BORUSSIA interview: Maximilian Beier talks goals, darts and family | OneFootball

Pascal Groß pivots and then crosses the ball from the right into 1. FC Union Berlin's penalty area. Maximilian Beier positions himself slightly to the left, keeping his distance from any opposition players, and has his eye on the ball. Then a sprint and a short dive when he realises that Berlin defender Doekhi has misjudged. Five and a half metres from the opposition's goal, he heads the ball towards the right inner post in the opposite direction from where the keeper is running. A picture-perfect goal. His fifth and also his best for the Black&Yellows so far.

Maxi, it doesn't get more precise than that. What were you thinking when you saw the cross, and what was going through your mind when the ball you had headed was travelling towards the Berlin goal?

"Yes, I could already see from the cross that the ball was going to come down in a good place. Then Jamie made space as well and I realised: I'm completely by myself now - they've forgotten about me back here! And then I just wanted to score as precisely as I possibly could."

Precision on the pitch. Like in the recent game in Lille, when he fired the ball into the right corner to secure Dortmund a 2-1 win. His sixth goal for the Black&Yellows was the most important to date, opening the door to the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League.

And precision in his private life too. Maximilian Beier has a hobby which isn't typical for a 22 year old: a sport which is booming - darts. He doesn't just have a board at home. He has also hung one on the wall at the training ground and got his teammates hooked on a game that calls for concentration and precision.

Is darts your way of calming down after an intense day of football? Does it help to reduce your adrenaline levels, especially after a game?

"For me personally, it does. I find it hard to sleep after a game. And when I can't sleep, I play a bit of darts to help me calm down."

Where and how did you discover your passion for darts?

"Five, six years ago now, with a friend. We were 16 or 17 at the time."

How do your teammates react? Who tries to emulate you the most?

"After training a few of the guys stay for a bit longer and play a round. Alex Meier is good, Schlotti plays very well. Gio and Karim have a go but those two aren't quite at the same level yet. Yet!"

Games consoles are very popular among your generation. Do you also spend some time on the PlayStation every now and then?

"I used to a lot, I'm doing it less and less now, but I still play sometimes."

So what do you play?

"A few different things. Call of Duty. Sometimes Fortnite. I've also played Minecraft. I've pretty much played everything there is."

If you could only have one, would you choose darts or video games?

"Darts!“

Maximilian Beier was born in the suburb of Kirchmöser in Brandenburg an der Havel, and lived there until he was 13. The town has produced several top sportspeople, the most famous being canoeist Birgit Fischer, who with eight gold medals and four silver medals is Germany's second-most successful female Olympian after Isabell Werth.

Have you ever met Birgit Fischer?

"Unfortunately not. I've heard a lot about her, and would love to meet her one day."

When did you decide you wanted to become a professional football player?

"Well, I wouldn't leave home at 13 for nothing. So it was my goal from early on to reach a professional level. But of course the feeling was always there that it might not be enough - which is what happens to so many people. But I could never have dreamed that it would work out so well."

When did you reach the point when you thought that it would all work out?

"While I was on loan at Hanover. I was in the starting eleven more and more often and was really strongly integrated into the team. That was when I first felt like I was a professional footballer."

How did that feel?

"When you're on the bus on the way to a game and you see fans outside wearing your shirt with your name on it, it's pretty crazy."

The family council made this wise decision in the summer of 2021, when the then 18-year-old transferred on loan to Hanover 96 for two years after (only) eleven appearances in competitive matches for the TSG first team. The transfer to the second league meant that he would get more time on the pitch. His coach there, Stefan Leitl, helped him to go from playing on the left wing to playing second striker: "That's his best position. Maxi has an incredible dynamicism and his shots have a great finish. He also has incredible stamina." After 68 appearances (15 goals, seven assists), Maximilian Beier returned to TSG Hoffenheim two years later as a top striker.

From the third match day of the 2023/24 season, he was in the starting eleven 29 times (more than any other Hoffenheim player). His 16 goals that season (highest total in the team) were exceeded by only one German player in the league, Stuttgart's Deniz Undav. Although the competition among the strikers was extremely high with Wout Weghorst and Andrej Kramaric, the youngster was able to hold his own, and by October 2023, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" was already describing him as a "discovery of the season". The clarity with which Beier acted in front of his opponent's goal was emphasised by the so-called "xGoals-Wert": the number of goals he was expected to score (11.6) in the 23/24 season was significantly below the number he actually scored (16) - despite also hitting the post or the crossbar three times, which was more than any other Hoffenheimer.

Your family is very important to you. Does it help that you can get to Dortmund from Berlin on the train in three and a half hours?

"Yes, a bit at least. They mostly drive, which takes about four hours. Now I see my parents about every three weeks, but in Hoffenheim it was every three months."

How does it make you feel on the pitch when your family are in the stadium?

