Union Berlin's Neven Subotic: "We don't want to be in the Bundesliga for only a year!"
Union Berlin have made a bright start to their first-ever season in the Bundesliga, with wins over the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Freiburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach pushing them up into the safety of mid-table with nearly half of the campaign gone.
Neven Subotic, a veteran of Dortmund's title-winning campaigns in 2011 and 2012, has been adapting well to life in Berlin since joining the promoted club this summer. The 31-year-old sat down for an exclusive chat with bundesliga.com, and spoke about exceeding expectations with Union, his important charity work in Africa, and why he's not a fan of driving in the German capital…
bundesliga.com: Neven Subotic, why did you move to Union Berlin?
Neven Subotic: I came from France. I was there for one and a half years, at Saint-Etienne. It was an exciting time, but I knew that for me to reach the next level, a higher level – which is the Bundesliga, definitely – I had to make the move. After vetting different clubs, speaking to coaches, sporting directors and some players from the team, I made my decision. I felt that it made sense to join a club with a clear purpose, a clear goal for the campaign. What I was hearing from the players was in line with what I'd discussed with the coaches and sporting directors. Even though that might seem simple and obvious, it's not always the case. A coach can have one vision, but it may not be the same as the sporting directors and the players. I knew that as long as everything was aligned, it made sense for me to come to Berlin, so that was my decision.
bundesliga.com: How high are expectations for Union in the Bundesliga?
Subotic: From the fans, the number one thing I hear is, "Guys, it's great that you're in the Bundesliga. No matter what happens, we're behind you. We just want to enjoy this year with you". It's good to know that if things don't work out, the fans won't turn their backs on us. But as a player, I'm always super motivated to outperform opposing players and teams. I look at it with a different mindset, and so do most of the players here at the club. They don't want to be here for a year! They want to be here and establish themselves as Bundesliga players. That has a big impact on our attitude and how we train. We have a huge challenge ahead of us. So far it's going better than expected, but it's still a long season.
bundesliga.com: What are your memories of the first home game?
Subotic: The biggest highlight of the first game – even though we ended up losing 4-0 – was that before and after the match people were crying, because it was such an emotional moment for so many of them. It was the first time in the Bundesliga for a hugely underfunded club. A club that has remained a "worker's club" at its core. That's why three of the stands are standing-only. You don't really see that in the Bundesliga or Bundesliga 2. I doubt you even have clubs in the 3. Liga with stadiums like this. It's one of the core principles of the club, and that was made very clear during the first game. You could feel the emotion. Even though we ended up losing, the fans were still cheering 20 minutes after the game. Afterwards, you go over to salute the fans and show your respect, especially after losing. It took 20 minutes because nobody wanted it to end. I think that speaks volumes.
bundesliga.com: You managed to win the derby between Union and Hertha Berlin. How much did that mean to you?
Subotic: It would completely change the scope of this interview to discuss the history of the club in the context of Berlin, and East and West Germany. But suffice it to say they are massive rivals! This is the country's biggest city, the capital, and that alone makes it a special match. Then add in contributing factors such as it being the first derby in the Bundesliga. It was the first time and it was also the first time we were able to prove that we could win. Which we did. There were a lot of different things that made it a historic match for the club. It's already a historic season for the club, and winning the derby at home is certainly one of the stories that will be told about this season in 20 years' time.
Watch: Union came out on top of their first Bundesliga derby with Hertha
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bundesliga.com: How have you developed as a player over the past couple of seasons?
Subotic: When you're younger, you try to do a lot more, to experiment a bit more. You try things out and see how they go. As a youngster, I had this thing where if I made a mistake, it would bother me for a long time. It could be minutes, hours or sometimes even days! As I've got older, I've learned that mistakes happen. Everyone makes them. You just have to move on as quickly as possible. Another important thing was understanding how football works. Now that I've had the experience of working with different coaches, learning their methods and how they put them into practice, it has given me a lot of insight into the mindset of a trainer. It's helped me to be a kind of player-coach on the pitch, to understand what is going on. Those are two aspects of the game where I can certainly see big differences.
bundesliga.com: You take the underground home from training. Why is that?
Subotic: On my first day in Berlin I had my medical exam in the city centre. The training centre in Köpenick is in the east, and it took me an hour to get here. But it was really frustrating because I wasn't even travelling for that full hour, it was very stop-start. I didn't think it was a great idea to drive here. There are also security factors to consider. There are a lot of cyclists in the city, and tourists riding on scooters, so you don't feel very safe. I want to be a responsible driver, especially in the dark. I've driven here a few times and it's difficult, so I didn't want to take the risk. There are also some ethical issues with having a car you don't really need, especially in a city like Berlin, which has an extensive public transport network. So today after training I'll go home on the train. In the mornings I come on the train. While other people are stuck in traffic, I'm reading, talking on my phone or sending emails. You can actually be quite productive during the commute.
Watch: The Neven Subotic story
bundesliga.com: You're also involved in a lot of social projects. Tell us about that.
Subotic: Probably the most important question to answer is why I'm doing it. It goes back to my upbringing. My parents were always socially engaged. At that time, there was a war in Yugoslavia. My parents escaped the war and came to Germany, but they sent a lot of the money they made to people in war-torn areas back home. Growing up, I knew that was right, I saw my parents doing it every day. Even though my family perhaps didn't have as much as other families in our neighbourhood, we weren't less happy. As I got older, I knew that was important for me. I wanted to be the kind of person who is part of society, who contributes to society. That's why I started my own foundation in 2012, focusing on a global society and people living in the poorest areas. We work in rural areas of Ethiopia trying to secure human access to water, because right now it only exists on paper. The United Nations decreed that water is a basic human right in 2010. Obviously, you and I need air and water, but it's a given that we have them. In the areas where we work, we see rates of 80%, 85%, even 95% of people without access to water, in certain communities. Our aim is to guarantee that access. Because if we don't, people are forced to drink water from an open source. It could be contaminated, it could be shared with animals. Ultimately, it takes away their dignity as human beings. I want to live in a world where every human being can live with dignity. I'm trying to make that a reality.
bundesliga.com: What's been the best period of your career so far?
Subotic: If I had to pick one to relive, it would definitely be the first time we won the league with Dortmund. That success was for everybody: the fans, the team, the coach, for the whole country. It was something that nobody expected. So I think that's the one period I'd be happy to relive over and over again. There were other nice moments as well, such as when I played for Cologne, but if I had to pick one, it would be 2010/11 with Dortmund.
bundesliga.com: You were celebrated by the Dortmund fans in their stadium when you went there with Cologne in 2017. How would you describe your feelings at that moment?
Subotic: It's hard to put into words. I think the appreciation and affection between me and the Dortmund fans is unique. You can really grasp the extent of it when you have a moment like that. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. You end up feeling as big as the stadium, as big as the Yellow Wall. Twenty-five thousand people who are there for you, and letting you know it. It was huge.
bundesliga.com: Have you achieved everything you wanted to in football?
Subotic: I didn't have any specific desires, it was more of a journey. You don't know what lies ahead. You don't know what you want. What I've always strived for is tackling every challenge I've faced, and growing based on those challenges. I think I've succeeded in a lot of cases. It was a productive and enjoyable journey under Jürgen Klopp, because I could see myself growing and progressing. I had challenges after that in Dortmund, but I was able to overcome many of them. That has helped to build my confidence over the years. Now I'm at Union Berlin with a special task, something I haven't really experienced in my professional career. It's not about winning the championship here, it's about staying in the league. It's very new. The journey so far has been fun, and I hope that it will be fun until the end. That will make me a richer player in terms of the experience that I'll have gained.
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