BVB sign Alex Popp: “My heart beats for Borussia Dortmund!”

My heart beats for this club. If I decide to go with it, then I have to take everything along, and then I want to take everything along. I don't want any special treatment or anything like that. That's work, that's professional work, and I see that clearly here at Borussia Dortmund. It would be nice to wear this jersey once. That it's actually happening now is totally crazy, but I'm incredibly excited. One of the undoubtedly most intriguing questions currently facing German football has now been clarified. You are moving to Borussia Dortmund next summer. Ultimately, what were the decisive reasons for this change? Yes, I believe everyone knows, and I've always openly talked about the fact that I'm a Dortmund fan. And the moment when, back then, fans were already practically calling for women's football to also exist in Dortmund, Actually, I was already happy about it at first, and I followed the whole thing to some extent. And in the end, it was decisive for me. I am at the end of my career. I believe one can, I think, talk about it so clearly and openly. I have many injuries behind me, and I simply don't know how quickly it can all suddenly be over. And I don't want to miss the opportunity, or I don't want to miss the chance to step onto the field wearing the jersey. My heart beats for this club; that simply has to be said. And yes, accordingly, I ultimately decided on Dortmund. You've just addressed the heart. Over the past few weeks, you've also repeatedly emphasized that, in reality, your decision will ultimately come down to a gut feeling. But how much might the heart have influenced this decision, how loud was it? It was already extremely loud. Also, I don't think I want to lie; let's put it that way. And at that moment, I actually realized that Dortmund kept getting better and better in the development. You have been rising every year, again and again. They are doing a great job. And then, indeed, the official request actually came. I found that extremely interesting, I must say, and it also flattered me immediately, Although I naturally knew that the team is currently still playing in the Regionalliga. Of course, that really flattered me and also made me feel a little proud, Simply because my heart belongs to Borussia Dortmund. And accordingly, I suppose I had quite a lot of grinning on my face from the very beginning. Nevertheless, one naturally had to weigh certain things somehow. Is that really correct? Yes, no. And I simply needed my own time for that. You mentioned the weighing process. Even there, you did give us your protocol stating that you're wondering whether this is now the right moment? Why is now the right time? I believe that over the many, many years at VfL Wolfsburg, I have experienced an enormous amount. I was able to collect many titles. I was also able to co-develop it there. And that was a very, very exciting and thrilling time. And I think it's also just a moment where I need to listen to my body, to some extent. And I don't want to miss the moment, not wanting to lose the chance anymore, but being able to pull on the Dortmund jersey one more time. And accordingly, I just said, okay, if not now, then when? And what was also very, very exciting to me in that sense was, Yes, I'm going to continue developing this, which I'll now call a project. Also take the female players along and don't end up settling into a comfortably prepared nest and saying, Well, I'll take the jersey with me again now, then I'll have worn it and it's great; now I'll stop. That's because that's me. And accordingly, I believe this is now the right moment to take a few more steps forward together and perhaps then, at some point, also end the career. Above all, and this is indeed remarkable, this love for Borussia Dortmund knows no allegiance. We must honestly say that it's still unclear whether we'll be promoted to the second Bundesliga. It could also be the case that one stays in the Regionalliga at the moment. You still gave a clear commitment to Borussia Dortmund. Why this clear commitment? To be honest, it was also to some extent a natural point in my thoughts. Do you want to do it? Can you do it? The Second League is naturally quite a big difference from the First League, just as the Regionalliga is. And if we delay or escalate it even further now, I've still played in the Champions League this year. There are naturally certain differences, then. But I already realized that if I decide to go with it, I'll have to take everything along, and if I'm taking everything, then I want to take it all. I don't want any special treatment or anything like that; otherwise, I'm fully and completely on board. And accordingly, I've also decided to say: I'll take everything with me, no matter what comes. Because I want to develop it. I want to co-develop it. And then such steps naturally belong to it. And you just said it yourself. So there won't be any parade solely in the BVB jersey now. Anyone who knows you knows that you are always maximally ambitious. You actually know it no differently now. Since you've been playing professional football, you've been competing for national and international titles. That is not the case at Borussia Dortmund for the time being. But with what ambitions, with what great goals are you approaching your path at Borussia Dortmund? Are you attacking him? Of course, one naturally starts by knowing Borussia Dortmund's plan. And of course, they want to get into the first league as quickly as possible. And there I would like to provide support. There I would like to help ensure that, ideally, it succeeds. That