VfB Stuttgart's sensational Guinean goal-getter, Sehou Guirassy, speaks to bundesliga.com about equalling Robert Lewandowski's record start to a season and the prospect of going head-to-head with Harry Kane.

bundesliga.com: How does it feel to have equaled Robert Lewandowski's record start to a Bundesliga season, with 10 goals after only five matches?

Serhou Guirassy: "When you mention equaling Lewandowski, I realise what a great achievement it is. As you said, no one else has ever started a season like this, except for him. It's not easy and you're not going to manage it every season. It feels nice to say that I am following in the footsteps of Lewandowski. It motivates me to work even harder.”

bundesliga.com: How did you manage to spark such an explosion in your scoring form at the age of 27?

Guirassy: “There's no secret, really. I haven't changed much. We have a good coach, and a good team, and we all really trust one another - which is very important. Trust really matters in football, and that helps a lot.”

Watch: Lewandowski vs. Guirassy: Record starts compared

bundesliga.com: Ten goals this season is quite a selection already. Which one is your favourite?

Guirassy: “There were a lot of good goals so it's hard to choose. The first one against Mainz wasn't easy. I liked the one [vs. Darmstadt] and the first one against Freiburg. If I had to choose one though, it would be the first one against Mainz because it was a difficult game and the goal made the game easier for us.”

bundesliga.com: How many more goals can we expect from you this season?

Guirassy: "I don't have a number in mind. I'll take it one game at a time. I just need to be good on the pitch and the goals will come naturally. That will make me very happy.”

bundesliga.com: So you don't have an eye on Lewandowski's record of 41 goals in 2020/21?

Guirassy: “In football, everything is possible. Lewandowski is one of a kind though so this is not a personal goal of mine. This is not something I can focus on because it is almost impossible."

bundesliga.com: How are you feeling with all the praise coming your way after your amazing start to the season?

Guirassy: “In today's world, with social media, you can see everything. Sometimes I read it, but you need to remain calm. When you have a good performance, people praise you. You need to keep your feet on the ground and carry on with what you do.”

Watch: Guirassy: "I'm so happy about my goals"

About the players

9

Serhou Yadaly

Guirassy

Borussia Dortmund

Want more Bundesliga Action?

GET THE UPDATES!

bundesliga.com: How important has Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß been for your development?

Guirassy: "Very important. He's a coach who always finds the right words to motivate us. When we are praised, he helps us to keep our feet on the ground too. Not only me but the whole team. That is the coach's role. He's a very good tactician too. We're very glad to have him.”

bundesliga.com: Stuttgart have enjoyed a great start to the season in general. What can we expect from them over the rest of 2023/24?

Guirassy: "Everything is possible, as we have a great team. We have good staff and a great coach. The club is doing a great job. We don't have a particular goal. We just want to win as many games as we can, and we will see what happens. We will see at the end.”

bundesliga.com: There is talk of a new 'magic triangle' at Stuttgart between you, Chris Führich and Silas. What do you think of that?

Guirassy: "It's great to play with Silas and Chris because we now know each other very well. We've been playing together for a while now. We get to know each other better every day with every training session and every match. We know each other and we know exactly how each of us wants to get the ball.”

Serhou Guirassy (c.) celebrates with Enzo Millot (l.) and Chris Führich (r.) as VfB Stuttgart's new magische Dreieck starts to take shape. - Getty Images

bundesliga.com: Which strikers do you try to emulate?

Guirassy: "It has to be [Karim] Benzema, Lewandowski and Harry Kane. I watch Kane a lot. I like his style of play. He's good at everything. He can make his teammates play, he can score goals. Lewandowski is practically the same. He's a great football player, he can score goals, he can dribble, and he can pass. Benzema likewise - he can do everything."

bundesliga.com: Are you looking forward to facing Harry Kane and Bayern this season?

Guirassy: "I played against Harry Kane already actually when I was with Rennes. We played against each other in the UEFA Conference League, and we even exchanged jerseys. He is a very nice guy and it was a big pleasure for me to have his jersey because he's a great player.”

bundesliga.com: Your first Bundesliga club was Cologne. Why did you not quite manage to make a breakthrough there?

Guriassy: “I was young back then and I was injured a lot. I played a few games and I did get some goals, even in the Europa League. Football is like this, it's hard sometimes. You need to overcome those hard times and never give up.”

bundesliga.com: There was an unfortunate miss you had for Cologne against Werder Bremen in 2017. Did that affect you?

Guirassy: “Honestly, it did not affect me personally. It wasn't that terrible. People who know football can see that I was positioned a little too far ahead of the ball. That's why it came off my heel. That happens and I've seen greater players than me miss similar chances. I'm someone who puts things like that into perspective.”

bundesliga.com: You've had lots of congratulations from Guinea for your current scoring run. How does that makes you feel?

Guirassy: "Guinea loves football. It's great to see that people in my country are supporting us, not only me but all our players in Europe. We get great support and that's not something that you will see everywhere. I hope we can make them proud.” 

bundesliga.com: The African Cup of Nations is coming soon - in January - how do you rate Guinea's chances?

Guirassy: "It is going to be a hard-fought competition. There are some great African national teams out there. We're a great team though and we will give our best to win it.”

About the clubs

VfB Stuttgart

MHPArena