Gregor Kobel in interview: „I play to win“ | OneFootball

In the summer of 2021, the Swiss player joined BVB. Only Emre Can has been at the club longer – since January 2020. Kobel has made 217 competitive appearances in black and yellow. A milestone is waiting right at the start of the league campaign for the 28-year-old: his 200th Bundesliga match.

Gregor Kobel is a guarantee of reliability and has become one of the faces of the team. In 2025/26, he was the Bundesliga’s best goalkeeper; in four of the last five seasons, he was named the league’s top keeper.

Niko Kovac says of him: “He did fantastic work here even before I arrived. We have a great goalkeeper in our ranks. He radiates calm and composure and saves what he has to save. And if it takes a superhuman stop, he is capable of that too.”

Is a sentence like that confirmation of years of hard work?“It’s very nice to hear something like that, especially from your own coach. He has also been around a lot and seen a great deal. So a statement like that means a lot to me.”

From Zurich to Dortmund

The son of a former top-flight professional ice hockey player was born in Zurich on St. Nicholas Day in 1997 and developed at Grasshopper Club. In 2014, at the age of 16, he moved to the youth academy of TSG Hoffenheim. After his first appearances for the senior team under coach Julian Nagelsmann, he was loaned to FC Augsburg in January 2019, where he played 16 of a possible 17 matches in the second half of the season. In the summer of 2019, he joined then-second-division side VfB Stuttgart. A year later, he earned promotion to the Bundesliga with the club. Since 2021, the 1.96-meter athlete has been under contract with Borussia Dortmund; his deal has already been extended early through June 2028.

“It is an honor to be on the pitch for BVB. We’ve experienced many great moments and many tough ones. I’m grateful for every day I’m allowed to do my sport.”

At what age did you first become aware of BVB?“Early, very early. We had quite a few Swiss guys here who played very well and also enjoyed great success. Whether it was Stéphane Chapuisat, Alex Frei, or Philipp Degen, who is my advisor today.”

“Let’s see what we can achieve”

You reached the Champions League final with BVB and played in the Club World Cup, which brought great memories. But there is still something missing that you can hold in your hands ...“As an ambitious athlete, you always play to win trophies as well. Unfortunately, we haven’t managed that, even though we came very close in the league in 2023 and in the Champions League in 2024. But I still think we’ve experienced a lot of beautiful and very positive things so far. And I still have two years left on my contract here. Let’s see what we can achieve.”

What influence did your parents have on your career? You also read that you could have been a good ice hockey player. And that you got into football when your mother was taking tennis lessons ...“Next to my mom’s tennis club was the football pitch – and there I got to admire football and then wanted to be out there on the pitch with my classmates too. Later, when it came to deciding on football and the goal of becoming a professional athlete became very clear, my father played a big role because he knew the professional business and was able to pass a lot on to me. I’m very grateful to my parents for everything they gave me.”

What can professional footballers learn from athletes in other sports?“You can take something from most sports: the mindset, the work, the whole effort you have to put in. I like being inspired by other athletes and other sports.”

You left home at 16, from Zurich to Hoffenheim. What was that like?“Looking back, it was a very, very big step, though at the time I wasn’t really fully aware of just how big it was. Today I say: it was great for me to live alone, to be responsible for myself, to manage my own money. Growing up like that gave me a lot – also for my sport.”

A historic summer

In Hoffenheim, young Gregor Kobel had the experienced Oliver Baumann ahead of him – and in him, an outstanding mentor. Twelve years later, their paths almost crossed again. While the German Baumann was dropped shortly before the World Cup (and proved to be an exceptional team player), Kobel and the Swiss made the World Cup their tournament. Their dream ended only in the quarter-finals.

Numerous saves by Gregor Kobel over the 120 minutes against Colombia and a saved shot in the penalty shootout took the Swiss into the last eight teams in the world. For the first time since 1954, Switzerland reached a World Cup quarter-final. Seventy-two years later, Kobel followed in the footsteps of legendary Swiss national team goalkeeper Eugène Parlier.

What memories of the 2026 World Cup stand out the most?“It was very special to be able to play in a tournament like that. You feel the significance and the power such a tournament carries. And then playing the knockout matches in different cities was a great experience for me, and I’m very happy that I was able to help my team. I’m very proud of the boys. They really did a good job. And yes, it was a great success that we could all celebrate together.”

BVB’s number one, the national team’s number one – at 28, have you reached what you dreamed of as a little boy?“Right now, in day-to-day business, I’m far too close to it to think in those terms. I want to be successful, I want to be successful with Borussia Dortmund. We have a lot planned this year; we have many new players whom we need to support and introduce to Borussia Dortmund. So I’m really looking forward to the tasks ahead – and everything else is far off in the future. When you play for Borussia Dortmund, sooner or later you want to win titles. You want to win every game. Whether it’s a training match, a friendly, or a league game.”

The 2025/26 season in numbers

For kicker, Kobel was the league’s best goalkeeper in 2025/26 and ranked number one in the “Ranking of German Football.” Kobel ahead of Atubolu (Freiburg), Heuer Fernandes (HSV), Urbig (Munich), Backhaus (Bremen, now Freiburg), and Nicolas (Gladbach).

“It’s very nice for anyone to receive recognition for hard work, for everything they have invested and achieved. First and foremost, I try to play my game and help the team be successful. Everything else comes a little bit on the side.”

“As long as the drive is there”

A hierarchy that had been firmly established for years – Manuel Neuer at the very top, followed by the other established names – has been completely shaken up. How do you see that?“For a very long time, I was one of the youngest goalkeepers in the league, almost unusually long. Now it’s nice to see that a few younger ones are coming through as well, putting in good performances and showing what they can do. It’s also important for Germany that some very good goalkeepers are coming through. Manu (Manuel Neuer, editor’s note) was Germany’s goalkeeper for years. He delivered incredible performances.”

How long do you want to keep playing? Neuer is still going at 40.“It’s wonderful when you can do your sport as your profession. Then it’s worth enjoying it as long as possible, as long as you can still truly deliver top performances. And I’m still relatively young for a goalkeeper. As long as the drive is there and the body keeps up, you can certainly play for quite a while as a goalkeeper.”

Has the best phase of your career just begun?“If you compare with others, you can say that the best years for goalkeepers are from 28 to 34. I’m still very focused on continuing to work on myself, being motivated, enjoying it, and wanting to help the team.”

Some tactical instructions call for teams to play risky build-up football out of their own penalty area. In your opinion, how risky is too risky?“It always depends on the circumstances. So you can’t answer it in general terms. How often does a move planned from your own goal actually end at the opponent’s goal? That number is vanishingly small. That also has to be included when weighing how much risk to take. You have to keep a certain degree of variation in your game. Which opponent are you playing against? What formation are they using? What shape is your team in at the moment? What phase of the game are you in? Is the opponent on top right now? There are many things that come into it. How is your teammate doing today? How hard is he being pressed? You have to use that as your guide and then make the right decision.”

You haven’t missed a game in almost two years now – coincidence or the result of preventive measures?“At such a high workload, you get to know your body very well and know what to listen to and how to react in the best way. I’ve adjusted quite a few things. This every-three-days rhythm demands more of you, especially with all the travelling. It’s no coincidence that I’m now in this long spell where I can keep playing. It takes a lot of commitment, a good team, but also good balance and a certain lightness.”

“At home too, I play to win”

The 28-year-old lives a little outside Dortmund with his fiancée and their one-year-old daughter. At home, he can switch off. Reading books, preferably biographies.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.