Schulz: "The perfect place to play football"

"A dream came true when I got my call-up for the German senior team. I've represented Germany in all age categories starting from the U15s and never lost sight of my goal, despite some difficult periods. If I reflect upon my current situation, it's already the kind of career I dreamt about as a small boy."

The full-back's own personal experiences have taught him to recognise the importance of allowing young footballers to make their own decisions. "I believe it's not the right approach to tell youngsters what they should and shouldn't eat. On the one hand, it damages your development if your club dictates everything to you and removes you from the decision-making process. On the other hand, it can create a feeling of pressure. The only thing that should matter for a young player is to have fun playing football."

There was, though, a phase in his early career when outside intervention was helpful. "I needed a little push myself when I turned professional in Berlin at the age of 17, 18. I wouldn't say I was arrogant back then, but I was out a lot and was enjoying life a little bit too much. I had a lot of free time and few sensible pursuits to fill it with. I'd only been a professional for a year and I already thought I'd done it all. I've changed in that respect." His recent experiences with the national team have only served to reinforce the importance of staying grounded in his mind. "We're playing in the Champions League here at Hoffenheim and yet we shouldn't be thinking we're the greatest or the best – because there are players out there who are on a whole different level. I see that clearly within the national team setup at the moment. You find yourself standing next to a player who is at Real Madrid and has won three successive Champions League titles. And even he's kept his feet on the ground. So when you see a 19-year-old thinking he's the bee's knees, then I feel bad about it. Because it means something's going wrong and it won't help him going forward."

"I don't define myself as a footballer"

Another way of thinking that has helped him along the way is to put football in its rightful place. "It's not the most important thing in my life. I don't define myself as a footballer. I'm also a private person and I don't like it when people only see me as a footballer. I have two small children who have absolutely no interest in the fact I'm a professional. Health and my family – they are things of far, far greater importance than being a footballer. I'm not a star. I'm here in Hoffenheim because I love playing football."

That's why the stardom that comes with being an international, when you see fans waiting outside the hotel for you, makes such a profound impression on him. "It's crazy. They wait for hours in five degrees to get a photo with you. But that's football. I was a fan of the players when I was young. This role reversal is nice, but it's also strange. You try to give something back in return and to take the time to fulfil as many wishes as possible. It's thanks to our fans and them alone that we get to do this job and ultimately earn our money. Perhaps there aren't many who'd admit it, but it makes me proud to be admired. To me, I'm just a completely normal person. And so that means it's nice to experience something like this."

But as 2018 − a very successful year in his career − draws to a close, Schulz acknowledges the importance of some of the more difficult moments in his past. "It was brutal the way it didn't work out in Gladbach. But the path I've since taken is a source of huge satisfaction that always reminds me that you always need to work hard and believe in yourself and you'll get your reward at some point down the line." In Hoffenheim, he has found his ideal environment. "Here you can just focus on football – without distractions. At the moment Hoffenheim is the perfect place to play football."