[ 11goals ] - Interview with Vivien Beil (SSD Napoli Femminile)

Dear Vivien,

1.What 3 things fascinate you about football?

Football has the wonderful ability to bring different people together. It doesn't matter what age, gender, skin color, nationality or sexual orientation someone has. Football is colorful. Through football I have met so many wonderful different people.
What also fascinates me about football is that you just need a ball to play the game. You can play anytime and anywhere, rain or shine, warm or cold, barefoot on the beach or with shoes on in a field. I also think that this is the reason why football exists and is loved all over the world.
Another thing that fascinates me about football is that the game is always evolving. There are always new, young, innovative coaches who are putting a new stamp on football with a new formation or rotation. That's why you never stop learning in football. There is always something new to learn. And I love that.

2. Your best football moment so far?

I think this is the European Championship title with the U-17 national team in 2012. We beat France on penalties in an exciting final. I was also able to actively contribute to this success with my assist to make it 1-1 and my penalty kick. With this title we also qualified for the U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan, which was also an incredible and unforgettable experience.

3. What do you think is the key to being happy?

I believe that there are many things involved in being happy. However, I would rate balance in life very highly. Another important key is to listen to yourself and your body. To stay true to yourself and be your own best friend. We are often very hard on ourselves, which is certainly sometimes required and therefore a good thing. But the only person we will spend our entire lives with is ourselves. Therefore, it is extremely important that we have a great relationship with ourselves and maintain it.

4. What motivates you or how do you motivate yourself?

I'm actually almost always motivated. The expectations I place on myself always encourage me to get the best out of myself. Of course, there are also the goals of the team I play for. Working towards individual or team goals is motivation enough for me.

5. What was the best decision in your football career?

All. I think that every decision and every stage in my career had a purpose. Of course there were stations that were more difficult or didn't fulfill what I was looking for. But there wasn't one that was better than another. Every decision and the associated experiences had their positive and negative sides. Looking back, I don't regret anything and don't think I ever will.

6. What goals do you have for yourself and with Naples?

With Naples, the goal this season is definitely to stay in the league. Things are looking pretty good at the moment! For myself, the goal is of course to continue playing in a high-class league. Where I will go after this season is still uncertain, but I would also like to play in the Champions League again one day.

7. What three things in your life are you most grateful for?

My family, because they support me always and from everywhere. I can always rely on my family.
That I was able to turn my hobby into a career. It's really wonderful to be able to play football every day and finance my life with it.

I am grateful for all my teammates, coaches and medical teams who have shaped, developed and challenged me over the years. I'm just grateful for everyone who accompanied me on my path.

8. Your life motto?

“ Your ultimate power source comes from the neck up, not the neck down.” – Tim S. Grover

9. Your life without football would be...

That's fine too, but something would definitely be missing. During the Corona pandemic, I became aware of how extremely important the social aspect of football is. Every day you work in a team, over the course of your career you get to know many different people and everyone works towards the same goal. And then of course there is daily exercise and the idea of ​​competition.
If I didn't play soccer, I would definitely play another team sport. But I'm very happy that I can live my life with football.

10. Are women more inquisitive about training?

I have heard this from many coaches, female and male, throughout my career. I think it generally depends on the person, but I believe that we women always need a reason. Why do we make this fit? Why do we play in attacking press? We want to understand why we do what we do. I also have the feeling that we are more self-critical and are always trying to improve. After training, everyone always wants to stay on the pitch longer to work on their weaknesses or rehearse standard situations. I love this attitude and it's extremely fun to work in such an environment.

11. What do you enjoy most about your job?

It was always my dream to turn my hobby into a career. My job as a soccer player is a lot of fun. I think the best thing is that you spend every day with people who are working towards the same goal as you. I think the social aspect of football is something that I have learned to appreciate even more with the Corona pandemic. Every day I get to stand on the pitch with strong women and work hard to get better and achieve common goals. For me, this is one of the best things about my job.

Thank you, Vivi! Good luck in Naples, get well soon and see you soon!