WERDER.DE: Moin Rafa! When you first arrived in Bremen, you said that you wanted to have your wife and daughter here as well to help support you. Has your family since been able to join you?
Rafael Borré: My family have since joined me in Bremen. I’m really happy, especially considering that I became a father for the second time during this time as well. Now, I have two little girls. Having them all with me is a great source of support. It’s fantastic to be able to spend so much time with my children, because it’s something that brings me a lot of happiness and joy.
WERDER.DE: What was it like for you to be separated from your family when you were away on international duty over the last months?
Rafael Borré: On the one hand, it’s not easy because I miss my family a lot. I wish they could always be near me, so that I could also help support my wife more. On the other hand, these trips are extremely important to me because I’m very proud to be part of the national team. That’s why I always want to play these games.
WERDER.DE: How do you manage the physical and mental strain that comes with undertaking such long trips, which can be very draining and often cause you to miss the preparations for our league games?
Rafael Borré: It’s definitely a challenge, because I can only be in one place at a time and therefore miss out on what’s happening elsewhere. When I’m away on international duty, then I’m missing out on the team’s daily routine in the Bundesliga. During that time, it’s important that I stay in touch with the coach and to stay up to date on what’s been planned and what’s been done. This then allows me to integrate myself back into team quickly once I’m back and know what I have to do.
WERDER.DE: You mentioned the day-to-day routine in the Bundesliga. How do you manage to get back into it after having travelled so far?
Rafael Borré: The hardest thing is getting enough sleep. Colombia are seven hours behind, so I have to really plan out my sleep schedule when I’m back here. When I manage that and am back in the right rhythm, then I make sure to take with the coach and my teammates. In our final training session, I then try to get up to speed on everything that I missed previously.
WERDER.DE: When you say ‘plan out’ your sleep schedule, what do you mean?
Rafael Borré: I look at what time of day it is. When it’s 22:00 CET here in Germany, that means it’s the early afternoon in Colombia. I might be tired then, but I won’t sleep yet. When I return here, then it’s the other way round. I always make sure that I’m ready to sleep once nighttime comes around where I am.
WERDER.DE: After you arrived in Bremen to sign your contract, you had to leave immediately to join up with the national team. You then had international duty in October and November again. How did that affect your being able to settle in with the team and in the city?
Rafael Borré: Not being in Bremen was tricky at the start because I didn’t have time to get to know the city or my teammates. I would have rather wanted to spend more time with my colleagues at the starrt, to help me settle in and get to know everyone better. I missed out on a chance to do that. I was very happy as soon as I was back and able to catch up on what I’d missed out on. Having my family here in Bremen now too has also really helped.
WERDER.DE: When did you feel like you’d really settled in with the team?
Rafael Borré: If I have to pick a specific moment, then I’d have to say the game against Köln. That’s when I felt like I’d really arrived, had gotten to know everyone and had a good feel for how the team plays.
WERDER.DE: You scored your first goal for Werder in that game against Köln, and then netted another one against your parent club, Frankfurt. What did it feel like in that moment when you saw the ball hit the back of the net?
Rafael Borré: Mixed feelings for sure. On the one hand, it was great to get a goal for Werder. It was an important goal, and we really needed it. On the other hand, Frankfurt are where I joined from. I learned a lot there. That’s why it was a very emotional goal.
WERDER.DE: By now, your teammates have gotten to know you and know all about your strengths, especially in front of goal. How well can you guys communicate now, after you’d previously spoken about there being a slight language barrier?
Rafael Borré: I’m learning German. I’ve been able to improve since arriving here in Bremen. Our coach communicates solely in German, but I speak English with my teammates. Leonardo Bittencourt also speaks Portuguese and a bit of Spanish, so it’s easier to talk to him. But I’m learning a lot by listening and also read a lot in German in order to improve.
WERDER.DE: Before joining Werder, you had a stint at Frankfurt. How did you find communicating there?
Rafael Borré: In Frankfurt we did almost everything in English. We only had three or four German players in the team, the rest were all from abroad. That’s why we spoke English out on the pitch.
WERDER.DE: Marvin Ducksch said that the language barrier wasn’t really an issue, because the two of your instinctively understand each other out on the pitch. How do you find it? What’s it like playing together with your new strike partner?
Rafael Borré: He’s right. We’re able to communicate by making eye contact or through gestures. We can arrive to an agreement solely by looking at each other or gesturing, and know immediately what the other person is saying. We can see things from the other’s perspective and have a good understanding of each other. As a result, we don’t need words to communicate.
I want to do even more for the club and score as many goals as possible, together with my strike partner.
Rafael Borré
WERDER.DE: You also scored twice for Colombia recently. What’s the reason behind your current strong form in front of goal?
Rafael Borré: That’s also due to the team here at Werder. The team made it easy for me to settle in and gave me the opportunity to carve out a spot for myself in the team. Our style of play is all about helping the strikers score goals. That helps me to find the back of the net. Four goals isn’t a bad haul, but I want to do even more for the club and score as many goals as possible, together with my strike partner.
WERDER.DE: What goals have you set for the new year?
Rafael Borré: I want to score more goals, as I said, in order to help the team out even more. Additionally, as a team we need to strive to put in a better second half to the season so that we can climb as high as possible in the table. Setting high targets helps to motivate everyone and get everyone on board.
WERDER.DE: We’re currently enjoying the winter break, before the second half of the season gets underway. What sort of plans do you have during this time with no football?
Rafael Borré: I enjoy playing other sports, like basketball, baseball and tennis. There’s also a game that’s very popular in Colombia that my family really enjoys playing, called dominos. That’s how I will pass the time.
Thank you for taking the time to speak to us and enjoy the time with your family!
WERDER.DE: How do you manage the physical and mental strain that comes with undertaking such long trips, which can be very draining and often cause you to miss the preparations for our league games?
Rafael Borré: It’s definitely a challenge, because I can only be in one place at a time and therefore miss out on what’s happening elsewhere. When I’m away on international duty, then I’m missing out on the team’s daily routine in the Bundesliga. During that time, it’s important that I stay in touch with the coach and to stay up to date on what’s been planned and what’s been done. This then allows me to integrate myself back into team quickly once I’m back and know what I have to do.
WERDER.DE: You mentioned the day-to-day routine in the Bundesliga. How do you manage to get back into it after having travelled so far?
Rafael Borré: The hardest thing is getting enough sleep. Colombia are seven hours behind, so I have to really plan out my sleep schedule when I’m back here. When I manage that and am back in the right rhythm, then I make sure to take with the coach and my teammates. In our final training session, I then try to get up to speed on everything that I missed previously.
WERDER.DE: How do you manage the physical and mental strain that comes with undertaking such long trips, which can be very draining and often cause you to miss the preparations for our league games?
Rafael Borré: It’s definitely a challenge, because I can only be in one place at a time and therefore miss out on what’s happening elsewhere. When I’m away on international duty, then I’m missing out on the team’s daily routine in the Bundesliga. During that time, it’s important that I stay in touch with the coach and to stay up to date on what’s been planned and what’s been done. This then allows me to integrate myself back into team quickly once I’m back and know what I have to do.
WERDER.DE: You mentioned the day-to-day routine in the Bundesliga. How do you manage to get back into it after having travelled so far?
Rafael Borré: The hardest thing is getting enough sleep. Colombia are seven hours behind, so I have to really plan out my sleep schedule when I’m back here. When I manage that and am back in the right rhythm, then I make sure to take with the coach and my teammates. In our final training session, I then try to get up to speed on everything that I missed previously.