A life profile: Bernd Schuster
Bernd Schuster grew up playing soccer on the streets in a working class neighborhood of Augsburg, Germany. He became an outstanding professional soccer player with a long and remarkable career, playing for famous clubs such as FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain. And he has a lot to say about the motivating force in his career. It's not money—it's the love and joy of playing soccer.
Bernd has seen how spirituality and prayer lead to right decisions and are a source of strength, not only in soccer but in life. In his new profession as trainer, he's now sharing his values and experience with young players. He began coaching three years ago.
Patrick Meibom talked with Bernd at his home near Cologne.
Patrick: When did you start to play soccer?
Bernd: When I was 5 or 6, my aunt gave me a soccer ball for my birthday. From that day on I was a soccer player. My family was very soccer-oriented. There were no teams for my age group. Those started at age 10. So during the first years I kicked on the street. At age 8 I was playing with the 10-year-olds in my village club. I was already as good as all of them there. That was a great time because you could still learn soccer on the street.
Patrick: Do these memories from the good old days motivate a person later to stick with it?
Bernd: Yes. What I got the most out of my childhood was the joy of soccer. We played on the street. We played on every meadow, even the tiniest. We let every guy who owned a ball play—even if he was the worst player. What I kept from all this, as a pro, was the joy of soccer. Even when the pro business was about money, I still had that joy. That was the most important thing.
Patrick: Do the young professional soccer players today have the same joy in soccer you've described?
Bernd: Boys today haven't grown up the way we did—I mean, with soccer on every street, on every corner. That was how we learned technique, moves, teamwork—getting a feeling for what your body could do. At age 18, when I got to Cologne as a young pro, I rented a room with a family. I had to pay room and board. And I could just barely afford a car. Only when I began to play and had my own niche on the team did I start to earn a little money. Today, players have that money right up front. Someone finds them an apartment, provides them with a car everything.
Patrick: Professionals are motivated by the desire to get rich, rather than the joy of playing?
Bernd: Yes. They buy a new house, a car. They take fantastic vacations. Today those things seem to be the top priority.
Patrick: Should someone jump in and yell, “Hold on, stop, that's the wrong direction!”?
Bernd: That would be hard because the majority of people view those things as so important. Players would say, “If I don't get money, I'm not gonna go there.” It's very different with Brazilian players. They sometimes come from very poor backgrounds where the father works very hard and can hardly support six or seven children. That's why their attitude is often better than ours in Europe.
Patrick: Do you still have role models?
Bernd: Sure. At one point, Julius Caesar Menotti was my trainer. On the day my daughter was supposed to be born, Menotti came to me and said, “Bernardo, it's more important for you to go home and see how your wife and daughter are doing than to be here.” So I packed my things and went home. Of course, everything was OK. I went back to training the next day. But I was so grateful for this gesture that my next game turned into a super game for us. We won 7 to 2. I shot two of those goals and dedicated them to my trainer.
Patrick: Did you ever have to deal with the pressure of drugs and alcohol?
Bernd: Before I got interested in Christian Science, all I ever did was drink a glass of beer before bed, as a way to fall asleep. But then I gave that up. I'm happy about that. I've been absolutely consistent. As far as drugs are concerned, I never saw any among my friends. I honestly have to say that would have been a shock. Drugs in professional sports — I cannot accept that. Of course, people drink a lot of wine here, and they would always fill my glass. But instead, I ordered water. I never let myself be influenced. I understand, though, that it's hard for people today to be repeatedly confronted by opportunities to drink.
Patrick: How can a young person build this kind of character?
Bernd: I think you have to know clearly what you want in life. When that's clear, no one can turn you away from it. But young people today often feel indecisive and uncertain.
Patrick: What do you think is the cause for this indecisiveness? What would you tell a young person who seriously wants to pursue a career in sports? What goal should he or she have?
Bernd: Two things are really important. One is that you should establish certain surroundings for yourself. You can nurture a child for years, teach him or her things that are important for later in life — like spiritual qualities. But unfavorable surroundings can destroy all that. Danger lurks in school, with alcohol and drugs. So it's important to know what you want and where you stand. You have to work at your character.
Patrick: Medical care is a big topic in soccer. Can you remember a particular instance when you wanted to rely on prayer for healing instead?
Bernd: Once I took a bad fall. And my ankle got so swollen that I couldn't even see my toes. My whole foot was just a ball. My first reaction was great fear. The club doctors tried for four weeks to treat the injury, but without results. Then they said it was a virus and that Bernd Schuster was never going to play soccer again. So I had to think of something.
Patrick: The prognosis was that your soccer career was over?
Bernd: Exactly. Then I asked a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me. I went to my trainer and to the president of the club and said: “I can't go on like this. I have to do this differently. Please respect me. For you, the subject is closed, but not for me.” The great thing was that they accepted what I said. The trainer said to me: “Do what you have to do. You have my full support.”
