“I want to be a leader”

Romano Schmid hadn’t expected to play such a big role in Ralf Rangnick’s plans for the tournament. “I didn’t play much in the qualifiers, so the fact that I started some games at EURO 2024 was amazing,” explained the 24-year-old. Austria were knocked out in the round of 16 by Turkey: “Our exit was really disappointing, but it was still a once-in-a-lifetime experience, from which I can take a number of positives and hopefully it will be something I can experience again.”

Schmid is now excited for the start of the new season after some time off and Werder’s number 20 is looking to build on 2023/24. “I picked up a lot of confidence during last season,” revealed the Austrian. “Even if I wasn’t having the best of games, I still wanted the ball and tried to take on responsibility. My time at the EUROs has helped me do that even more.”

The versatile Austrian wants to continue improving both as a footballer and a person. “I want to keep developing and become a leader,” said Schmid. “That means that I will try to be vocal out on the pitch. I’m already somebody that does that a lot, but I need to take on responsibility in other ways too.”

Time for Romano Schmid and Marco Grüll to take their fitness test! ????‍♂️????#werderpic.twitter.com/wFtUeTZZC8
— SV Werder Bremen EN (@werderbremen_en) July 29, 2024