‘Win titles sooner or later’: BVB keeper Kobel starts trophy hunt | OneFootball

He’s not thinking about calling it quits anytime soon. “I’m still relatively young for a goalkeeper,” says Gregor Kobel. Compared with Manuel Neuer, who is now 40, the Borussia Dortmund shot-stopper is almost still a youngster. After all, he is only 28 years old.

“As long as the drive is there and your body holds up, you can definitely keep playing for quite a while as a goalkeeper,” Kobel says in an interview with the club. The Swiss international is convinced that “the goalkeeper years from 28 to 34” are the best.

The BVB keeper had already been delivering consistently in previous seasons. In its winter rankings for 2022/23, kicker listed Kobel as the Bundesliga’s number one for the first time. The specialist magazine then named the Zurich native the top goalkeeper in the top flight five more times.

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

Kobel has been wearing the Borussia Dortmund shirt since 2021. His contract runs until 2028. He is regularly linked with other clubs. But one fact remains: the goalkeeper is still there. He is as ambitious as on day one. “When you play for Borussia Dortmund, sooner or later you want to win titles,” he sets himself lofty goals.

Despite all his quality, his trophy cabinet is still rather bare. In the 2013/14 season, Kobel won the Swiss championship with Grasshopper Zurich’s U18 team. But since then, he has come away empty-handed.

Top performances at the World Cup too

At the FIFA World Cup, the Dortmund keeper reached the quarter-finals with Switzerland. Their run ended there against Argentina after extra time (1–3). Even so, the positive experiences outweigh everything else. “You can feel the magnitude and the power that a tournament like that carries,” says the 27-cap international. “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.”

Photo: Getty Images

FIFA also praised Kobel’s performances at the World Cup. “The Swiss goalkeeper impressed with strong saves and calm build-up play,” world football’s governing body said of the BVB pro. It added: “With 11 saves from 13 shots on target, 25 goals prevented and 93 successful passes, Kobel was one of the key figures” in the Swiss team.

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