- Marcus Ingvartsen in Sports-Illustrated Interview
- Mainz striker signs new contract until 2025
- Ingvartsen: “Cristiano Ronaldo is a role model for me”
Sports Illustrated: Congratulations on the new contract in Mainz. What are your goals with the club for the coming Bundesliga season?
Marcus Ingvartsen: I’m very happy to have signed a three-year contract in Mainz. I’m looking forward to my future in Mainz, where I had good experiences last season. After my loan from Union Berlin, it was my goal from the start to play as a striker in Mainz. I did have a few ups and downs due to my injury. But the preparation is going really well. I’m looking forward to the coming season and am optimistic about the future.
Sports Illustrated: Why didn’t you stay with Union Berlin?
Ingvartsen: I came to Union Berlin in 2019. I’ve always felt very comfortable there, but I see myself as a striker and I could only play as a midfielder at Union. After two years in Berlin I was looking for a club where I could play up front. I’ve been in Mainz since 2021 and can live it up as a striker. That’s where I have my greatest strengths. In this position, I also have hopes of playing for the Danish national team.
Sports Illustrated: What role does coach Bo Svensson, who is also from Denmark, play for you?
Ingvartsen: Before I came to Mainz, we had a long conversation. Bo Svensson told me that he sees me as a striker and would like to incorporate me into his playing system. I was very happy about that and decided to go with Mainz.
Sports Illustrated: What makes him special as a coach?
Ingvartsen: Bo Svensson became head coach at Mainz when the club had sporting problems. He stabilized the club and did a great job. This is fantastic. He is very organized. Tactics are extremely important to him, that the gameplay works perfectly. We try to implement his guidelines in terms of the pace of the game. With this we try to stress the opponents. We score the goals up front and the defense is solid at the back.
Sports Illustrated: Last season you scored six goals in 26 Bundesliga games. What distinguishes a very good striker from a good striker?
Ingvartsen: Last season I had some injury problems. The most important thing for a player is to get into his rhythm. I don’t need many chances to score goals. I have the necessary self-confidence and the necessary technology for this. But of course I have to keep working on myself. Above all, the pace in the game is important, so I’m trying to improve. When you have all of that and you defend backwards, it makes the difference between a good striker and a very good one.
Sports Illustrated: You are considered a model professional who is extremely professionally trained and in top form. What special exercises do you do with your coach from your youth?
Ingvartsen: This week we have time to occupy ourselves. I flew back to Denmark and am preparing at home. Here I do fitness training with my youth coach. We are working on my condition and my physique. When I come back to Mainz, I want to start team training in top shape. I can already say that I feel very good. I eat healthy and get inspiration from other top athletes.
Sports Illustrated: How close are you to Cristiano Ronaldo’s perfect body?
Ingvartsen: (laughs…) Cristiano Ronaldo is a big role model for me. It’s interesting to follow how he trained and sculpted his incredible physique. You have to take your hat off to him, considering he’s already 37 years old. That’s incredible. I remember when he came to Manchester United he brought his own physiotherapist. Ronaldo tried a lot of new things back then, which a lot of other big stars at Man United didn’t do back then. He was definitely a pioneer when it came to things like training and nutrition. Ronaldo is a player who inspires me.
Sports Illustrated: Almost every Bundesliga player is also an influencer. Do you use social media to inspire younger players?
Ingvartsen: Yes, I would like to do that. I think it’s great to inspire young people for football and training. With social media you are close to your followers. I want to dedicate myself more to these things. I had a nice experience at the first team training session with Mainz before this season. After training we gave autographs to the kids and the fans. A fan came up to me and told me that my training had inspired him to work even more motivated and focused.
Sports Illustrated: What role does mental toughness play in professional football?
Ingvartsen: Mentality and attitude play an increasingly important role. Then there is the physique, because in recent years there have been more and more games. You have to deal with this mentally, just like the pressure from the media. In addition, there are sponsors who involve you more and more. That’s why I think mental toughness is key to cope with anything. I’ve always been interested in this topic and I’ve tried to educate myself in this area and pass on my knowledge to teammates or younger players.
Sports Illustrated: As a footballer, do you always have to be a speaker, or can you make a difference if you take it easy?
Ingvartsen: It all depends on your personality and attitude. I’m not a speaker in the dressing room or on the pitch. But with my attitude and the way I do things, I think I can impress people around me. That’s the way I go. As a leader or influencer in the team, I can do different things better and contribute my qualities.
Sports Illustrated: The 2022 World Cup will take place in Qatar. Are you hoping to take part?
Ingvartsen: That’s my big goal. This year the World Cup will take place in winter. That’s why I have to make sure that I get into my game rhythm quickly and that the coach nominates me. I try to play as many minutes as possible before the World Cup starts. My full focus is on Mainz, where I want to perform and score goals. I look forward to this challenge. There is not much time left until the start of the World Cup.
Sports Illustrated: You and your wife are expecting a child when the Bundesliga starts. How excited are you?
Ingvartsen: We are very much looking forward to the birth of our son. The due date will be early August. This is going to be exciting. We can hardly wait. The birth of our child will change many things – including my everyday world as a footballer. The anticipation is huge.
More sports news:
The demand for tickets for the NFL game on November 13 in the Munich Allianz Arena between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahwaks is gigantic. On Tuesday, two minutes after the start of sales, all NFL premium tickets were gone.
The women’s European Football Championship will take place in England from July 6th to July 31st, 2022. The opening game will be played by hosts England and Austria. The German national team meets Spain, Denmark and Finland in Group B.
Basketball drama Hustle is going through the roof on Netflix. The film with Adam Sandler and many current and former basketball stars from the NBA is number one in the German Netflix charts. Dirk Nowitzki can also be seen in the film.
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