Oliver Burke: RB Leipzig are everything I was looking for

The morning after scoring his first Bundesliga goal Oliver Burke is surrounded by journalists in a small room at Leipzig’s impressive training ground. “I’ve got to work on my celebrations,” he says with a cheeky grin. Even when he’s sitting down, his frame dwarves the rest of the group. But it’s his friendly nature that really overwhelms, particularly when answering the question on everyone’s lips: Why did Scotland’s most expensive player choose Leipzig?

“We were on the plane and they were showing me how they play as a team and, literally, I looked at it and smiled. It was amazing. We were just chatting the whole way to Germany about how I could fit into the team and what role I’d have. Not just saying how good I am as a player, which is also nice to hear, but saying you’ve got a long way to go. Your hard drive is always only halfway (full), or there’s nothing there defensively. It’s empty. I was left thinking, Damn. It’s everything I was looking for,” Burke says.

The Leipzig story has become almost ubiquitous in recent months and from the outside looking in, there are plenty of reasons to question the model - Red Bull’s sterile, business-like plan for the club and seven years of Playstation-like success among them.

But Burke was unfazed at joining Germany’s most unpopular club. “It doesn’t bother me at all. It’s not something I concentrate on.” Given the reasons behind his decision to move to Leipzig, that is perhaps unsurprising.

“Look at the facilities. They’re some of the best in the world. It’s not just that, there are other clubs that have great facilities, but it’s the love, you know? If a manager really wants you and wants to play you, then that’s the main priority. I didn’t even know about the figures and the money. I just said, ‘Wow. Let’s do it! Let’s play football. Let’s play in the Bundesliga,” Burke says, revealing both his youthful ambition and Leipzig’s employment of a personal touch.

Leipzig showed the love

That human approach lies in stark contrast to the way the club are often portrayed. “Leipzig showed enough love, care and attention,” Burke says, before adding that other interested clubs and his previous club Nottingham Forest failed to show anywhere near the same level of desire. “For a young man, I don’t want to go to a club, and know that it’s a big club, but am I going to play? Am I going to progress? Or are they just going to stick me out on loan? You could have all the money in the world but if you’re not playing, you’re not happy are you?”

Burke is grounded, and speaks diligently about life as a professional footballer. He says that one of the main reasons the club won him over was because they worked hard to make sure Burke was happy. When asked what he missed most about home, Burke’s answer was neither typical footballer nor typical teenager. “I just miss my Mum. She plays a big part.”

He even asked his mother if the move to Leipzig was ok with her. She was as jubilant as his friends when he let them know. “’I’ve moved,’” Burke recalls telling them. “’I’ve just signed for Leipzig. Leipzig? Yeah, they play in the Bundesliga. Wow! Bloomin ‘eck. So you’ll be living in Germany now? Yeah, pretty much.’”

Big Bundesliga fan, quick learner

His love for the Bundesliga began at a young age, and doesn't seem to be manufactured for the ears of the paying public in Germany. “When I was a young boy I used to go on Sky and watch Bundesliga goals on catch up. Big crowds, big fans. The passion here is amazing...I noticed a huge difference. It’s a lot better than it was in the Championship.”

Adapting to the pressing style demanded at his new club is something Burke relishes. “It’s definitely a different style of play because when I was at Nottingham Forest I had the freedom to stay wide and stay attacking. At Leipzig now, it’s really important (that) it’s not about the individual, it’s a team game. I believe I’m a quick learner.”

Burke recalls his shock when he first arrived to train with Leipzig's youthful squad. “I thought, these guys look like the under-16s. And then we started playing and it’s like, maybe not,” he recalls with a broad smile.

The language is a struggle, but he’s learning. The constant football talk also proves too intense some days, which is why he sometimes turns off his phone in the evenings, just to get away. In the mean time, football is proving a more than adequate means of communication. “You just become friends by playing football. That’s how good the game is.”

Burke’s game remains raw in so many aspects, but his instincts are already incredibly promising, as is his mature character. “I’m not the finished article,” he says. And when asked to compare himself to Gareth Bale, he simply says: “Steady on. Let me just do my thing on the pitch.” Just like Leipzig, Burke’s season will be an intriguing watch.

 

Oliver Burke spoke to DW's Jonathan Harding, among other journalists, in Leipzig on September 26.