The Allgäu Attacker: Kevin Volland

Record transfer fees in triple-digit millions, player strikes to force a transfer, inconceivable salary offers from China – before the current 2017/2018 season kicks off, fans could be excused for thinking it’s all about money. Commissions for player consultants and the satisfaction of billionaire club bosses seem to be more important than the sport itself.

“The football business has indeed become more extreme,” Kevin Volland concurs. The German professional himself switched within the German Bundesliga for the 2016/2017 season for a purported 20 million Euros. “Of course, this growth in wages and transfer fees doesn’t leave us players unaffected either. On the other side, you have to also keep in mind that our sport is becoming more fast-paced and dynamic. Many young players achieve professional status earlier and are traded accordingly. In some cases, one good season is enough for them to be worth 100 million.” At just 25-years-old, Volland still belongs to this younger generation, but in the face of all the business hype, he has maintained his down-to-earth attitude. “I focus on my personal performance and my teammates. After all, I’m a professional. Everything else is initially unimportant.”

Safe haven in Allgäu

Down-to-earth – this attribute describes Kevin Volland’s character rather accurately. He thinks before he speaks, yet he’s personable and approachable. As a true blue Allgäuer, that’s no surprise. He’s a country boy at heart, with whom you’d love to drink a beer and chat about football. He’s born in 1992 in Marktoberdorf – the state-recognised spa town with 18,300 inhabitants nestled in the Alpine foothills of the Allgäu. As one of the highest towns in Bavaria, it has one drawcard in particular, its staggeringly beautiful nature. Kids who grow up here tend to be pretty chilled.

Kevin and his brother Robin start out playing ice hockey as kids in the neighbouring town of Füssen until they’re bitten by the football bug. For many years, Robin remains loyal to their home club FC Thalhofen, until he’s lured to TSV Kottern-St. Mang in the Bayernliga Süd (Bavarian League South). Brother Kevin switches from Memmingen to Thannhausen then the famous TSV 1860 München before launching his professional career. His breakthrough comes at the Bundesliga Club 1899 Hoffenheim, and he currently plays for Bayer Leverkusen. Toughness, speed, fast tempo dribbling, flexible versatility in the offensive – thanks to these qualities, Volland now belongs to the squad of the German national A-team under Jogi Löw.

Volland lives with his wife in Düsseldorf. Despite his steep ascent in the sport, he never forgets where he’s come from: “The Allgäu is definitely my home. Most of my family still lives there: Mum, dad, brother, grandma, grandpa. I enjoy every trip home. To get out of the city, back into nature and then simply switch off.” His trips back home, however, have become few and far between. From Hoffenheim, the distance used to be 300 kilometres; from Düsseldorf it’s double that. You think twice about how often you take such a journey, says Volland. However, he does try to get home once a month.