one quickly finds one's way back into the first league. That one might even establish oneself to some extent there as well. And yes, depending on that, naturally it will also gradually rise further in the tables as well. But clearly, the first thing now is to figure out which league I'll be starting in. Let's put it this way. And then I want to get going, aiming for promotion together with the team. But then, perhaps, also be able to provide support aside from the field. How can we further professionalize? What comes next in terms of infrastructure? What else might you actually still need? That's actually quite fascinating too, because I've experienced a lot. And now, right here, it's completely new in structure, in that one doesn't just carry everything along on the field, but perhaps even outside the field as well. And you mentioned it yourself right at the beginning. It's been just about six and a half years now. It was just a poster on the south stand that you also picked up. That would be nice. Now we're just sitting here. How have you perceived the development here at BVB so far? Above all, you yourself have surely also taken a more precise look at things now, in the course of your transition. Regarding the structures. What is your perception of what has emerged at Borussia Dortmund over these six and a half years? I have really followed it from the very beginning. And first of all, I think one naturally has to take off one's hat, truly having risen every single year. That is not self-evident, and it is not so simple either, even if they are amateur players. But despite all that, one naturally also first has to succeed against the others and really carry the whole thing through properly. Then, partly, of course, preparations for the girls' training camp have already taken place alongside the field. Partially, even genuinely good tests already conducted regarding injury prevention, things like that. That's a whole different matter, one must say, and genuine professionalism is already evident there. And it's truly beautiful to see that this isn't just some casual "yes, we want to get into the first league," but that there's genuine passion and so much more behind it, along with a tremendous amount of hard work. And that can be seen from year to year. This has been evident from year to year, naturally including the respective transfers made for the upcoming seasons, again and again. And that is simply very exciting. And if I now also naturally hear or know that a complete training center for women is being established. To be honest, some of the men's Bundesliga teams could take a leaf out of this book. And that is work, that is professional work, and I see that clearly here at Borussia Dortmund, and also with honesty. And accordingly, I simply see a very, very great opportunity here to be able to co-develop something wonderful. Then I'd like to go over it once again. You've already hinted at it before, but let's be explicit about it once more. This BVB jersey, you've already worn it as a little girl, as a fan. What does it mean to you to now wear this BVB jersey with your name on it as a player in the future? Yes, to be honest, it's still a bit crazy when I think about it. Because I have a clear image in my mind of myself as a little girl, wearing the Dortmund jersey with a cap and holding a flag, standing in the Westfalenstadion back then. And yes, somehow having the security, having the knowledge that I'm actually allowed to step onto the field officially wearing this jersey, already makes me proud. It's just that, I don't want to say it's a childhood dream, because when I was still young, of course there wasn't yet a women's department at Borussia Dortmund. That's why it felt so far away. But from the moment the women's department was established, in the back of my mind there was always this thought that it would be nice to one day wear that jersey. That it's actually happening now is totally crazy, but I'm incredibly excited. Your new living room will be the Red Earth Stadium. You've already experienced it once, empty at night. But have you already heard anything about the BVB women's team's games at the Stadion Rote Erde, about the fans, or the attendance figures? And how excited are people about playing there in the future? Yes, I've already heard quite a bit about it, I must say. I actually watched the derby back then—the first derby—on television, which was already crazy, you have to admit. How many people actually made it into the stadium. Then, of course, I also watched the most recent cup match against Bayern Munich. And there you can simply see what's possible. The Red Earth was completely sold out in this case, and I'm just looking forward to it—I have to be completely honest about that. It's really fun. The pitch was also in excellent condition. I've seen many other pitches in the Bundesliga, but this one is definitely among the best. That's why I'm also looking forward to it—just having genuine high quality. And yes, I've always said so, I'm looking forward to running out in this case for Dortmund as well. Whether it's at the Red Earth or perhaps even at the Signal Iduna Park someday—that would particularly make me happy. That's always been my dream. But let's see what happens. In conclusion, I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that an enormous number of BVB fans are now eagerly glued to their screens. Do you perhaps have a message for all BVB fans who will be looking forward to you from now on? Let's shake the red earth together first, and ideally also shake up the away games, so we can work together toward the First League. To a great season!