BY all accounts, RB Leipzig are so divisive they should be sponsored by Donald Trump. Sorry Mr President, just kidding. For some, they are a success story, a tantalising tale that could yet see them end Bayern Munich’s dominance of the Bundesliga. From the fifth division of German football to the top tier in just seven seasons, they are staying true to the mantra of their energy drink backers who boldly declare that Red Bull gives you wings. For others, though, they have taken those cherished German footballing ideals of history, tradition and identity and tossed them into the White Elster river in this relentless, money-driven march towards glory.
Dynamo Dresden fans certainly showed what they made of it all during a cup encounter between the two Saxony sides last weekend when some of the more boisterous elements of the East German club’s fan base tossed the severed head of a bull on to the pitch side.
Like Leipzig’s rapid rise through the divisions, Oliver Burke’s life in Germany has been a bit of a whirlwind too since his eye-opening £13 million transfer from Nottingham Forest in August. Kirkcaldy born but raised in the pork pie capital of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, it was perhaps no surprise to learn that the efforts to make the 19-year-old Scot feel at home by the RB Leipzig supporters caused a bit of confusion. A banner displaying that Scottish sentiment of good health, ‘Lang may yer lum reek’, generated the kind of head-scratching you would get trying to fathom out what a combination of Brexit and Trump will mean for the wider world.
“I saw the banner and it threw me a bit,” said Scotland’s most expensive player. “I was looking at it thinking ‘is that German?’ and asked one of the boys who just said he had no idea what it meant. I hadn’t heard the phrase before. It did bring a smile to my face when I saw it but at first I was quite puzzled.”
Forget brushing up on his gutten morgens, danke schons and auf wiedershens, Burke may need to dig out the dictionary of auld Scots. Learning the lingo in his new environment, however, is key to settling in and Burke is eager to blether away like a local, both on the pitch and off it.
“My German’s not great yet, but it's difficult at first to concentrate on the football and learn the language all in one go, but I'm determined to do it,” he said. “I’ve learned the words and phrases for little things like, ‘what foot to you want it on?’ and some positional things too. Once you keep learning it then it gets into your head. I also have an app on my phone which helps too so I’m doing as much as I can. It is difficult, it’s harder than I thought, but I will do my very best to learn because that’s a big part of being at the club. You have to adjust, learn the language and get on with the boys.”
Burke talks warmly of a sense of unity at his new club. He had offers to move elsewhere in England but the Leipzig officials embraced him with open arms and made his step into the unknown a fairly straight forward stride.
“As soon as I saw the facilities I instantly knew I could only become a better player by having the best staff around me,” said the right winger. “It wasn’t just that though. They showed a lot of love and care and attention. I noticed the difference with that and a lot of Premier League teams that wanted me.
“They would say they wanted me but I’d go on loan and you don’t feel wanted then do you? They want you because of who you are not how you are playing. RB Leipzig showed a lot of care and attention, how they wanted to do things and how they’d help me progress as a player and how they had a plan for me already. It was pretty amazing and we’ll see what the future holds.”
Burke could have played for the England national team too but despite inquisitive advances, Burke’s heart remains well and truly with the country of his birth. “It was never going to happen (playing for England),” he added. “Scotland have showed their love since I was young and I stick with what I’ve started off with. If you trained with Scotland and then all of a sudden you leave, I feel that is quite disrespectful. I’m very happy here and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
The last few months have been a big change for Burke. But it’s been a change for the good. Family remains hugely important to him and his mum and “best mate” Sally is set to move out to Germany to be with him.
"My family have done everything for me from when I was a young boy,” he said. “They really did go out their way. Even when things were going a bit rubbish at Forest, they stuck by me. Now they are like 'oh, back in the day we were dragging you there, do you know how many miles we have done?' I just say, 'yes, but look where we are now, it's all worked out’. I can only repay them.”
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