Facebook & Samisut Sweetness, DFB Features, National Team Gossip & General Fooling Around!

[jenny-jenkins.livejournal.com]

Facebook & Samisut Sweetness, DFB Features, National Team Gossip & General Fooling Around!

Jerseys, Training Pics, Interviews, Ronaldo's Interview, Lovely Boys Having Fun! It's All Here!

As you all know, I have come to hugely prefer larger posts. Alas - it backfired this week. As usual, the sheer amount of adorable stuff to come out of the DFB website and publicity machine is so immense that this week's action is going to be split into two posts.

We have andriy_7 to blame for this development, since he certainly doesn't miss a thing! Not a picture, not a gif-worthy moment, not a single video he could upload for us! He even took requests and is to be commended for his patience in dealing with me.

This first post is all the pre-game action, from the arrival in Hamburg to the trip to Ukraine.


The second (which I'll post late tomorrow) will be the Ukraine Match-post and German press review of the game!

But we start this week's review with masses of -

Facebook (and Samisut) Sweetness & Cristiano Ronaldo's Remarks To Kicker!

Why is Mesut filming Sami?

Well - that isn't exactly clear. What is clear is that Sami seemed to like it and posted it on his Facebook with the following note (and photograph).



Gratuitous Sami Khedira Photograph. It's my post...so deal with it!


Hola amigos, hoy por la tarde me hicieron una entrevista y el gracioso de Mesut me ha grabado... Que compañero mas cachondo tengo, ¿verdad? Un saludo Sami

Hi Friends, this morning i had an interview and Funny mesut recorded me. He is such a cool Guy, isn't he ;-) ? Love , Sami

Hi Freunde, heute Mittag hatte ich ein Interview und der lustige Mesut hat mich dabei aufgenommen. Cooler Typ mein Kollege, oder ;-)? Gruss Sami



Inseparable in practice, as always!


And if you want to read Sami's beautiful interview with the DFB this week (where he makes many touching remarks on friendship in general) click HERE.

Not content with letting Sami steal his thunder, Mesut had Sami (and Christian Traesch) join him for this piece of ado.orableness which was posted yesterday just before the game on Mesut's Facebook site.

Transcript translation and editorial commentary provided by sashatwen over at sami_khedira, which I have shamelessly stolen without permission. Sorry.

Sami: Hello dear Facebook friends. We're here in the Ukraine, preparing for the international match later today.

Christian: We're looking forward to the game and hope for your support.

Mesut: Keep your "thumbs" pressed. (fingers crossed)
*giggling*

Sami: Take care. Ciao.

Mesut: Take care!

Aren't they darling?

Yes, sashatwen - they certainly are!


Cristiano Ronaldo's Remarks To Kicker!


Meanwhile, the golden boy with the golden shoe spoke to the German press this week!



Bromantic interest Cristiano Ronaldo with his golden shoe!


Kicker Magazine - November 7, 2011
Interview with MANFRED MÜNCHRATH
Translated and excerpted by me, jenny_jenkins


About your team colleagues - Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira. How do you experience them?

They are both very funny guys. When we eat, I sit next to them at the table. They are always telling jokes and we really have lots of fun - they're fabulous boys. We are really close friends.*

Khedira stands a little in Ozil's shadow, above all because his role on the pitch is less obvious.

Naturally Sami is another playing-type from Mesut who makes more goals and is technically stronger. But for me he is equally important, because he is important for the balance of team. Both play a very important role with us.

How do you value Mesut Ozil in particular? (And they say irony is dead!)

His incredible insight. He can read a game and know exactly what pass he should play, or when he should dribble - that's simply class.

Has he made you a better player?

Yes, Mesut has made me a better. When you have such incredible players around you then you play better.

Where you surprised that the understanding between you and Ozil on the pitch developed so quickly?

No - that was very easy, because he is such a talented player - and then one can reach an understanding very fast. We have a very good relationship and it's only getting better. I love it - playing with him - he is fantastic.





Well, that was certainly a lovely thing to say!

The rest of the interview is fully translated HERE

DFB Features & National Team Gossip


Mesut arrived in Hamburg looking his usual prepossessing self (!) - and the DFB noting every moment (is it my imagination, or are DFB videos becoming ever-more artsy and fanciful lately?) -

Not content with uploading that cuteness for us, andriy_7 also made us some gifs so we can watch Mesut's lack of any convincing swagger on a loop!





And a couple gifs of the arrival (and another similar moment from Mesut's departure from Hamburg) from one of Kicker's videos!


 



The New National Team Jersey!


The long-awaited new jersey was unveiled too - and really, it doesn't look half bad!

Mesut was not one of those chosen to model the new jersey (he's plainly too "top-model" for the DFB photographers to handle) but his friends were out in force to show it off to the press!

Second bestest friend Lukas Podolski, Captain Fips, former club teammate Manuel Neuer & Andre "Pet Poodle" Schuerrle!


And here is the jersey in greater detail -





And the away kit - which is at last back to green! - and which was leaked this week, since it hasn't officially been unveiled!



I sort of liked the black, but green is traditional - and lucky!



Mesut & Mario Goetze Interview!

