Timo Werner has had to contend with hostility for years. In an interview, the former DFB striker has now revealed just how much the boos and taunts have taken their toll on him.
260 Bundesliga matches (102 goals), 87 Premier League appearances (12 goals), 57 matches for the German national team (24 goals) and 43 Champions League appearances (17 goals): Timo Werner is one of the most successful German strikers of the past ten years. He has celebrated the biggest honours at European club level, yet his time in Germany and England has not all been a positive experience. For years, the 30-year-old had to contend with hostility time and again.
A dive that changed everything
A dive by Werner in December 2016 during the match against Schalke 04 (2–1) had become etched into the collective memory of German football fans. The then 20-year-old was playing for RB Leipzig and, from then on, was met with boos in the stadiums and subjected to taunting chants from the stands. “I went through a lot in Germany because I dived once. After that, they were after me there for years,” said Werner on the podcast “The Late Run”.
After a fabulous 2019/20 season in which he scored 28 goals in 34 Bundesliga matches, the Stuttgart-born player then moved to Chelsea FC, where he lifted the FA Cup a season later. But Werner continued to have a tough time in England too: “It was similar at Chelsea. I missed a few chances and after that they had it in for me.”
And the former top prospect, who had to contend with such hostility from a very early age, wasn’t left unmoved by these fan reactions: “I’ve been through a lot of crap in my career. There were moments when I was sitting at home and really felt down.” He found himself asking: “What on earth?” It didn’t matter which stadium he went to: “I get booed everywhere,” said Werner. “They sang songs about me, constantly making things up – it was really tough.”
The hostility extended beyond the stadium
For Werner, these negative experiences even extended beyond his job as a footballer. “In no city I went to could I go about my business in peace.” Looking back, he’s proud of how he coped with that period.
Werner now plays for the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS. His time on the big European football stage, where things weren’t always easy for the striker, is now over. So far this MLS season, he has made 20 appearances and scored six goals for his club.