Vestergaard: “Working hard on my game“

Isa Dogan asks: Where did you begin playing football?

Jannik: I first played for Vestia Copenhagen, a very small club in the centre of the city. I spent a year there before moving to FC Copenhagen. Then I signed for Brondby and finally made my way here to Hoffenheim.

Charlien Leuenberger: Why do you wear the number 29?

It never really had any special meaning for me before. But that has changed since I have begun wearing it, mainly because it's my first proper squad number at a Bundesliga club.

Julius Joseph: How did it feel to score your first Bundesliga goal?

It was an amazing feeling, and one I'll never forget. I was just so happy and wanted to shout out at the top of my voice. Utterly indescribable.

Benjamin Daeter and Niklas Bollessen: With which player do you spend the most time?

I suppose I have the most contact with Dominik Kaiser, Matthias Jaissle, Andreas Beck and Sebastian Rudy. We all spend a lot of time together.

Sven Trabold and Klaus Vetter: Which players are your role models?

When I was younger, it was always Raul and Zinedine Zidane. They are players who are out of the ordinary, and they both played for Real Madrid, my favourite team. These days I don't really have any role models to be honest. But I try to learn a lot and you can do that by watching the best. I tend to watch a lot of Rio Ferdinand, Sergio Ramos and guys like that.

Christopher Heß: Why do you play as a central defender and not as a striker anymore?

That's a good question. Perhaps I wasn't good enough as a striker, or didn't score enough goals. One of my youth team coaches tried me out in defence, presumably because I had seemed to fit that position due to my height and strength in the air. It's hard to answer a question like that outright, but I can say for sure that I do feel at home in defence.

Denis Lasonczyk: What goals do you have for next season?

My personal goal is of course to play more games and perform consistently, and that means I have to continue to work hard on my game. Our goal for the team is clear: to compete with the sides at the top of the league and entertain our fans with some attractive football.