Not only did Jean-Manuel Mbom make his Bundesliga debut in 2020, but the 20-year-old also made his first starts and scored his first competitive goal on his way to having a breakout year at SV Werder Bremen. He also received his first call up to Germany’s U21 side in November. “If I look back on it now, then it all happened very quickly,” Mbom said. In 2021, the midfielder will be looking to continue to build on his performances this year.
After a loan spell at KFC Uerdingen, Jean-Manuel Mbom returned to Werder for the 2020/21 season. He quickly fit into the squad, with head coach Florian Kohfeldt handing him his first start on matchday 2.
“To make my debut away at Schalke and to deliver such a strong performance as a team was indescribable,” he said. A week later, Mbom started once again and assisted Leonardo Bittencourt’s winning strike in a 1-0 home victory against Arminia Bielefeld. “It’s a dream come true, and of course it makes you think back to your time in the academy when you’d look up to the first team,” is how Mbom described his first appearances for Werder.
The cherry on top of an already successful year for Mbom came in the second round of the DFB-Pokal. In a 3-0 win against Hannover 96, Mbom scored his first competitive goal for SV Werder Bremen. “I didn’t even realise it at that moment, and was just happy to have scored,” he said about that moment. It was only on the bus back home that he had time to think back on what had just happened. “But even then, I hadn’t fully processed it,” said the midfielder. “Now that I’ve had some time to think about what I’d just done, and want to continue to build on that now.”
Mbom’s goals for the new year are simple: “To continue working, to keep giving it everything and to be as successful as possible with the team,” he said. But, the success isn’t going to Mbom’s head. “This is my first season and I’ve made my first appearances, but that’s all,” he said. Discipline and ambition are just two of his keys to success. “I just want to give it 100 percent every day. That starts with things like getting enough sleep and proper nutrition,” Mbom said.
Mbom’s step-by-step approach isn’t just reflected in his goals as a professional footballer, but also in his personal goals for 2021. “I want to continue to be positive and grateful for everything that I have,” he said. The 20-year-old will be spending New Year’s Eve at home, similar to how his teammates will be ringing in the new year.
After all, Werder will be back in action again on Saturday, 2nd January, as they host Union Berlin in their first home game of 2021. “Union will demand a lot from us. They are a tough opponent, as they’ve proven in the league recently,” he said. The Green-Whites will have to focus on their own strengths ahead of the game against the visitors from the capital city. “If we can build on our games against Mainz and Hannover, then that would be great for us as a team,” Mbom said.