The boys weren't just allowed to fool around either! Mesut had to give an interview, along with Mario Goetze (whose eloquence just about matches Mesut's, as we'll see in a moment!) since it was announced that they would be starting together for the first time against Ukraine. In addition to uploading the interview for us, andriy_7 uploaded a couple of lip-biting gifs for our viewing enjoyment!

Mesut and Mario Interview With The DFB
Translated by me, jenny_jenkins

The question of whether or not you two should play together or can't play together is often discussed. How is it personally when two very technically strong, very strong footballers play together. Do you enjoy playing together?

Mesut: At any rate, you can see that in practice when I play together with Mario because he is very technically gifted and makes the goals in front of goal (this sounds just as awkward in German as the translation!). And I am happy, naturally, when I am allowed to play with him.

Mario, what do you think of Mesut Ozil? You are very young and Mesut is, too, unbelievably young.

Mario: Yes, I'm aware of him and I saw him at Schalke and when he played at Bremen and then took the step up (to Madrid) and I admire his technical abilities and when one comes to an understanding in practice one is happy to play next to someone like that.





How is it in the team? Do you prefer to play with players who you know are similar technically and with whom one can have a lot of fun.

Mario: At any rate (apparently, the way Mesut talks is catching...) I think Mesut and I understand each other on the field and when someone is technically gifted then one knows where the runs will be and where the other person will go (on the pitch) and it just makes it easier and for that reason it's lots of fun.

When you play football it looks unbelievably easy. It's unbelievable - and with you in particular, already in South Africa, where you had your great breakthrough. Is it necessary to be having fun to play that well?

Mesut: At any rate (...see?) when I'm personally on the pitch I always have fun and it's like it was before - when I was ten years old and I think it's the same for Mario. When he's on the field he wants to play successfully - just as I do - and help the team and our goal on the pitch is to play positively and get successful results.





Joachim Loew has often said...(Unintelligible. I think he's saying that Loew is considering playing without a number six in the midfield like at Barcelona). Those are good players in the midfield, very, very good players. Do you see it like that too?

Barcelona is a unique team, if I can put it that way, who have shown for years now that they belong with the top clubs in the world and with world-class players like Messi, or Iniesta, Xavi. But our goal is to look to ourselves. We have lots of potential in the team. We have young players and so far it's gone very well. We have to take the next step, win the title, and I am convinced that we can manage it.

Mario, in years past it used to be that one could be in one's mid-thirties and still be spoken of as a mere "talent". There was a time people would say "he's still just talented, he's too small, he won't be able to manage." Has this time sort of passed us by?

I think it has. You can see in teams that the average age is coming down and I benefit from it - that there are so many young players here, and that's why I always look forward to joining the National team.

Is this something - this curious phenomenon - is that something that is discussed among yourselves here, or at Madrid, or at Dortmund?

A few younger players ask what it is like there and it's just as it is in the Bundesliga, only the expectations are greater - most particularly from the media. And it doesn't matter where we land (when we travel with the club) there are thousands of people, it's quite unbelievable. I watch the Bundesliga too whenever I have time and I watch Mario (Mesut points at him) - I was able to see his last game where he scored two goals and I was happy for him, of course.



With Sami & Mario in Practice.


Finally. What can one learn from Mesut?

Mario: Lots. Lots of stuff. In practice, or when one plays with him, you can see his technical abilities. I watch the Spanish league too - Barcelona and Real Madrid - the summaries, or if I have time, the whole games. It's always good for a young player when one can watch such players and such teams.

Can one learn something from Mario aside from (unintelligible)*

Mesut (laughing, and completely and totally fumbling his response): Naturally (he misprounces his favourite word!). He's still very young and the development (Mesut sucks in a panicky breath and shrugs) yeah, like I said before it's going really well for him and I'm really happy of course that I am allowed to play with him and for his age he's very far along, if I can put it that way, and I take my hat off to him!

True!

*If any of our darling German-speaking readers can make out what was said or have ear-phones handy, I'd be thrilled with a clarification!


Jetsetting To Kiev, Ukraine!

No sooner had Mesut fumbled his way through this latest interview, and taken part in some training sessions (of which, more later) it was off to Kiev and another enthusiastic DFB video to commemorate the trip!

Fun & Foolishness From The Boys!

With Sami Khedira (surprise, surprise!) as some sort of arbiter...

...and our beloved andriy_7 to gif every precious Mesuty moment!









(Note: clever mirror work by photographer. I'm not really imagining this new clever-clever style in DFB videos, am I?)


Training Pics In Hamburg & Kiev!





Plenty of bug-eyed Mesuty ado.orablness for us to enjoy in practice this week!

Like sticking close to the coach -




And being caught pondering, once again, the mystery that is Joachim Loew -





The boys were straight into practice the night they arrived in Hamburg and took part in training sessions in the Ukraine too.





Mesut kept his hands tucked carefully in his sleeves, as always -








Showed off his lucious, shampoo-commercial-worthy hair





Stuck close to Sami Khedira -





Played trickster with the ball -





And patiently being photographed by adoring Ukranian fans (in his socks his hands tucked in his sleeves) when all he really wanted to do was chase after Sami!




Have a Mesuty afternoon everyone!

The second part of the post chronicling Mesut's first week back with the National Team & The Ukraine-Germany Match-Report will be up tomorrow in the late afternoon!
.


.