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Bryan Lasme: I want to experience the feeling myself
Bryan Lasme made his competitive debut for FC Schalke 04 on the opening matchday away to Hamburger SV. He is now hoping to feature for the first time in a league fixture at the VELTINS-Arena as the Royal Blues host 1. FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday (5/8). Ahead of this matchday 2 encounter, the attacker spoke to schalke04.de about the upcoming game, the atmosphere at the ground and his first few weeks with the club.
Bryan, thousands of fans made their way up to Hamburg last Friday to cheer the team on. Aside from the away end, the whole stadium will be behind the team this weekend against Kaiserslautern. How excited are you for your first competitive game as a Schalke player at the VELTINS-Arena?
I can hardly wait to play at the Arena. It’s a fantastic ground with a special atmosphere. We saw in Hamburg how our fans can drive us on as a team. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get a win for them that day. We want to do just that against Kaiserslautern this Saturday.
You played against FCK last season with Arminia Bielefeld. What did you make of them?
Kaiserslautern are a tough opponent. They are a physical team and have lots of supporters too. I’m looking forward to an intense game under the floodlights.
I can hardly wait to play at the Arena.
Did sporting director André Hechelmann show you any videos of the fans before you joined? If so, did that influence your decision at all?
He did, but I didn’t want to see too much straight away. I wanted to experience the feeling of playing in front of these fans myself.
A number of clubs were interested in you over the summer. Why did you eventually choose to join Schalke?
André Hechelmann and René Grotus told me about the club’s history during our discussions. I already knew a little bit, but I was really impressed by it all. Once they told me how my style of play would fit Schalke’s and that I could develop myself here, I was confident that a move to Gelsenkirchen was the right step for me.
How have the team welcomed you?
They have made it really easy for me. I know Cedric Brunner from our time at Bielefeld, but other players like Simon Terodde also gave me a warm welcome too.
Settling in so quickly feels great.
You changed your shirt number two weeks before the start of the season. Why are you now wearing the number 11 instead of 15?
11 is my favourite number. My biggest role model in football is Didier Drogba and he wore it too. He’s a hero in Ivory Coast. I asked if I could take it once it became free.
You are one of the fastest players in German professional football with a top speed of 36 km/h. Do you have a special training programme?
I’ve got really good genes! My family are all extremely quick.
