Werder Bremen's Mitchell Weiser on his long-term injury, emotional comeback and aims this season
Werder Bremen's Mitchell Weiser says his comeback from a long-term injury "was like a cheesy movie" - but one that he will also never forget. In this interview, the 32-year-old discusses his 14-month spell on the sidelines, and what it means to be back.
Weiser tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee in Bremen training July last year and subsequently missing the entire 2025/26 season. He made an emotional return on Matchday 3 this term, and followed it up with a dramatic winner a week later. We caught up with him to find out what it all means...
Bundesliga: Mitchell, what are the first thoughts that come to mind when you think about the game against Augsburg?
Weiser: "First of all, a lot of joy. I’m also very, very proud of that moment. But above all, it was a special moment that I’ll never forget."
Watch: Weiser's emotional return
Bundesliga: After 14 months out injured, could you have written a better story?
Weiser: "I said afterwards to the people around me that it really was like a movie, especially for me. Over the last few months, as I got closer to returning to the team, I kept thinking more and more about my comeback and what it might look like.
“Of course, I always imagined it ending with a goal. Then for it to actually happen, in my second game back, at home in front of our own fans, coming on while we were behind [Bremen were 2-0 down but ended up winning 3-2], then equalising and scoring the winner in stoppage time – it really was like a cheesy movie. I’m incredibly happy and proud that I was able to experience something like that."
Watch: Analysing Bremen's incredible comeback against Augsburg
Bundesliga: Before we talk about the goal in the third minute of stoppage time, let’s first look at the big chance you missed in the 68th minute. What happened there?
Weiser: "I had just come on, and [Niclas] Füllkrug won the ball. As soon as he got the ball, I thought, ‘Okay, this is actually the moment.’ Then I messed it up, and I thought, ‘Damn.’ But my very next thought was, ‘It doesn’t matter, you’re going to get another one.’ I kept telling myself that over the next few minutes.
“Then Füllkrug scored the equaliser, I took the ball out of the net, and I knew that I, or whoever it was, that we were definitely going to win the game. Then for the ball to come to me like that in stoppage time, I still can hardly believe it. To strike the ball like that, it really felt as if it simply had to happen."
Bundesliga: Now tell us about the goal that completed the 3-2 win after being 2-0 down. Can you describe the move, starting with Marco Grüll’s cross?
Weiser: "Of course, I’ve watched it back a few times. At first, I didn’t even notice how Grüll controlled the ball because without the way he takes that ball, none of it happens. Then he plays it perfectly into my path. The ball comes to me and, in the millisecond before I hit it, I genuinely knew: I’m going to connect with it and it’s going to be a goal. There was no other possibility. I knew it was going in.
“I think every athlete knows that feeling, or maybe everyone experiences it in their own profession. Sometimes there are moments when you simply know it’s going to happen. That was exactly one of those moments. It was also confirmation of all the work I’ve done over the last few months, the work on myself, my belief and the personal journey I’ve been on.
“It showed me once again that everything in life is worth it. It was the perfect confirmation of everything I’ve been through over the last few months."
Watch: Weiser celebrates his winner
Bundesliga: You can feel the emotions even now. What was it like for you immediately after the ball went in?
Weiser: "I honestly don’t know. I can’t really describe it. I just remember running off to celebrate and jumping into the air. I thought to myself, ‘I haven’t even jumped that high since I got fit again.’ Everything was working again. Then the boys came towards me, and that was actually the nicest part of the whole thing for me.
“Of course, we have a few new players, but there are also a lot of familiar faces that I really missed being on the pitch with. Competing again alongside the boys, fighting those battles together and, in this case, being successful means a lot to me."
Bundesliga: Let’s talk about the difficult period you went through. How did you cope with such a challenging time?
Weiser: "It was very difficult. First of all, just not being able to get involved was hard. On top of that, it really wasn’t nice to watch because we simply weren’t playing well and I couldn’t help at all. That wasn’t easy, no question.
“But I still had my daily routine. I went into rehab every week with a positive attitude. Of course, you get into a bit of a spiral because anyone who has been through a long rehab will tell you that things don’t always keep moving upwards. There are days or even weeks when things really don’t go well.
