“Less talk, more action” | OneFootball

Nnamdi Collins on the 2025/26 season, valuable new experiences, the national team, the DFB Cup and the timing of his return from injury.

Nnamdi, it’s almost a year to the day since you told us in an interview that “the path to becoming a professional is a marathon, not a sprint”. To what extent does that apply to last season – both personally and as a team? “As a team, we certainly haven’t had an easy season, with plenty of ups and downs. That’s why it’s pretty apt, because we’ve fallen short of our goals this season and won’t be playing in Europe next term. However, we’re capable of doing much better in 2026/27 – and we want to too. We’ll put all our energy into focusing even more on the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup. From now on, there needs to be less talk and more action.”

With no European involvement next season, does the DFB Cup become even more important?“It does, 100 percent! For one, it’s a competition that holds a special place in Frankfurt. For another, very few players in the current squad have won the cup – myself included. We’re all really motivated. Particularly as we’re only playing every weekend now, we need to fight with all we have to ensure we come out on top in knockout matches. Who doesn’t want to get their hands on a trophy someday? That said, our primary focus should be on the Bundesliga.”

Your season can be split into two parts – you were a permanent fixture in the starting XI before your injury. Would you say you’ve established yourself at the highest level?“From a personal perspective, it’s also been a season of ups and downs. Overall, I can take a lot of positives from it because it was a steep learning curve. I witnessed a lot of new things, met new people and experienced new situations. I think I played well in a lot of games, but then I was unfortunate to injure myself, which is why I wasn’t able to help out in the final seven games. I want to emerge even stronger from this and am looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Can you name one or two experiences that were particularly valuable?“To put things in perspective, I need to look back at my first season as a professional. Back then, everything was a bit like a fairy tale. I’d established myself in the top flight, was playing regularly and rarely felt frustrated. The second season was a bit of a reality check for me. Professional football, after all, is a day-to-day business and isn’t always smooth sailing. A lot of things were raining down on the squad, perceptions and expectations had shifted after our third-place finish the previous season – and that applied to me too, ultimately. I was no longer the newcomer who had appeared out of nowhere, but… 

… a full Germany international, since last autumn.“Exactly. At the time, my [international] debut was the best day of my footballing career, and a dream come true. In the end, though, it was overshadowed by feelings of frustration and the media coverage that followed. At 21, I was experiencing a backlash for the first time – albeit after a poor performance. I’m self-aware enough to know I can do much better, but it was pretty intense. As I said, though, you learn from it. Nobody cares how old you are, where you were playing two years ago, whether you’re the sole culprit or whether the whole team performed below par. I thought a lot about it in the immediate aftermath and needed a moment to compose myself. I’m over it now, though. If something like that were to happen to me again, I’d think: Not a problem, I’ll do better next time.”

Away from the Bundesliga, you also appeared in the Champions League for the first time – as did many of your team-mates. Is the overriding emotion one of pride at having taken part, or frustration at your overall performance? “The Champions League itself was an incredible experience, starting with that 5-1 win against Galatasaray – one of Türkiye’s biggest clubs who went on to reach the last 16. The fact that we only managed to pick up one more point after that statement victory is disappointing and typical of our season, in a way. That said, I’m proud to have gained that experience and played so many matches on the European stage. I won’t forget the game against Gala or the 0-0 draw in Naples anytime soon.”

You suffered an ankle injury at the end of March. How’s your recovery going?“I recently finished my rehab, so I’ll be raring to go after the summer break. It was a long process, but there were no unpleasant surprises. I was given excellent advice from the start, and it was clear that a return before the end of the season was unrealistic. As such, I didn’t put myself under undue pressure, but worked hard to return in peak condition.”

When will we see you back on the pitch?“Right now, I’d say that I’m 90-95 percent fit. If the season had lasted a week longer, I’d have been able to return to light training. That’s why I’m confident I’ll be ready to go again when we return to training.”