"It does help me a lot when I know that my parents are there watching. And my little sister."

Does she play football too?

"No..."

On the 21st match day of the 2019/2020 season, Maximilian Beier became the youngest Bundesliga player in the history of TSG Hoffenheim at 17 years, three months and 21 days old, a title which by the way was previously held by Niklas Süle (17 years, eight months and eight days), now his teammate at Dortmund. The versatile striker combines speed (up to 36.4 km/h!), drive towards the goal, and a strong finish, and is also prepared to give his absolute all for his teammates when the team is on the defence. The German national player has a contract with Borussia Dortmund until 30th June 2029.

You're quite an introverted person. How was it in your first few days at BVB in summer 2024, sharing a changing room with so many national players?

"I like to observe everything in the first few weeks, and I'm not at the centre of things straight away. But then, after three or four weeks or so, I warm to it."

Who do you get on best with on the team?

"I get on well with everyone actually. I'd say I get on best with Gio (Reyna, editor's note), Jamie (Gittens), Schlotti (Nico Schlotterbeck), but also with some of the older ones like Pascal (Groß) and Jule (Brandt)."

Do you sometimes spend time together off the pitch?

"Yes, we often go out and do things together. Or like yesterday, Gio invited us over for food at his place."

Bring your dartboard with you?

"No. Gio has one at home."

Did he have that before you, or only because of you?

"Only because of me. And I put it up for him."

So are you good at DIY as well?

"I wouldn't go that far. I had to watch a YouTube video (laughs), but it's not that difficult really."

If someone needs a nail putting in a wall, could they ask you?

(laughs) "I hope I wouldn't be anyone's first port of call. But you could ask me I guess..."

Maxi's first port of call within his own four walls is called Lucia. The couple have been together for five years, and they met in school. They got their first flat together around one and a half years ago, when Maxi returned to TSG Hoffenheim from Hanover 96. Lucia studies Social Work and recently completed an internship at the Borussia Dortmund youth centre. Convenient!

That probably makes a huge difference - not being completely alone any more...

"Yes, like when I come back from training, there's someone at home. That's really nice!"

Does Lucia play darts as well?

"She has a go, and she's allowed to stand a bit closer to the board. Just so she doesn't get a dart stuck in my wall..." (laughs)

Do you have the same taste in music too? I've heard that yours is unusual.

"I love Spanish music so much, and she's got on board with that a bit now too."

Have you had the chance to bring your music taste to the changing room too?

"I've tried it twice before a game. But I was unsuccessful."

What kind of songs do you listen to?

"I listen to a lot of Morad. Do you know him?“

No, I'll google him...

Morad El Khattouti El Hormi, born 5th March 1999 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain, known as Morad, is a Spanish rapper from Catalonia. He has been successful in his home country since 2019. Around the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022 he had three number one hits in the Spanish charts (Source: Wikipedia).

Do you speak Spanish?

"No, but I can understand a bit. I once lived with someone for three years in Hoffenheim who came from the Dominican Republic. He's still one of my best friends and he plays in the second league in Spain."

Did you have a football role model when you were a child?

"Fernando Torres!“

Do you still have role models?

"When I watch football matches now, I do still watch closely, but I don't focus on one player in particular, I just focus on the ones who are playing in my position."

You can play in several positions. You have to play in several positions. Where do you see yourself most?

"Next to or behind the striker. I like playing in the centre the most, as striker or directly behind the striker. I get the ball more often there, and can get into spaces where I can score goals."

Homesickness was a persistent companion in the very early years, after the transfer from Brandenburg to Cottbus. The school student even considered at times abandoning his potential professional career. His parents and his sister are still the striker's most important support mechanism.

You left your familiar surroundings, your home, at a very young age. How did that work? How does a twelve-year-old approach those conversations with his parents?

"It wasn't easy. But if I hadn't come up with the idea, my parents probably wouldn't have done it themselves."

And how did you come up with the idea?

"It was always my dream to become a footballer."

And then you just google "sports boarding school"?

"No, no. There would sometimes be a scouting session here and there. And at some point I was scouted."

You've experienced a lot in your short life so far. Do you sometimes miss things being easy?

"Who doesn't? As a small child you don't worry about anything apart from: what am I playing next and who am I playing with? It's different now."

You can't go back in time to your childhood, but is there a part of you that wants to go back to Brandenburg after your career has ended - so in many, many years from now?

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

But that's a while away yet. For sports director Sebastian Kehl, he is a man of the future: "His development is definitely not over yet, and we will help him to get even better." Incidentally, the game against FC St. Pauli showed that you don't always need maximum precision to be part of a goal. In this case, Karim Adeyemi took advantage of a clearance by Maxi Beier and turned it into a goal that secured the 2-0 win.

This text was taken from the members' magazine BORUSSIA. BVB members receive a free copy of BORUSSIA every month. Click here to fill out a membership application.