Romano Schmid shook his head in disbelief shortly before his interview with WERDER.TV on Wednesday afternoon. It has been almost five years since he arrived in Bremen as a teenager and found his footballing home after a loan spell at Wolfsberger AC. By extending his contract, the 23-year-old wants to make one thing clear: his Werder journey isn’t over yet. In the interview, Schmid spoke about the reasons behind his contract extension and his ambitions.
WERDER.DE: Hi, Romano. First of all, congratulations! You’ve extended your contract with SV Werder Bremen once again. Why have you decided to stick with SVW?
Romano Schmid: My family and I feel at home in Bremen. As a team, we’re on the right track at the moment, even after suffering a few setbacks. Our football keeps getting better and better. I don’t think I’ve finished improving yet and I can take the next steps here.
WERDER.DE: Other clubs have shown interest in you. To what extent is this contract extension a show of appreciation for Werder?
Romano Schmid: It’s exactly that. It’s a show of appreciation from the club and vice-versa. Werder went to great lengths to extend my contract, which isn’t always a given nowadays. When you put in good performances, there’s always going to be interest from other teams. We’ve decided to carry on down a path together that both parties are happy with.
WERDER.DE: In your three-and-a-half years here in Bremen, you’ve experienced highs and lows. Has that helped you to form a connection with the club?
Romano Schmid: Yes, definitely. Even before my transfer, I always said that I think Werder is a big club. The low points keep you going. We’re optimistic for the future and we’re looking forward to experiencing more highs together.
WERDER.DE: In addition to sporting factors, your private situation is also obviously a decisive factor. You’re expecting your second child and you and your fiancée have settled down in Bremen.
Romano Schmid: That played a role as well. My second child is likely to be born in Graz because the EUROs are taking place there when they're due. However, my son Liam was born in Bremen and that’s why the city has a special place in all our hearts and is part of the reason why we want to stay here.
WERDER.DE: You have attracted more attention to yourself through your football this season and have been able to consolidate your place in the national team. To what extent do you still see room to develop?
Romano Schmid: This season is going really well for me. I’ve been involved in most goals and I have been the assister of the assist a lot recently. I’ve also been doing well at winning tackles and dribbling with the ball as of late. If I can get more goal contributions then it will look even better for me – I want to carry on improving in this respect.
WERDER.DE: You express your love for football with your tattoo, in which the ball is wearing a crown.
Romano Schmid: You can’t stop loving football. I have started loving football even more this year. For us footballers there’s nothing better than this sport and that hasn’t changed since my childhood. Obviously, my son and my fiancée come first, but football isn’t far behind for me.
WERDER.DE: For the final question, we’re looking towards the future: what ambitions do you have for the rest of the year?
Romano Schmid: Personally, I want to keep performing for the club and get a call-up for the EUROs. I think that Werder are on the right track and that we’re continuing to improve. We want to stay in the Bundesliga and we have the quality to do exactly that.
