Bayern Munich's Konrad Laimer on Harry Kane, Luis Díaz's new song and the World Cup
Konrad Laimer says teammate Harry Kane is "incredible" and that Luis Díaz needs to "audition" before his vocals will be allowed in the Bayern Munich changing room.
Speaking to the Bundesliga in the build-up to Matchday 16, the 28-year-old also gave his thoughts on a number of topics, including what it's like to play under Vincent Kompany, and this year's World Cup.
Konrad, what are your New Year’s resolutions – both from a footballing and personal perspective?
Konrad Laimer: “Nothing special, really. In the end, it was nice to enjoy the holidays a bit, switch off a bit, and above all clear my head. I came into the new year with the same mindset I’ve always had: to give my all, to get better and, ideally, to win every game.”
If you had to describe Bayern's Bundesliga season so far in three words, what would you go with?
Laimer: “Intense, fun and ambitious. Those are the three words that come to mind.”
Watch: The best of Laimer in 2025/26
Bayern have raised their game compared to last season. What would you put that down to? What has changed compared to last year?
Laimer: “I don’t think things have changed that much. We’ve obviously had games – last season and this season – which we can learn from and help us get better. We’re still capable of improving, and when you work together for longer, you obviously get better at certain routines. You have a better understand of what the person next to you is doing. I think that’s worked really well in many games.”
What role has Harry Kane played this season, on and off the pitch?
Laimer: “A big one. First of all, he’s an incredible player. Secondly, he’s a big character who's obviously a leader in our team, and who leads by example. When you have players like that who invest so much off the pitch too, all the other players say: ‘He’s there, he’s first, he’s doing this again, he’s doing that again.’ It makes it hard for anyone to do any less.”
Watch: What makes Kane the best of the best?
People always say the dressing room atmosphere is incredibly important. How is it at the moment? Has anything changed in the last few months?
Laimer: “Yes, the atmosphere in the dressing room is talked about a lot. In the end, you have to bring everything together on the pitch. We’re managing to do that right now. I always think you should be allowed to address things on the pitch and, sometimes, in the dressing room. I think we have a very good mix. We simply want to win games and win titles.
“First and foremost, you need to give your all in training, prepare for all eventualities and, in difficult moments, stick together as a team. Everyone on the pitch and everyone on the bench, as well as those who are injured, need to stick together and overcome hurdles together.
"You always have to face those in a long season. It has happened before and it will happen again. It always helps to have a team whose players help each other.”
Watch: Bayern Munich - The Invincibles 2.0?
You’ve already played under some great coaches in your career. What separates Kompany from the rest?
Laimer: “That’s hard to say. He definitely helps us a lot. He has a clear plan for how we wants to play football and conveys it very well. He has a very good feel for when to push things a bit, because he senses when we’re not quite switched on. It’s a lot of fun to play under him, to learn how he sees the game and how he wants football to be.”
When you look at your own career, what phase do you see yourself in right now – on the pitch and from a personal perspective?
Laimer: “It’s always a bit tougher at a certain age. I’m 28, I’ve already experienced a fair bit. I’ve already played quite a few games and, yes, time always seems to pass so quickly. I actually still feel very young. You do notice that you’re a bit older, but it’s fun. I feel great and I feel I have many, many years left in me.
“The most important thing is to look after your body. That’s a good thing when you’ve been playing football for a few years. I know what suits me, I know what doesn’t suit me. I know what I need, even during long weeks with tough games, to perform at 100 percent. At the moment, everything feels really, really good.”
Watch: Highlights of Bayern's friendly win over Salzburg during the winter break
What did it mean to be named Austria’s Footballer of the Year?
Laimer: “It’s always nice to receive an award like that. It confirms that you’ve been working hard and it’s an incentive to keep going, or even give a little bit more.”
Let’s look ahead to the summer and the World Cup. Austria have qualified for the first time in several years. What does that mean for the country, and for you personally, to be part of that success story?
Laimer: “It’s special. You can tell, no matter where you are, that people are already talking about it. Being there is obviously very, very special. You don’t often play at a World Cup, especially not with Austria.
"It’s enormous and there’s still plenty of time until it gets under way, but when it actually kicks off and we’re flying over there, we’ll already have a bit of a grin on our faces. That’s what we all play football for, to be part of something like that.”
You’re a role model for a lot of young footballers, Bayern fans and people in Austria too. Who were your role models as a young boy?
Laimer: “I used to tell myself that Steven Gerrard was my role model, but I had many. I watched so much football. I think the most important thing, no matter how old you are, is not to stop having fun, no matter where you play, how you play and how old you are.
"For me, it's always been that way. There are always things you can pick up from many different players. For me there were several [role models], but if I had to name one, it would be Steven Gerrard.”
What aspects of Gerrard’s game did you pay particularly close attention to?
Laimer: “As a kid, you only look at the goals because that’s what football is about. When someone scores a beautiful goal, it’s the nicest thing there is. That’s changed a bit nowadays. When you play football, you also look at certain runs and certain decisions. What does a player do before certain actions? You notice how football keeps changing.
“That’s why it’s so exciting and I find it interesting to watch other games, to watch our games and even watch my own games back, to always find a few things to get better at.”
Your teammate Luis Díaz recently released a song. Have you heard it yet?
Laimer: “I’ve only read about it. I haven’t actually heard it yet, but he needs to sing it! I think I’ll bring it up.”
Now that you know Díaz, do you think it might get played in the changing room?
Laimer: “I can definitely imagine that he has potential, but I’ve never heard him sing! He first needs to audition for us, then we’ll see if it’s allowed.”
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