Mika Biereth: "I want to continue the legacy of the attackers who have played here" | OneFootball

Having arrived this Saturday from Sturm Graz, the new AS Monaco striker was presented at a press conference on the eve of the trip to Reims (8:45 p.m.), to discuss his integration and his ambitions.

He has just strengthened the squad. Having arrived Saturday in the Principality from Sturm Graz, where he has scored 14 goals since the start of the season, Mika Biereth has already walked the grounds of the Performance Center, before perhaps making his big debut tomorrow, during the Round of 32 of the Coupe de France against Reims (8:45 p.m.). The new Rouge et Blanc striker was in any case presented to the media this Monday, alongside the Club’s General Manager, Thiago Scuro. 🎙️

I think Mika's profile fits perfectly with the style of play we are implementing. We were already following him before, although this summer's friendly against Sturm Graz helped to catch our attention. Scoring goals is really something natural for him, and he has shown that he is a decisive striker, which is very important.

His choice to join AS Monaco

I think my career at Graz was good and it was time for me to take a new step. AS Monaco has great ambitions, and as soon as I heard about the Club’s interest in me, I immediately wanted to come and that was all I had in mind! I want to continue the legacy of the strikers who have played here.

The best moment of his career

During my time in Austria, I won the league and cup double with Sturm Graz! These were my first trophies as a professional footballer, so it was really special for me. I think for many reasons football is made to win.

I learned a lot about myself throughout my loans, there were ups and downs, I realized how difficult football can be for a 19-year-old when I didn’t play much at my first club (RKC Waalwijk, editor’s note).

He has sense for his shots, knows how to position himself and always has the will to find the net. Mika also does a great job for the team outside the box, and fits perfectly with our style of play, which is similar to the one he experienced in Graz. We are therefore very happy that he is joining us.

His style of play

I consider myself an “old school” striker, I love scoring goals and finding the right position to be decisive. Even if I think you haven’t seen “crazy” goals in my highlights on YouTube (smile). I try to be as consistent as possible, a goal is a goal, and that’s the most important thing.

The striker who inspires me and resembles me the most? I would say Erling Haaland for whom I have great respect. He manages to focus on his positioning in the box and not only when he has the ball. When I was younger, I was a fan of Didier Drogba because of the intensity he put in physically, he stood out from the other strikers.

His origins

I was born in London but I’ve chosen to represent Denmark. I have a German-Danish father and a Bosnian mother so I am a mix of four different countries. I understand German and I can speak it even if I use English more fluently. I have a very good level in Danish but the Bosnian language is very difficult to speak (laughs).

On his training

I was only at Chelsea for eight weeks, I was really young and I was playing all over the place, even as a right-back. I wanted to be in attack so I joined Fulham at U15 level. I played there for five years before joining Arsenal.

For some young players, development comes through loan spells. When I was at the Gunners, I was young and I had struggled to learn on my first loan in Holland, before finding my way in Scotland and Austria. I wanted to build my career step by step and give it meaning  Signing with AS Monaco is really special for me.

His loan to Scotland

I was really happy with my time in Scotland, it’s a very different culture. I was 19 on my second loan spell and I really wanted to play. I met some really good people there and scored a few goals and made a few assists. After six months I got the opportunity to join Sturm Graz and I felt more and more comfortable in my role as a footballer.

The most important thing will be to integrate him into the team. There will inevitably be a period of adaptation to Ligue 1, which is a new league for him, even if he has already had the opportunity to face Lille three times (twice in the Europa Conference League and once in the Champions League, editor's note).

His relationship with Folarin Balogun

It’s good to see Balo again, he welcomed me to the Club! We played together in the Arsenal U21s, so we know each other well. Now that we are together, we can learn from each other’s experiences.

About his development

I am a young player of 21 years old, I still have to develop. I always want to win the matches I play, it is part of my personality and my game! I adopt this mentality on the field but also off it, I can improve on my individual game and on the advice of the technical staff.

AS Monaco is a big club so places in the first team are hard to come by, but the hierarchy can change at any time. When you are a striker, you have to score as many goals as possible and this competitiveness in this position within the Club is good. So my decision was also made on this aspect.

The friendly against AS Monaco

Playing  against AS Monaco in the preseason was a good experience for Sturm Graz. We were able to see the level of AS Monaco, which is a very good team, but I especially wanted to win and score goals, and that’s what I did on a penalty. My first impressions were good, I saw an impressive team in the way they played, I was able to talk to the players at the end of the match and I saw their human side. That was one of the reasons that pushed me to come here.