“I want to write my own story!”

The mood was high in the media room on Tuesday as several journalists came to speak to Matheus Cunha, who celebrated a very successful debut for the club against Paderborn at the weekend, forcing the second goal in a 2-1 win. “It was clearly my goal,” said the striker. He also answered questions about his celebration. “I thought it was about time I had a new celebration, but I haven’t properly thought about a new one yet,” said the new number 26 laughing. We collected all the quotes from the interview.

Matheus Cunha on…

…his first impressions of the club and his ambitions for his time at Hertha BSC: I’ve come to a team who have plenty of quality. The boys have already taken me in and I feel really at home here already. But it wasn’t just the team, but the whole club have welcomed me with open arms and that was really nice! Now I‘m just hoping that together we can be successful. We know the fans are expecting it and we expect it from ourselves too. I’ve followed the club for a long time now and watched a lot of their games before my transfer. I’m happy that the club shares the same ambitions as me and I’m convinced that I can help the boys out. I want to achieve as much as possible with Hertha.

…and his successful debut for the club: After qualifying for the Olympics, I came back to Berlin happy and hungry for more success so it was really nice to get my first start in the first game. I just want to keep helping the team out in the same way I did against Paderborn.

…the change in coach and his impressions of Alexander Nouri: Of course I was looking forward to playing under a coach with as big a name as Jürgen Klinsmann and I wish him all the best for the future. But I want to reiterate that I didn’t just come here for him, but for Hertha BSC! The agreements I made with the club had nothing to do with the coach. Alexander Nouri has plenty of good ideas himself and I’m really looking forward to working with him as well!

…his blistering form for Brazil U23s and possibly being part of the Olympic team: I’ve always believed in my potential and have worked hard to get better. I’ve always believed that with hard work and a bit of modesty, you’ll always improve and be rewarded for your efforts. What’s happened in the national team is just unbelievable. Representing your country, wearing the yellow jersey – for a Brazilian there’s simply nothing better! Everyone at the club knows how much I love representing my country, but if I want to do that I have to earn my place with good performances here. Then hopefully I’ll get my chance. If I manage to make it into the team, then Hertha will also feel the benfit too because I will become a better player because of it!

…his hopes of taking part in the Copa America over the summer: Playing for the first team of Brazil would be an absolute dream, but Brazil already have so many world class talents – so I’ll have to work even harder if I want to fulfil this dream. But I’m so proud to be able to play for my country: now it’s about helping Hertha!

...his footballing role model: Ronaldinho has always inspired me; he amazed people with how he played football. But there are also other players who have inspired me with either their career paths or their play styles. Bastian Schweinsteiger is one of them! I also have to mention Neymar and Ronaldo. You can see how much fun they have on the pitch. I want to do the same!
...his hobby of Futsal: Futsal is my favourite sport; I love it and always enjoy playing it on holiday. It has been a huge part of my life and has also helped me enormously in becoming a footballer because that’s how I developed my close control, which helps me a lot out on the pitch!

...following in the footsteps of his Brazilian predecessors such as Marcelinho and Alex Alves: Of course I know these players really well; they left a huge mark here. I hope that I can write my own history here!

...his supposed love for scoring wonder goals: Of course I like scoring good goals. But the most important thing is that I score, it doesn’t matter if the goal is special or not.  With a bit of hard work and creativity, you can do something special every now and then, but first and foremost the most important thing is that you help the team!

...moving to Europe early on in his career, and how that has affected his development: I have always dreamed of playing in Europe, and have learnt a lot from European culture.  My time here has made me more mature. I’ve learnt new languages and have learnt how to quickly adapt to new environments. I would’ve developed in Brazil as well, but differently. My time in Europe has helped me to develop both from a football point of view, and as a person.