“That goes to show how much you can achieve in a year”

2024 was a triumphant year for Werder’s Romano Schmid, who, throughout the 12 months, stepped up to the plate for both the Green-Whites and the Austrian national team. The midfielder was involved in a total of 49 games for the two sides throughout the year, proving himself worthy of a spot in his country’s starting line-up and scoring his first ever goal in a major tournament in the summer. In an interview with WERDER.DE, Romano reflected openly on the year, one that was characterised by a combination of both success and mental resilience.

WERDER.DE: Romano, thanks for joining us to discuss your 2024. How would you sum up the year in as few words as possible?

Romano Schmid: I would simply say – quick and significant improvement.

WERDER.DE: What exactly do you mean by quick?

Romano Schmid: At the beginning of the year, I wasn’t a regular starter and was also often on the bench for the national side at that point. I then got called up again in March and made ten or eleven appearances in the starting line-up for Austria. The only time that I started a match as a substitute for Werder was in the first game of the season, and proceeded to make it into the XI in every game from that point on. When I say quick, I mean the rate at which I secured my regular spot in both teams. That just goes to show how much you can achieve in a year.

WERDER.DE: Would you say that this has been the best year of your career?

Romano Schmid: Yes, without a doubt.

WERDER.DE: The numbers don’t lie. You only missed one game for Werder in this calendar year due to suspension, and were in action for Austria in every one of their fixtures. What incited this great run of form?

Romano Schmid: First and foremost, I would like to say a huge thank you to Stoxi (Günther Stoxreiter, Ed.), our fitness coach. I’ve been working closely with him for two years now, and he’s helped me develop in all areas. The physios also played a huge part in that too, of course. But now that the year is coming to an end, I’m starting to realise that I’m walking a bit of a tightrope, and my body is slowly telling me that it’s becoming tired.

WERDER.DE: What sort of things make that apparent?

Romano Schmid: You either start to make little mistakes on the pitch, notice something physically, or just feel exhausted. If you compare my pass completion rate last season with the first half of the current season, there’s a clear difference. I haven’t been as confident in my passing over the last few weeks as I was before, but that’s just part of the game. I’ll now recharge my batteries over the break and hit the ground running next year as I did in 2024.