Super Mario

DW-WORLD.DE: Mario, when are we going to see you on the pitch again?

Mario Gomez: I can't say at the moment. I'm working up to seven hours a day to get my fitness back. But I'm definitely not going to rush things.

Before you suffered a knee injury on March 11, everything was going great. You were the top goal-getter in the Bundesliga, Stuttgart was at the top of the table, and you had made your debut in the German national team. Will you have to start from scratch?

I definitely won't have to start from scratch. But it would be arrogant to think that I'll have the same form I had before I got hurt.

You teammates in Stuttgart have been scoring lots of goals in your absence. Do you feel like the team needs you less?

Not at all. I'm happy for them. It doesn't matter who scores the goals. The main thing is that we're successful as a team.

Next season you could be playing with Stuttgart in the Champions League and with the German national team at Euro 2008. Are you hoping to make a name for yourself on the European stage?

If someone had told me before the start of this season that I'd score 13 goals and play for Germany, I would have laughed in his face. I don't like putting myself under pressure. I just want to get healthy again and improve as a player.

You're considered a natural talent. But how much of that is hard work?

I have some natural ability, but I also work hard on my weaknesses.

What are your weaknesses?

Above all: staying calm in front of the goal. Sometimes I also let my opponent get the better of me in one-on-one situations. I try to address these deficiencies every time I practice.

Do you think you have a guaranteed spot in Germany's Euro 2008 squad?

Getting injured has shown me how fast things can change. So I'm not thinking ahead at all to the European Championship next year.

Are you staying in Stuttgart? There have been reports of offers from foreign clubs, for example, Juventus and AC Milan.

Of course I'm staying at Stuttgart. I just extended my contract to 2011.

So you don't dream of playing in Spain's Primera Division?

My favorite club is Barcelona. It would be a dream come true to play for them.

You come from a mixed German-Spanish background and have two Mexican teammates at Stuttgart, Ricardo Osorio and Pavel Pardo. Do you speak to them in Spanish?

Both of them speak good German, and they're getting better every day. But sometimes we do talk to each other in Spanish.

So where will Stuttgart end up this season. Will you win the league or the German Cup?

If only I knew (laughs)…