Grischa Prömel couldn’t stop grinning at his first official photoshoot as a VfB Stuttgart player. “That fits nicely, given where I was born,” said the midfielder after spotting a t-shirt with the word ‘Cannstatt’ on it. In his first interview with VfB, the 31-year-old discusses the reasons behind his move to his hometown club.
Hello Grischa, a warm welcome to the Cannstatt club! What persuaded you to join VfB?
Grischa: “The desire to one day join VfB is actually one I’ve had for quite some time. I was born in Cannstatt, grew up in Esslingen and have always followed VfB over the years. My family and a lot of my friends are big VfB fans. In a way, it’s a dream come true for me and I’m excited to be wearing the hoop around the chest from next season onwards. From a footballing perspective, it’s also a wonderful time to be joining VfB.”
What do you mean by that?
Grischa: “VfB have built incredible momentum in recent years – I’ve witnessed that first-hand in the Bundesliga. Seeing how the club has developed and where it is now is impressive. The team coped brilliantly with the demands of playing in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and Europa League in the season just gone, and it feels great to become a part of that journey now. Being able to play for VfB in Europe is obviously special for me too.”
What do you remember most from supporting VfB as a child?
Grischa: “The first Bundesliga game I went to as a kid was at VfB. The MHP Arena was still known as the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion at the time. They also won the 2007 title during that period, so I followed that too. One particularly memorable experience was visiting the stadium again a few months later for the Champions League home game against Rangers. I was 12 years old, VfB won 3-2 and they scored the winning goal just before the end. The whole atmosphere left a big impression on me.”
Do you know any of the current VfB players, and have you played with any of them?
Grischa: “Yes, I played with Angelo Stiller at Hoffenheim. I also spent a lot of time with ‘Fabi’ [Fabian Bredlow] at youth international level – we were both born in 1995. Other than that, I know a lot of the lads from playing against them in the Bundesliga over the years.”
