The striker discussed his admiration for his current club and the love he still has for former club PSG
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting says he could see himself remaining with Bayern Munich beyond his current contract with the club.
The striker, who will be key for Bayern in the coming weeks due to Robert Lewandowski’s injury, joined the club in October from Wednesday’s Champions League opponents Paris Saint-Germain.
His contract is set to end this summer, but the Cameroonian striker has told Goal and Spox that he believes he could remain with the Bundesliga giants.
What did he have to say?
When asked if he could remain with Bayern, Choupo-Moting said: “Of course.
“I really enjoy being part of this team. We work hard together and we all have the ambition to have as much success as possible. Apart from that, it’s an honor to play for FC Bayern.”
‘Football business is like a shark tank’
Choupo-Moting has played in several countries throughout his career, having come up through the ranks at Hamburg.
He also featured for Mainz and Schalke before leaving Germany to join Stoke for a one-year spell.
Now back in Germany after several years abroad, the striker says his family has played a key role in his career as he’s navigated a difficult path to the top of the game.
“The football business is a shark tank,” he says, “If you are successful – and the younger players, in particular, will notice this even more over time – there will always be one or the other who suddenly wants to be your best friend and help you, even though he was hardly there for you before.
“More and more people come up to you and that is why it is important to have caregivers who also protect you, whom you can trust 100 per cent. Family is first and foremost always the best, relatives in general, or they can also be close friends from childhood or youth.
“I still have a lot of friends like that. Like me, they all come from Hamburg, have nothing to do with football, but are very proud of me. I am happy to have people like that in my life.”
Despite the highs and lows that come with playing at the top of the sport, Choupo-Moting says he feels comfortable with Bayern Munich thanks to the family-like atmosphere at the club.
“I’m not a pretender type. I talk and laugh a lot, but still work hard,” he said. “This mix is important. And in general, it has never been difficult for me to integrate.
“I also have to say that FC Bayern is like a huge family. I was welcomed very well here, and I get along really well with the guys, the staff, and everyone who works in this club – be it the cooks, the employees, the security. Everyone here has made it easy for me to feel good since day one.”
His love for PSG and Dragon Ball Z
Before moving to Bayern, Choupo-Moting spent two seasons with PSG, where he scored nine goals in 51 appearances.
The striker says he still has several friends at PSG and remains proud of the two Ligue 1 titles he won with the club.
And he also admitted that he misses the club’s supporters, who made the forward feel special thanks to a banner calling back to his childhood.
“I’m someone who always gives absolutely everything for my club, and I think the fans felt that too,” he said. “The atmosphere in the stadium sometimes gave me goosebumps.
“Once the fans created a giant Dragon Ball Z banner! I totally celebrated this because Dragon Ball Z was my childhood favorite along with Prince of Bel-Air. In order not to miss them, I even ran home from school!
“And suddenly you are in the stadium years later, playing top-level football and see a huge Dragon Ball Z banner. Then you connect all of this to your childhood and your dream. Unfortunately, I won’t see the fans again because of the coronavirus, but I won’t forget it.”