Lainer: “It’s given me more strength”

Stefan Lainer returned to action after recovering from cancer in the last home game against FC Augsburg (2-1 loss). The 31-year-old spoke to us about his emotional comeback, giving hope to others and Borussia’s current run of games.

Stevie, you returned to competitive action after more than five months out last Sunday. How emotional was this game for you?

Lainer: It was unbelievable and really hard to put into words. I started on the bench and didn’t know if I’d come on or not, but then I was suddenly on the touchline getting ready. The whole stadium shouted my name. It was during that moment that I realised how many people had been involved in my story. It was a great feeling and has given me more strength.

What went through your head when you were getting ready to come off the bench?

Lainer: Not a lot initially because I was fully focused on the game. We were 2-1 down, so I wanted to give my all in the final 20 minutes and help us turn things around. It was only as I came on that I realised what a special moment it was for me personally. I get goosebumps now just speaking about it. Even though it was a cameo appearance, it was a really emotional and special game for me.

You kept yourself fit during your therapy and worked on your fitness. What did your standard day look like when it came to training?

Lainer: I was only at BORUSSIA-PARK when I felt well during this time. There were also days where I could barely train and some where I couldn’t at all. That’s normal though. I remained in close contact with the doctors and Alex Mouhcine, who coordinated all of my training. I was therefore always under observation and that allowed me to complete the training programme made for me. I mostly trained on my own – otherwise the risk of picking up a bug or an illness from a teammate would have been too high. That’s why I was never with the rest of the lads and was generally on my own. That just makes being back with the team even more special now. You only realise how important something is when you have to go without it for such a long time.

You defeated cancer and therefore gave hope to other people suffering from it. How does that feel?

Lainer: I’d like to get back to the best version of Stevie Lainer to give others in a similar situation some hope. I want to show people that you can get back to full fitness and your normal life. It’s important in this kind of situation to keep looking to the future and to remain positive at all times. I can’t forget that I was somewhat fortunate and always had really important people looking out for me too.

The defeat to Augsburg put somewhat of a dampener on your return. What do you think we could have done better?

Lainer: We should have played with more energy at the start of both halves. We needed to be hungry for more success after the win over Stuttgart, but this unfortunately wasn’t the case.

Next up is a trip to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday night. Why are they so strong at the moment and what are your aims for the game?

Lainer: Leverkusen have lots of quality and depth in their squad. There is real competition for places within their team and they perform at a high level in every game. It will be a really difficult challenge for us, but we’ve got good players too. Our coach will also give us a good game plan to work with, which we’ll stick to with passion and energy. You obviously need a bit of luck in Leverkusen, so we’ll need to earn that on Saturday night.