against a great team. But I think we’ve shown plenty of times already this season that we can hold our own against the big boys if everyone does their job and we concentrate on ourselves. We’ve beaten Dortmund and Leipzig, twice ran Bayern close for a long time and did the same in the reverse fixture against Leverkusen. So, I think if we throw everything and everyone leaves their heart on the pitch, our chances look good.”
