'Electrifying atmosphere the basis for extraordinary things': Interview with Carro and Rolfes

Fernando, Simon, you too have the opportunity now to be together with your families and hopefully enjoy a few relaxing days. When you get a moment's peace, will you also take some time to take stock after such a special year? And how will you spend the holidays otherwise?

Carro: "As I'm spending the holidays in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and Simon will be staying in Germany, he might have to work on call and I'll theoretically have a bit of time to review. (laughs) But I'm not someone who looks back a lot. I always look to the future."

Rolfes: "I'll be at home, yes. I love Christmas time because for once there's real quiet. In the summer you're always sitting there with a lot of pressure on the new season, but in the winter you get a real break for a week and then you go again with renewed strength. I like it a lot. I think it's similar for all of us but everyone has their own methods of recharging the batteries."

Which specific moment from this year sticks with you personally in particular?

Carro: "The whole day of the Bremen match, because this big goal became a reality. There was one very special moment on that day. When it was clear we were going to win, I suddenly asked himself: Where do I want to experience this moment now? Do I go down into the hubbub or do I watch it all from above? I'm normally someone who wouldn't hesitate for a second in that moment and wants to be close to the action, but this time I stayed upstairs and really enjoyed the moment in that way."

Rolfes: "Everything was perfect on that day. It was fantastic weather, at the bus reception my family and I were stood up in the East and everyone sensed: it's going to happen today. Then the match, the five goals, Flo's hat-trick, the crowd... Xabi and I immediately went into the dressing room at full time, and then we were stood there - alone. No one else was there, just us two. It was certainly a bit surreal. We hugged and congratulated each other. And then we asked ourselves: How do you actually turn on the TV here? (laughs) The feeling of that day will stay forever. And I think, the more time passes since this season, the more we'll realise how special it was."

Did you expect it would go so well again this season?

Rolfes: "Definitely. We have the quality, the ambitions and the inner strength to achieve special things and cope with pressure situations. The fact it wasn't easy at the start of the season to get right back into the right frame of mind and be able to squeeze out the last percentage in every individual game is normal. That kind of situation can then go in two directions: either you complain or you see it as a chance. The turning point in that was the game against Bochum. That's when we thought: Right, this is enough. And I think we needed that downer to realise how much we wanted success again."

It was recently revealed that Bayer 04 was the fourth most-searched sports team on Google this year. How have you experienced this international reach, for example on this year's Trophy Tour in New York City or Sao Paulo, or even on the committees of the ECA?

Carro: "Bayer 04 is certainly being more and more recognised in other parts of the world than it was in the past, and especially in Germany. But now almost everyone - no matter where we are in the world - knows our story. We get positive feedback everywhere for our professional work and are greatly respected. We have definitely achieved a different standing because we've simply reached a different level."

At the same time, a very close and family-like relationship is being cultivated in and around the club. Especially with the fans. Does it please you that the fans, team and club are so close together?

Rolfes: "It's remarkable that this special energy emerged during the crisis two years ago - independent from the success - and that we fought our way out of it together with the fans. There were an incredible number of magical moments after that, be it the semi-final in the UEFA Europa League against AS Roma in 2023 or those incredible last-minute goals last season. I get goosebumps every time I think about it. There was an energy there that is difficult to describe. But you can feel it again and again and it's a huge motivation for me."

We also often hear from players that there's this family-like atmosphere at Bayer 04. Arthur said it at a press conference in November, for example. The pictures, like the one of Fernando dancing with Jeremie Frimpong in the dressing room, are also great. Are you deliberately fostering this atmosphere?

Rolfes: "I firmly believe you need harmony in a team. It's also fostered by, among other things, the squad not being overly big and therefore every player knowing they're really needed. That trust carries over to the whole group and creates a positive dynamic. A trusting relationship helps immensely if you want to be successful, and makes you more efficient. And on this basis, you can also challenge the players more because harmony alone is not enough in the end."

The character element is evidently important to you in squad planning. Are you always in agreement in this process and in the selection of players?

Carro: "At the end of the day, I find having different opinions helps to achieve better results. I often take a differing position in debates, even if I have the same opinion, so that we can discuss it again and come to the best decision in the end."

Rolfes: "We almost never have genuine arguments, though. Our strength is that we start the process from the front and not from the back. We visualise: what kind of budget do we have, what adjustments can be made – and only at a very late stage do specific names come up. That's when the expertise of our scouting department, led by Kim Falkenberg, comes into play and a priority ranking is created – of players, of positions, of alternatives, etc. I think that's what sets us apart. The fact that we don't look at what or who we think is good, but ask ourselves based on the parameters mentioned: What positions and what kind of players do we need?"

Which qualities in each other do you value in this process?

Carro: "For example, if we want to sign a player in a certain position and Simon has three or four names on his list, then that suddenly sparks my interest in all of them. But in the end, he'll give a concrete assessment from his side of how much we would spend on which player and why. So, Simon manages to combine the sporting quality with the financial figures. I really appreciate that about him and I trust him 100 percent."

Rolfes: "What I value about Fernando is that he's always open to kick-starting things and also realising when the path to it might be difficult. That he always has that ambition to make things possible within the framework of what we have. I think we're different characters in that respect, as you might have noticed. (laughs) But that's what makes us a duo and ultimately the whole organisation stronger."

Looking ahead to the forthcoming year, the Werkself are still in all three competitions. Last year the 'Coming Home' was celebrated here. If we fast-forward to May 2025, what could there be to celebrate?

Rolfes: "You play for objectives, for an end point, for the final, but the journey there is what makes a whole season. At the moment, my greatest ambition is to get us back into that mode, to create an electrifying atmosphere everywhere again. Not just in the team, but in the entire club and in the stadium. Because in the end, that's the basis for achieving extraordinary things like titles. The basis is this energy. Of course, it remains to be seen what we'll end up with but if we can rekindle this energy, then we're doing well."

And, looking ahead to the next two years, do you have a vision for Bayer 04 in terms of what the club should look like then?

Carro: "We want to continue being successful on the pitch. Staying at the top level is often harder than getting there. I mean, an improvement on becoming champions undefeated is not easy. (laughs) That's the challenge for us but it also makes it exciting. Furthermore, we want to grow as a club in all departments – first team, women, youth – so that young players make the step up to the first team and we continue to build on our infrastructures."

Rolfes: "We want to keep playing exciting football and want the team to convey this passion, this will to win and this happiness. I think that fascinated a lot of people last season. If we can take that into the future, then we'll be successful in everything – in results, in the table and in particular in terms of the growth and the reputation of this club. We also want to achieve with the youth team what the first team achieved this year – becoming German champions."