Pereira Lage: “The Bundesliga style of play suits me”
Thursday, 17. July 2025, 11:00 Uhr
Last season Mathias Pereira Lage, 28, played against star players such as Kylian Mbappé and Robert Lewandowski in the Champions League. At FC St. Pauli, his job will be to wreak havoc in opposition defences. After training on Wednesday, the new signing took time out to speak to the media.
Mathias Pereira Lage on…
...his first impressions: “It’s a new city and a new country for me. Hamburg is very big. I have to improve my German and my English. My first impression of the team is great. The lads are all very nice. We’re having a lot of fun and working hard. It’s good for me to have players around who can speak French. I was thinking about where I can be the best footballer, and for me it’s here at FC St. Pauli. It was a career goal of mine to play outside France and now the moment has arrived.”
...Alexander Blessin’s style of play: “I spoke to Alexander Blessin on the phone before my move. I was impressed by the quality of the team. There are lots of new things I have to learn and understand. The first week was very tiring on the legs. We did a lot of running and the training was very intensive. My legs are feeling better now, I just need to get my head round the patterns. After training I often think about what worked well and what wasn’t so good. It’s a new kind of football for me, but the style of play in the Bundesliga suits me. We have lots of space going forward and lots of areas to run into.”
...big-name Bundesliga opponents: “As a footballer you look forward to the big games, but every game is important. We have to be even more focused when we play the so-called smaller clubs. In France, matches against the smaller teams were often more difficult. They’re much more compact, there’s less space and you have to be more creative to score goals.”
...succeeding Morgan Guilavogui: “We have a similar style of play. I watched lots of videos of him to familiarise myself with the new way of playing. I want to be the best player possible for the team.”
...things his former club Stade Brest have in common with FC St. Pauli: “I see some similarities. Neither club has a big budget. We often battled against relegation at Brest and then we had a really good season. St. Pauli is a very exciting project for me. So far I’ve always played for clubs that have a family feel and I really like that. That’s the case here. I’ve talked a lot with Morgan Guilavogui and he always speaks very positively about the city and the club.”
Looking good in brown and white: new recruit Mathias Pereira Lage (right) in the friendly against Drochtersen/Assel
...his goal of learning German: “I can already speak four languages and maybe five in a couple of months’ time (he grins). I’d like to learn German. I think it’s important. I’m on my own here and when I go shopping or go for a coffee I have to speak German. The coach speaks German sometimes, so I have to learn the language if I want to understand everything.”
...his private shirt collection: “I like collecting shirts and I have some at home, for example Rodrygo’s from Real Madrid. I like Portuguese players and I have a Vitinha shirt and shirts of lots of other PSG players. For me it’s important to remember these games and moments now and when I retire. Every game in the Champions League was special.”
...his shirt number 28: “It’s my older brother’s birthday. I like to have shirt numbers with a link to my family. Last year I had 26 because of my father, but Ricky already has that, which is why I chose 28.”
Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters
