Gregor Kobel interview: “I play to win” | OneFootball

In the summer of 2021, the Swiss international 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 awaits the 28-year-old right at the start of the league season: his 200th Bundesliga match.

Gregor Kobel is a model of reliability and has become the face 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 about him: “He was doing fantastic work here even before I arrived. We have a great goalkeeper in our squad. He radiates calm and composure and saves what he has to save. And when 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 through quite a few stops in his career and has seen a lot. So a statement like that means a great deal 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 side 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. One year later, he won 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 until June 2028.

“It is an honor to be on the pitch for BVB. We have experienced many beautiful moments and many tough ones. I’m grateful for every day that I’m able to play 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 celebrated great success too. 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, with great memories attached. But there is still something missing that you can actually 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 things and a lot of good 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 that’s where I got to admire football, and then I wanted to be out there on the pitch with my classmates too. Later, when it came to choosing football and the goal of becoming a professional athlete was very clear, my father played a big role because he knew the professional game and was able to pass on a lot to me. I’m very grateful to my parents for everything they gave me.”

What can football professionals 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, which at the time I wasn’t really fully aware of. 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 brought me a lot – also for my sport.”

A historic summer

In Hoffenheim, the 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 demoted 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 only ended in the quarter-finals.

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

Which memories of the 2026 World Cup stand out most?“It was very special to be able to play in a tournament like that. You feel the scale and the power that 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 guys. They really did a good job. And yes, it was a great success that we were all able to celebrate together.”

The number one at BVB, the number one for the national team – at 28, have you arrived at what you dreamed of as a little boy?“Right now, in the day-to-day business, I’m far too close to it to think about things like that. 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 lies far in the future. When you play for Borussia Dortmund, sooner or later you want to win titles. You want to win every match. Whether it’s a training game, a friendly, or a league match.”

The 2025/26 season in numbers

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

What does this award mean to you?“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 on the side.”

“As long as the drive is there”

A hierarchy that had been firmly established for years – Manuel Neuer at the top, followed by the other established names – has now been completely reshuffled. 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 a few younger ones coming through too, delivering 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 produced incredible performances.”

How long do you want to play? 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 perform at the highest level. And I’m still relatively young for a goalkeeper. As long as the drive is there and the body holds up, you can certainly keep playing for quite some time 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 committed to continuing to work on myself, to being motivated, to having fun, to wanting to help the team.”

Some tactical approaches demand risky build-up play from the back and out of the penalty area. In your opinion, how much risk is acceptable?“It always depends on the circumstances. So you can’t answer it in general terms. How often does a move that starts at your own goal and is planned all the way through actually end at the opponent’s goal? That number is vanishingly small. That also has to be taken into account when weighing how much risk to take. You have to keep a certain variability in your game. Which opponent are you facing? What formation are they playing? How is your team doing at the moment? What phase of the game are you in? Is the opponent on top right now? There are a lot of things that come into it. How is your teammate doing today? How hard is he being pressed? You have to orient yourself by that and then make the right decision.”

You haven’t missed a game in almost two years now – coincidence or the result of preventive measures?“When the workload is that high, you get to know your body very well and know what to listen to and how to react best. I’ve adjusted quite a few things. This every-three-days rhythm demands more from you, especially all the travel. It’s no coincidence that I’m now in this long stretch where I’ve been able to play continuously. It takes a lot of commitment, a good team, but also a good balance and a certain looseness.”

“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.