Over Christmas, I didn't go on vacation. I needed to be quiet and pray — and to keep on practicing soccer. And what was really great was that the workout coach and physiotherapist didn't go on vacation, either. He did without his Christmas vacation so he could help me practice. Christmas really means a lot for a Spaniard, so it meant something for him to give up his holidays!
Patrick: What was your most important thought during this period of prayer?
Bernd: I started with the idea of God's perfection. I looked for what was good in everything around me. What was difficult at first was the tendency to look at the injured spot and keep checking it. But I realized I couldn't do that. I had to know I was the likeness of God, who is Love. So all I could receive was the outflow of that Love. God's love is my protection, and I am always protected.
And I was healed. My healing was a major experience for the whole family.
And then there was the public. Thoughts were swirling around me and my injury because there was so much publicity. Thousands of people wanted me to play again. Nobody understood what on earth I was doing when I turned to God for my healing.
Patrick: So many people in the soccer world were busy thinking about your injury — the media, the people, your teammates, the club board, the fans.
Bernd: Exactly. We really had to pray to quiet their anxiety. But that short time of prayer between Christmas and New Year's was enough. The very first game after that was the Madrid Derby. No one had believed I would be in the first game of the new year. And the unbelievable thing was that I was actually still the best player on the field. My teammates didn't know at first what was going on. The public soon was satisfied, though. I was able to play again, and that was all they were concerned about.
Patrick: What do you think of sports coverage today? Has it changed in comparison to 10 years ago?
Bernd: Yes, journalism has gotten more superficial because the competition has increased. Today we have a huge number of private channels, newspapers, and magazines. In Germany, a reporter used to come by to interview us two or three times a week. Now there are eight or ten a day. They've got to have something to offer their readers. It's a burden on us because they want to know everything about us. And the most incredible things get written sometimes.
Patrick: I remember an interview on Vox Sports TV that mentioned your connection with Christian Science. They portrayed Christian Science in a very balanced and factual way.
Bernd: I knew the man that did that interview. He always delivered quality reporting. I prefer live TV interviews to newspaper interviews because no one can edit what I say on the air. And no one can add something that I didn't say. During the Vox Sports TV interview, I took the opportunity to talk about Christian Science. It's not good to avoid the subject. Otherwise the reporters are going to put something together themselves that does not always come out right.
Patrick: You always seem calm and poised.
Bernd: It's only on the field that I'm combative. And there I really need to be. It's part of my profession. Otherwise I wouldn't be who I am.
Patrick: How can a person be a good loser?
Bernd: That's a good question. Christian Science helped me a lot in that respect, I learned not to see my opponents as enemies I have to fight, but as children of God, just as I am. When you think like this, you look at the whole thing in a different way. Thinking that way allows me to admit that opponents really have earned their win. Earlier on, I wouldn't have been able to do that! I would rather have bitten off my tongue than admit that.
As a trainer, I tell my players, “If you can tell yourself after the game that you could have done something more, then you have not given everything to your team. If, however, you've given all you've got and the other team really was better, then don't blame yourself.”
I'm reminded of a good story about the Chicago Bulls. For six or seven years, they were the best basketball team in the world. A TV crew followed them around during that time. And you could really see how calm and collected the guys were after a defeat, no matter how bitter I the loss was. They had given everything they had. That's helped me tremendously as a trainer. An important aspect of training is to teach a player not only how to play soccer but also to conduct himself as a pro. It's wonderful when I can pass something like that along.
Patrick: Doesn't it also characterize a pro to live for the sport?
Bernd: In many ways, that's true. If someone wants to be successful in soccer, he or she really has to let go of lots of things. It's unusual for a player who smokes and drinks, or who has a wild lifestyle, to be a huge success for many years. I was a pro for 20 years. Thanks to my faith, I was able to keep playing for so long. But I also gave a lot of thought and prayer to the subject of aging. Imagine — at 33 or 34, you get labeled as an old person!
Patrick: How do you specifically pray about aging?
Bernd: Christian Science has helped me understand that limitations have to be overcome. And I've tried to do that. As an older player, I practiced exactly like the 19–or 20–year–old players. I didn't do anything less than they did. The trainers would say, “Come on, you can do less today.” Then I'd say, “I don't need to slow down.” A lot of people were surprised.
For me the best thing was my last transfer to Mexico, where we played at an altitude of 1800 meters. On my first training session, I was completely exhausted after 10 minutes. The age difference between me and my teammates was very big. It was a very young team. But I made it! They were all amazed to see me at 35, still able to jump around the field with them.
Patrick: If the spirit stays active, the body stays active. Right?
Bernd: Yes. Without God I wouldn't be able to still do all this today. I've had 15 years in which there have been so many situations where I've honestly had to say, “What on earth would I have done without Christian Science?” Things were sometimes hopeless in so many ways: sport injuries, sickness, relationships. I am so, so glad to have Christian Science.
