Oliver Baumann: "I'm not done yet"

Goalkeeper Oliver Baumann has been a TSG Hoffenheim player since the summer of 2014 and is already in his ninth season in the Kraichgau. But the vice-captain is not thinking about quitting just yet. "I haven't currently set myself a limit. Perhaps I'll still be playing at 38 or 39. Or maybe I'll say I'll sit on the bench for another two years, teach the young players a thing or two, and bring them up to speed. But as it stands, I'm still far too ambitious to think about not playing anymore," said Baumann in an interview with club magazine SPIELFELD. "I have goals; I want to play international football with TSG again and make an appearance for my country. So there are no concrete thoughts about ending my career yet. Let's put it this way: I'm not done yet."

The 32-year-old helped Hoffenheim make a good start to the season this term, but the results in the run-up to the Bundesliga break were not as hoped for and TSG dropped off slightly. "We have set ourselves on the right path and have improved many things under André Breitenreiter this season; the footballing development has always been discernible. Things are moving in the right direction. But we've dropped too many points recently. We need to take the next steps, become even clearer and make the dominance that we had in all our matches count better," Baumann said.

With the final round of Bundesliga matches played, the TSG goalkeeper will now enjoy a break before the turn of the year that he would have preferred to do without. Baumann, who has previously been called up by the German national team several times, hoped right until the end to go to the World Cup. But the dream of an international debut remains. "That's a big dream for me that is yet to come true. We have so many good goalkeepers in Germany, it's a tough one. Even Marc-André ter Stegen, one of the best keepers in the world, is only on the bench and can't get past Manuel Neuer. That's the way it is. That's obviously great for the country but not always for us goalkeepers. But I'm delighted every time Hansi calls me. If I can help the national team, I'm always happy to be involved," said Baumann.

Also featuring in the December issue, which spans over 100 pages: exclusive insights into the dream football trip TSG female youth players Mara Alber, Mathilde Janzen and Marie Steiner have made to the U17 World Cup in India, the start of the NUSSBAUM Coaching School and a profile of the TSG eSports division. Ozan Kabak answers questions without uttering a single word in the "No Comment" section, while Angeliño explains the meaning of his tattoos.