"You need to have a dream": BVB star Anton makes honest admission | OneFootball

He is the constant in Borussia Dortmund’s defense. If Waldemar Anton is fit, he’s on the pitch. Sometimes, the 29-year-old center-back even acts as a goal scorer—as he did recently in the 3-2 win against 1. FC Heidenheim.

This season, Anton has made 28 appearances. Only twice did he not play the full 90 minutes. The 1.89-meter-tall defender has found the back of the net three times in total.

Anton was born in Uzbekistan as the son of Russian-German parents. At the age of two, he moved with his parents to Hanover. At first, he spoke hardly a word of German, but later he successfully completed his high school diploma. His advanced courses: mathematics and biology.

“You have to have a dream, and you have to believe in it. That’s always something you can hold on to when things aren’t going so well,” Anton recalls in a club interview. To “achieve what you set out to do,” you have to “give it your all, of course,” says the BVB pro. He also adds that it helps to listen to your parents.

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His commitment led Anton all the way to the German national team. In March 2024, he made his debut—still wearing the VfB Stuttgart jersey at the time—for the DFB squad. Eleven more appearances followed.

Whether in the center or on the right, Anton has already played both positions in Dortmund’s defense. “I really like both positions, but if I could choose, it would be central,” says the 29-year-old. “Because from that position, you can control even more, talk more with the guys. That’s very, very important in many situations during the game. Above all, you can communicate with both defensive midfielders and not just one—if that’s even possible.” However, the atmosphere in the stadium sometimes makes communication with the midfielders in front of him more difficult.

With a tackle success rate of 59.31 percent, he is number one within the team. But what many often don’t see: Anton is also quick on his feet. With a top speed of 32.86 km/h, he’s not as fast as Karim Adeyemi (24) with 35.78 km/h, but: “As a center-back, you’re in a different position. If you’re not necessarily starting from the same line, then as a center-back you have the advantage because you can anticipate where you need to be, how to run to the ball.”

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