“Because I did my rehab here, I was also around the team when they weren’t happy, so it wasn’t an easy time. But we – and I say ‘we’ because in some ways my situation was comparable to the team’s – always tried to be self-critical and keep working. I think that attitude is also what ultimately kept us in the league.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t help the team last season, but I think there’s a completely different energy and belief in the team now. Not everything is perfect yet, no question, but I’m very happy that I can now be part of it, give my best in every training session, improve and play good football again."
Bundesliga: During those long 14 months, do you ever think about retiring, and do you have to push negative thoughts aside?
Weiser: "I genuinely didn’t think about retiring for a single second. But I did think a lot about players I’ve known since my youth who suffered injuries or maybe had several injuries and kept coming back. I have to say, going through rehab like this several times deserves enormous respect.
“Huge respect to everyone who goes through that, every athlete who comes back and maybe even comes back better. If you haven’t experienced it yourself, you don’t really know what it’s like. I’ve known a lot of guys who went through it, and maybe I didn’t think about what they were going through as much as I would now. You get a completely different perspective once you’ve experienced it yourself."
Bundesliga: How did your family, your wife and your children help you during that time?
Weiser: "They helped me a lot, of course. Home is always my place of comfort, but during that time even more so. I’m very grateful for my wife and my children. Obviously, my children didn’t understand that much about what was happening, but I think they noticed that I wasn’t doing what I had always done before, and you could tell they were a little worried as well.
“The positive side of the injury was that I had more time with my children and my wife, and I really enjoyed that even during such a difficult period."
Bundesliga: When making a comeback like this, is it mainly excitement, or were you also a little nervous? What does it feel like?
Weiser: "I wouldn’t call it nervousness. It’s more that you know you’re back on the stage where your absolute best is required. I didn’t really have doubts anymore, but maybe there was still one percent.
“A lot of players talk about how, with that first challenge, all of that disappears – that protective shell you had, and maybe that your teammates still gave you a little bit in training. It disappears with the first real challenge. You can’t overcome that hurdle beforehand in training; it has to happen in a game. So it wasn’t nervousness, but there was still maybe one percent of apprehension, and that disappeared very quickly."
Bundesliga: You’ve played in the Champions League and won Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich. Was the goal against Augsburg still the most emotional moment of your career?
Weiser: "I’ve said in the past that I think it’s a moment I’ll never forget, and I don’t say that about every situation. It was something very, very special. You can’t really compare these moments, but because I had been separated from my passion for such a long time, it was one of the biggest emotional explosions I’ve ever experienced. So it’s definitely right up there."
Bundesliga: What are your personal and sporting goals for this season and this year?
Weiser: "For me, the first thing is to become as match-fit as possible and hopefully soon start getting my minutes from the beginning of games. My goal is obviously to be completely fit for 90 minutes, which hopefully won’t take much longer.
“As a team, we still need to continue finding ourselves. Of course, we won against Augsburg, but you could almost say there were two or three absolutley stunning goals. We still played a good game, but we have a lot of work ahead of us. That’s why we’re taking it game by game."
Bundesliga: Grüll is in excellent form at the moment, and Füllkrug is back in Bremen. How important are both of them to Werder’s game?
Weiser: "I think Füllkrug has already been a very important factor for us, especially because the striker position was still an area where we needed something. With his energy and experience, and the fact that he’s already scoring again, he’s very, very important for us.
Watch: Füllkrug loving life back at Bremen
“And with Grüll, I’ve told him how proud I am of him. During pre-season, he was often the first substitute and was hardly ever in the starting XI. But his attitude, his professionalism and the way he always tries to get the best out of himself while completely putting himself at the service of the team – it’s no coincidence that this is happening now.
“These are exactly the kind of players you want in your team. I’m super happy for him that things are going so well, and I hope it continues for a long time."
Bundesliga: The next game is coming up on Friday evening, and it’s not an easy one away against Borussia Dortmund. What are your expectations?
Weiser: "It will only work if we perform as a team. I think we need absolute determination in every position, everyone has to reach their maximum, and of course we’ll also need to have a very good day in terms of quality.
“There’s no question about that. I think Dortmund are one of the most organised and one of the best teams in Europe right now. An average performance won’t be enough. We need a top performance, but I believe we’re capable of producing one."
