After spells in Benrath and Düsseldorf, Nnamdi Collins has played for BVB since U13 level. For the second straight year, he finds himself in the final of the U19 German Championship. The Black & Yellow captain sat down for an interview ahead of the big game. 

You’ve been at BVB since the U13s and are now captain of the U19s. How would you sum up your time at the club until now? 
”BVB wanted to recruit me from U12 onward, and for two years I lived in Düsseldorf and always got a lift to training and matches. As I was spending so much time on the motorway, I ended up moving to live with a host family in Brackel. I’ve not been at the club for almost seven years and have had a lot of really good experiences here at BVB. With the U15s, for example, we reached the cup final one year. It was the first time I got to play on the pitch at the youth stadium, that was a great experience. Then Covid happened, and now I’m getting ready to play my second German Championship final.”

What is your mood going into this second final? You always seem very relaxed.
”Last year I was jittering the whole week. Everything was new, a huge match, lots of fans, a previous defeat in the cup final. This year I’m far more relaxed. Obviously I’m excited and looking forward to it. But there’s no burden, as we’ve had such a good season. I’m confident that we’ll be able to show that again in this game.”

You’re probably going to be playing in front of a pretty full stadium in Mainz. This will be something new and special for most of the boys. You’ve already played a few games in the 3. Liga this season, so you know the feeling a bit better. What is so special about it?
”I think it motivates you even more when you’re the away team. When the opposition fans are making a lot of noise, singing against you, and then you go and score a goal or win the game – it’s completely different to most youth matches and it’s really cool.

This year, it’s mainly been a sense of togetherness – as the coach says also said – that’s been driving you forward as opposed to outstanding players on the offensive side. What is the difference compared to last season?
”We have great players who can beat their man this season too, but last year, with boys like Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Bradley Fink, we were unbelievably good going forward. This year, the strengths of this age group lie on the defensive side, and we’re defined more by our abilities to keep out everything our opponents throw at us.”

What message do you have for the BVB fans? 
”We will be happy to see every fan who comes to support us in Mainz. Every voice in the away end helps us.”

Away tickets are available via the Mainz 05 Online-Ticketshop. Fans from Dortmund have access to blocks I (seating, normal price €10, reduced price €5) and J (standing room, normal price €5, no reductions).