Much to the delight of German
football followers, and Wolfsburg
fans in particular, Diego is back in
the Bundesliga and doing what he
does best: creating and scoring
goals. Forming a lethal attacking
trident with Bosnian striker Edin
Dzeko and fellow Brazilian Grafite,
whose two headed goals in last
weekend's 2-1 win over Freiburg
were both supplied by the former
Werder Bremen playmaker, the
diminutive 25-year-old has helped
spark a run of three consecutive
wins to revive the fortunes of a
team that began the campaign
with three straight defeats.
In an exclusive interview with
FIFA.com, Diego discussed a range
of issues including why he left Serie
A giants Juventus to return to
Germany, a new era for the
Brazilian national team and
Wolfsburg ’s chances of claiming a
second ever Bundesliga crown.
FIFA.com: Diego, what’s it been
like to come back to German
football? Would it be too much
to say it ’s almost like returning
home, given just how well your
first spell in Germany went?
Diego: Yes, to a degree you could
say that. I was very happy during
my first spell here, at Werder
Bremen, and I ’ve always had a lot
of affection for this country. I’m
hoping things work out equally well
with Wolfsburg. I ’m finding it
interesting getting to know the club
and, while the country is the same,
the way things are happening
seems different. It ’s like I’m
discovering it for the first time
again.
What was the biggest factor
behind your return to Germany?
Juventus didn’t have a good
season last term, the team
performed well below expectations.
I ’ve got history here in Germany
and Wolfsburg made me a great
offer. I was happy to be able to
come back.
You’ve said that you always
enjoyed a good relationship
with the Juve supporters, so did
you have any regrets at all
when you left the club?
Juventus went through a series of
problems. We had a good team
that didn ’t live up to expectations.
Yes, the fans were great to me and
they were always asking me to
stay at the club, but I didn ’t leave
Italy with any regrets. I’d have
liked to have won some silverware,
but it was a worthwhile experience.
Given that Wolfsburg have a
new coach in Steve McClaren and
new players such as yourself,
could the fact that the club are
not involved in European
competition this season be
beneficial for you and the team?
Whenever a team misses out on
Europe and changes coach, it
always goes through a process of
transition. And I think that yes, that
will help me settle. That said, I ’d still
prefer to see Wolfsburg taking part
in the biggest competitions, and
we ’re going to battle to make sure
that’s the case next season.
How do you see Wolfsburg’s
chances of winning a second
Bundesliga title in 2010/11?
We’ve got just as good a chance as
any other big club. We’ve had a
difficult start but we know that we’ll
bounce back. It’s just a question of
time before Wolfsburg are battling
it out at the top of the table again.
And with Grafite and Dzeko, we ’ll
be more dangerous going forward.
Two factors that set the German
Bundesliga apart from other
major European leagues are the
fact it is so well-balanced and its
high average attendance
figures. In a nutshell, how
would you define German
football fans?
Local derbies are really important
here. Every city has a team and
the fans stay faithful to their side
and turn up in huge numbers, even
during the bad times. The
impression you get is that matches
are a compulsory part of the
calendar here.
Changing tack a little, one of the
trends at the recent FIFA World
Cup ™ was the success of
technically gifted teams like
Germany and eventual winners
Spain. Do you think this will be
reflected at club level?
I hope so. Nowadays there’s a
tendency for teams to either put
their faith in a skilful approach,
which we saw at the World Cup, or
in a defensive one like Jose
Mourinho used to win the
Champions League and beat Barça
(his then Inter Milan side beat the
Catalans in the semi-finals). It just
remains to be seen whether the
two schools can coexist.
Turning to the Brazilian national
team, since taking the job Mano
Menezes has promised to
reintroduce a more creative
brand of football to A Seleção.
After what you saw at South
Africa 2010, do you think that’s
the right approach?
Brazil are undergoing a process of
transition. The national team should
put faith in technical ability, but
without neglecting tactical strength.
I think that Mano Menezes is going
to do a good job and I ’ll do
everything I can to be part of this
new era.
Menezes has moved quickly to
bring in younger players and,
while you ’re by no means a
veteran, you’re certainly an
experienced performer. Given
this generational transition, do
you worry about being
overlooked? By which I mean
you ’re much younger than the
likes of Gilberto Silva, but much
older than Neymar for
example...
I think I’ve got everything it takes
to get back into the national team.
I ’ll be a good age when the World
Cup in Brazil comes around. Aside
from which I ’ve got plenty of
experience, which really counts. But
more than anything else, it ’s all
going to depend on my form. By
playing well I can ensure I get back
in the squad. I really want to play
in the World Cup on home soil.
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