FOOTBALL4GOOD MAGAZINE - DECEMBER 2019

WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOU CAN DRAW SOMETHING FROM BOTH ‘WORLDS’, THAT BOTH GERMANY AND IVORY COAST INFLU- ENCE YOU? Definitely. Most of all through the upbringing by my father, who grew up here, who of course brought along the culture that is part of him. Growing up in Germany, of course, I soaked everything up there. But when I come here, there are things that surprise me each time, especially when it comes to the family. How much time you spend together, which I think is really nice. I try to take that back with me to Germany and to show this culture to others a little bit and to live by it. WHAT HAS BEEN DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS VISIT? I had never been in the slums like today. That was another, very different level, and I think that if you’ve really experienced that, when you’ve been there, when you see or talk to people, and see how they live, that motivates you to do much more. I think every one of us would see it on the ground. If you take the opportunity to go on such a trip, you would want to do more after that. And I’m 100%, 10000% sure that, once you have experienced it locally, no matter whether in Africa, in Asia or somewhere else, you would think about it differently than when you hear from far away at home that there are problems or that help is needed. HOW DID THE IDEA OF BEING PART OF COMMON GOAL COME ABOUT? I’ve always wanted to do charity work, also for the reason that I’ve been here, my family is from here, and I know how to do it and my parents have always made me want to share, to help others. And I think that, over time, becomes second nature. And then the opportunity to join Common Goal arose. They asked me if I would be interested in being part of it and it didn’t take much consideration for me to join. I find the project exciting when many people come together. It’s better than one person doing something alone. And that’s why I hope it will grow and grow so that we can do a lot to help. COMMON GOAL IS A LOT ABOUT “CONNECT- ING THE TWO WORLDS OF FOOTBALL”, WHAT ARE THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FOOTBALL YOU HAVE BEEN PLAYING HERE WITH THE KIDS AND THE EX- PERIENCE OF PLAYING IN A STADIUM WITH 60,000 PEOPLE? I think the love of football is what connects us all. The fun of the game, of kicking the ball is what connects us, whether or not you play according to a set of rules, whether or not there are any spectators alongside the pitch. On the one hand, you have a stadium filled with 60,000 people watching as you stand on the turf and play football. Somewhere else there may only be a sandy pitch surrounded by a few walls with no spectators, where you simply play football. But we are playing the same game. We both experience the same joy. I would simply say that our love of football, whether we are in a stadium or on a sandy pitch in Africa, belongs to one world and unites us all. DOES IT FEEL THE SAME TO SCORE A GOAL EVEN IF THERE ISN’T A CROWD OF 60,000 PEOPLE WATCHING? I think that at that moment it is the same, exactly the same. The players also celebrate together in a circle. The one who scored the goal tells everyone afterwards how great it felt. It really doesn’t matter where in the world you score. A goal is a goal. SO, FOOTBALL IS ALSO AN EASY WAY TO CONNECT WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE YOU MET AT TACKLEAFRICA HERE IN IVORY COAST OR OTHER PLAYERS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD… First of all, you identify with them because they feel exactly the same as I feel or as we experience it [the game] as professional footballers. I think that such a bridge is truly unbeatable. You simply ask if you can join the game, and then everyone is the same, regard- less of religion, culture, origin, skin colour. In the end, you play against each other, with each other. You just play football. SERGE DAVID GNABRY BORN: 14 TH JULY 1995 IN STUTTGART, GERMANY CURRENT CLUB: BAYERN MUNICH (WINGER) NOWADAYS, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT “ATHLETES WITH PURPOSE”. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? “Athletes with purpose”. For me, this means using the reach you gain as an athlete. And being a good role model for others. I think all those who are now athletes were once children themselves have looked up to the athletes of that time and have taken an exam- ple from them. It’s about paving a good path others can orientate themselves towards and giving something back to the people. WHICH ATHLETES DO YOU CONSIDER AS ROLE MODELS? As footballers, of course, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo. I think they will influence generations to come with their achievements. There’s a lot you can learn from them. In other sports, for example LeBron James, mostly be- cause he also does so much off the field, he is such a powerful role model for what I aspire to be. He is committed to helping others using his energy and his power. WHAT DO YOU ASPIRE TO BECOME OR TO ACHIEVE BEYOND YOUR SUCCESS ON THE PITCH AS A FOOTBALLER? IS YOUR COMMITMENT ALSO ABOUT CREATING A LEGACY THAT GOES BE- YOND A COLLECTIONOF TITLES AND TROPHIES? Let me put it this way, I do not know what will happen after my career. We have to give this job up relatively early. But we are all humans, aside from football, we are human beings. And helping other people, just through the power we have [as footballers], through the power that we have in the media, also the financial power that we have to support other people, just matters to me. That’s how I was raised, and that’s also something that I want to pass on. At the end of the day, we are all human beings, whether with football or without football, we are one. Serge Gnabry visits a local commu- nity that is home to TackleAfrica participants. 14 15 FOOTBALL4GOODMAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2019 IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWWITH SERGEGNABRY