The past few weeks have been emotional ups and downs for Nicole Anyomi. She scored her first goal in a DFB jersey at the European Football Championship, but lost the final. With Eintracht Frankfurt, she fails to qualify for the Champions League, but easily wins the start of the DFB Cup. Now the Bundesliga starts. In an interview, she talks about the exhilarating European Championship celebrations at the Römer in Frankfurt, how friends from the DFB team have become rivals again and why she is so looking forward to the new Bundesliga season.
European Championship final, qualifying tournament for the Champions League, DFB Cup, Bundesliga season opener. All in seven weeks. Can you already realize what happened?
Nicole Anyomi: No, not at all. Then you come back to the club and then it's on to the Champions League. The training camp was before that, most recently the first game in the DFB Cup against Weinberg. I haven't even been home a week or slept in my bed a week in a row. I couldn't really realize what the seven weeks were like. Sure, I talked to friends, family, teammates and the club about how it was. But I haven't really realized it for myself yet. But it was a nice experience that I was able to gain, it was a lot of fun. But now the focus is back on the club.
I would still like to rewind to the European Championship. You made two appearances, scored the first goal in the DFB shirt and played in front of more than 87,000 fans in the final. It was by far the biggest event you have experienced in your career so far. Do you still eat it?
Yes, definitely. As I said, I was able to gain nice experiences, it was a lot of fun to be there, I could enjoy it. And then my first assignment was in the Finland game. I didn't think I'd score a goal right away, but it was a lot of fun. It was bitter that we couldn't achieve what we had set out to do in the final. And I'm not satisfied with my efforts either. I tried my best. I think that happens sometimes, too bad it was in front of so many spectators and especially in the final. But yes, it goes on and the World Cup is next year and I hope that I can be there and then be able to show my qualities and my performance.
You came on as an offensive substitute in the final of the European Championship after playing the position of right-back in the game against Finland. As announced before the tournament by national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, who would like to make you a defender, which, according to her own statement, gave you a little shock. What is your role in the club now? Are there already experiments in training or can you start the season with peace of mind?
I'm so happy that Niko (Arnautis, head coach of the Eintracht women, editor's note) continues to put me at the front. He brought me up for offense too, so I don't think I'll train or play at the back. But we also have other good players who can fill the position. In the national team it's different. Even though it wasn't entirely clear at first that I would play at the back because it was said that I could also play in midfield or up front. That the DFB coaching team knows that I also have my qualities up there, but that we can now test whether I can play a different position. I think it's very positive for development. But I feel much more comfortable up front and have more freedom there. Now I'm back at the club and I'm happy when I can play up front and score goals.
What is the appeal of playing as a striker for you?
To score goals, to prepare goals, to be creative, to help the team with my game. That's where I see myself and that's what I enjoy the most. I just feel a lot more comfortable up front than playing at the back or even on the wing. Of course, when I was a little girl I used to play in the back for the boys, but I think that's the case for almost everyone. Over time I only played up front and found my position there. Then when I play at the back, I worry too much and then one thing or the other doesn't fit. But I think that everything takes time and maybe one day I will like the position, you never know. (she laughs)
You injured your hand the first time you played at the European Championship against Finland and had to play with a splint in the final. After the tournament you underwent surgery because you sustained a fracture. You played again in the qualifying tournament for the Champions League. So you haven't missed much?
Thank God. I never thought that I could be back on the pitch so quickly. I was only out for six days and then I was right in the middle of it again. That was very quick.
The mentioned tournament for the Champions League didn't go as hoped, you lost in the first game against Ajax Amsterdam. Has the missed chance to qualify already been ticked off?
To be honest, the disappointment and the pain are still relatively deep. Of course we want to look ahead again, we have to look ahead. But we worked for a year to be allowed to play the Champions League. And it was very bitter that we were eliminated straight away in the first lap. When the goal came in the last second with an overhead kick, I couldn't believe it and realized it. It still hurts very, very much. But we know that we want to achieve the Champions League again this season and that we can achieve it. It finally starts on Friday, then we'll see how far we've come.
Does that mean that finally taking the thrill of the Champions League with you motivates you as well?
Yes, great When we stood there and heard the anthem for the first time, it was a very special moment and a very nice feeling. I just want to experience that again.
It starts on Friday, you have a guest against the runners-up FC Bayern. Another big stage after the EM final, after the Champions League theme music. Now you are playing with the Eintracht women for the third time in the large stadium in Frankfurt, but for the first time since the beginning of the corona pandemic with fans. How much anticipation is there? It's probably exhausting too, with almost no summer break.
Yes, in a way, but the anticipation is there for all of us. We take the joy and the euphoria with us and we definitely want to show a good game, annoy Bayern as much as possible and keep the points here. I'm really looking forward to the game and the season as a whole. Also because I was never fit at the start of the season, this is the first time and that's why I'm personally very happy. The fact that we have the game against FC Bayern ahead of us right from the start is something very special.
Of course, the DFB and the club are two different teams. But after you all said during the European Championship that the team spirit was greater than ever before, you suddenly find yourself facing each other again in the game against Bayern. A strange situation or is the atmosphere in the club much, much better anyway?
Yes, in our team there is a lot of cohesion. We really grew together as a team very, very well. Of course the DFB team was great too, I got on with everyone and we gave everything for everyone on the pitch. But now everyone is back in the clubs. We're kind of friends, but then we're opponents for 90 minutes on the pitch, that's the way it is in football. We can have a nice chat after the game, but before and during the game the focus is on ourselves.
What are your goals for the game?
We want to annoy Bayern, keep the points here. Take the euphoria, the anticipation of the fans that we can also play in the big stadium and build on what we showed last season. We could annoy Bayern too. We won the first leg, unfortunately we didn't make it in the second leg. But we will make it as difficult as possible for Bayern.
How big is the hope that this hype in women's football, which was sparked by the European Championship, will continue in the Bundesliga?
You can see that the hype has arrived in Germany. There were very, very many spectators at the Wolfsburg cup game against Gütersloh (more than 2000, ed.), at our DFB cup game in Weinberg, at a third division club, there were 650 spectators. I hope that we've inspired a lot of people, especially girls and women, who are now watching women's football and starting to play it themselves. This is something very special and beautiful for us. So we also know that we showed people something good at the European Championships and enriched them. I hope that a great many people will come on Friday and that many fans will also watch the game on television. I hope that the hype will continue so that even more, much, much more is done in women's football.
Appropriately, you celebrated the successful EM with the DFB in Frankfurt on the Römerberg. How big is the desire to repeat this after the season with the Eintracht women?
I would be more than happy about that. It was outstanding when we arrived at the Römer. How many people were there... It was an indescribable feeling that so many people came to cheer us on. It was very nice to be able to bring joy to so many people.
Anja Rau spoke to Nicole Anyomi
