Cansu Aydınogulları
After spending the whole career in Turkey, she has decided to accept an offer from Germany even though she had offers from Turkey. We asked her how did she come up with such decision since the Turkish league is always a good option.
For the first time in your career, you will be playing abroad. How did you come up with such a decision?
“The idea of playing abroad had been in my mind for a long time ago. At any stage of my career, I wanted to have success and win cups in a country that is out of my comfort zone. Meanwhile, it seemed very attractive from the beginning to meet other cultures and get new experiences outside my own country. Therefore, I didn’t want to refuse it when I got such an opportunity. Thus, my adventure in Germany has started and I have taken the first step to realize one of my dreams in my volleyball career.”
You are playing in German Bundesliga, team Stuttgart. What do you expect there?
“When I got an offer from the Stuttgart volleyball team, the very first thing I looked at were the goals of the team and what they achieved last year. When I had researched, I found out a team that has played continuously to the top throughout the year and finally became a champion. This fits with my career goals. What I am saying is that I came here to have trophies. My expectation from this adventure is always aiming for the top and being successful with a team which I am one of the main parts of it.”
Your team had a successful opening of the season. What are your impressions after your debut?
“We played the first game of the season against Münster. There were too many fans on the court. Our supporters also came to support us. We couldn’t get into the first set. But then we won the game by showing our real power. I’m glad we won the game with 3 points. We have a game against Dresden on Saturday. We continue to work for this game.”
Are you satisfied with the team and city in general?
“When I got here, it was pleasing to see that almost everything I needed was prepared. I was welcomed nicely here. After that, I saw that a nice environment was created for us to work here, and it was very gratifying. At this stage, I would like to talk about supporters. It is already very satisfying for a sportswoman to see the stands completely full of supporters while you are playing on the court. In this sense, one of the things that will make me happy here is to play in front of thousands. On the other hand, even though we were able to meet late due to the European Championship, we managed to get in touch with my teammates immediately. That is to say, I’m happy with the friendship in the locker room. And about the city, we try to see new places and explore the city almost every time we find some spare time with my teammates. I have seen and visited some places up to now, but I am sure that there is more to explore. I will continue to explore new places as long as I have time. Besides, there is a great number of Turkish people living here. So it’s not that difficult for me to reach what I miss. In this sense, the city also satisfies me, too.”
How do you see this move – what will you get by continuing a career in Germany?
“For me, that’s a significant step in my career. It has two reasons. The very first one is the mission that I’ve taken. If you take a closer look, you’ll see that very few volleyball players in Turkey go abroad to play volleyball. In this context, considering the volleyball players in my country, I acted different than them and went beyond the routine. By being successful here, I would like to show to the new generation and to the Turkish players who rejected to play out of their comfort zone, that there are other options on the road to success. This is also strengthening my motivation to succeed here. The second one is related to my career. As I said before, I want to aim for the top and win cups. In Stuttgart and therefore in Germany, I have the proper conditions for achieving these goals. For all these reasons I’ve mentioned, this is going to be a challenge for me.”
Is your desire to play in some other league as well, outside Turkey, in the future?
“As you would appreciate, the Turkish league that I had played for years is tough. You can never know what the future will bring, but I would like to keep playing abroad for a while. For now, I am really happy to be playing in the Bundesliga. In the near future, I would like to continue to play here. Apart from here, I would also like to play in the Italian league too at any stage of my career. However, as I said, being here is already a great pleasure and quite enjoyable. Now, I am going to enjoy being a part of this team and playing in this league.”
Have you talked to someone before joining your new team?
“Before coming here, I talked to our coach Giannis and of course my manager Tunç. Besides, thanks to Kim, the sports director of my team, I had the opportunity to watch the videos of the matches that Stuttgart played last year. At the same time, I did detailed research on Stuttgart’s achievements in different tournaments last year.”
Stuttgart are the winning champions in Germany – are you able to repeat this success?
“That’s why me and my teammates are here. In addition to the league cup, we won last year, we want to be at the top in the German Super Cup and the German Cup this year. We also have a goal to go as far as we can in the Champions League. A good team was built this year. I think we have the power to carry on with success and maybe to expand it with other trophies,” says Cansu Aydinogullari.
Check out more interviews.
————————————————————————————————-
Since you are here…
…we have a small favor to ask. WorldofVolley is one of the most popular volleyball websites in the world that provides many volleyball news daily. We are covering many worldwide competitions, trying to inform all of our fans by publishing the breaking news.
Since we want to keep our future much secure, consider this donate button as a way to support our work and to help us grow.
THANK YOU!
