"Bremen is a very nice city on the banks of the Weser. It is known for its markets and the Town Musicians of Bremen. It's a city of workers, in end effect like the rest of Germany." No, these lines did not come from a new travel guide for the city or from an advertising brochure from Bremen's tourism office. Actually they came from Werder Bremen's Luca Caldirola for an Italian journalist - almost like a declaration of love to Germany, the Bundesliga and especially Bremen.

"I am very happy dealing with this country and I think I have perfectly gotten used to living here. Also because the Germans have helped me a lot. They were very helpful and courteous," wrote Caldriola to his compatriots. "I was helped very much from the first day on and after nearly a year here I can say that I love this country. It seems as though I have lived here my entire life," said the Werder defender.

Caldirola has lived with his girlfriend Marija for three-quarters of a year in the heart of the city. In the current season, his 2,424 minutes played is the most for any Bremen player. He has been available to coach Robin Dutt for every practice since the first day of training, without any injury concerns or adjustment problems. "I like the German mentality. It's very similar to mine. Maybe I'm kind of like a German-Italian," laughed Caldirola, who also learned the language quickly. "It's really important for me to learn the language quickly because I live here. I consciously signed a four-year contract because I want to stay here a while. If I go shopping with my girlfriend for example, I want to be able to communicate with the people. That's part of it all for me," said Caldirola about his motivation.

Caldirola has experienced various highs and lows in his first season in the Bundesliga. He doesn't doubt at all that the team will not avoid relegation. "I believe in the team. We have really fantastic fans. They support us even when we lose or play poorly. That gives you a lot of confidence. In Italy, they boo and whistle at you very quickly, even after just one bad pass." Before coming to Werder, he played with AC Cesena and Brescia Calcio in the Serie B.

In his "declaration of love for Germany", he raves about the "fans who really like football, fill the stadium every game, regardless of the result of the match and the position of the team on the table who do not leave the stadium before the referee blows the final whistle." Caldirola himself will not want to leave the pitch voluntarily before the final whistle for the away match at Bayer Leverkusen on the 34th match day. The "German-Italian" will be back on the pitch at Weser Stadium for the start of training 2014-15. In Bremen, his new home.