Dani Olmo interview: Leipzig midfielder talks missing Josko Gvardiol, moving to Croatia at 16, and his love of chess
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo explains why leaving Barcelona to move to Croatia as a teenager turned him into a different player and why his love of chess reflects his nature as Spain’s midfield problem solver…
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Friday 11 August 2023 08:54, UK
They say that a football match can be like a game of chess but for Dani Olmo the connection is more literal. The RB Leipzig midfielder plays chess against Yussuf Poulsen and Benjamin Henrichs for his club, while facing off against goalkeeper Unai Simon for Spain.
He takes that mentality into his football. «On the pitch, also, I try to think about every movement, not just to move left because the ball is going left,» Olmo tells Sky Sports.
«I am always trying to find the best solutions when I have the ball and when I do not have the ball. Either for me or for the team-mate, to create space for other guys or even for myself. I just try to do everything for a reason not just doing it for [the sake of] doing.»
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Olmo is a special player, someone who can score goals and create them too. At the start of June, he helped Leipzig to victory in the German Cup final for a second successive season. «I always say that the most difficult thing is not to win it, it is to repeat it.»
Later that month, he featured in Spain's Nations League triumph over Croatia, an international trophy to go with his club success. On Saturday, he will face Bayern Munich in the German Supercup. Once again, his role will be to create and connect for his team.
«Where I feel most comfortable is in the middle of the pitch, between the lines behind the striker. That is where my team-mates know me
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