Nathaniel Brown: "I felt at home from day one"

bundesliga.com: How were your first six months in the Bundesliga? It all started very modestly - you were not even registered as a player for the UEFA Europa League - but it turned out to be a crazy time for you at Frankfurt!

Nathaniel Brown: "There were definitely lots of ups and downs, but when I look back it was a really good year. I moved here and I had a tough time at the start, but that’s all part of it. This difficult phase will help me in life and at the end of the year, I experienced a really nice phase as well."

bundesliga.com: What exactly were those difficulties you mentioned? Did you find it difficult to gain a foothold at Eintracht?

Brown: "I felt at home here from day one, even in the phase where things weren’t really going my way. I moved here together with Can [Uzun] which helped me out, and the team really took me in, so I have found a few new friends here. The fact that the football didn’t go so well might have been down to me and the fact that I needed a bit of time. I have got past this phase now and I am quite proud of myself for that and now I am really happy."

bundesliga.com: You made your debut from the bench against Union Berlin at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei. How did it feel when your chance finally came?

Brown: "It was a tough game in Berlin and we were down to 10 men. I was subbed on and things went so quickly from then that I can hardly remember how I felt. I was just happy that we were able to hold onto a point and it was just a great feeling."

bundesliga.com: On your first start against Bochum - the next match - you scored your first goal. What was that moment like?

Brown: "I just stood there and put the ball in the back of the net. I just celebrated, it’s so hard to explain. You are just so happy and you see all your teammates coming towards you and they are happy for you too. I often can’t remember how I scored the goal and it’s just so difficult to describe this moment afterwards. Maybe it’s difficult for me because I don’t score so many goals, so the answer might be different if you ask a forward. It’s always an unbelievable moment for me."

bundesliga.com: You have adapted well, all in all, but what would you say has been the biggest challenge in regards to getting to grips with the Bundesliga?

Brown: "The first week I was here was really difficult because I realised that everything is played at a quicker pace and is more physical. The mental aspect was the toughest because we were doing possession drills and everything just went much quicker and the quality was so high. Of course, the quality in the second division is also there, but you really notice that you are playing at the highest level here. This was the mental challenge, but you get used to the tempo after two or three weeks. However, it’s still unbelievably quick when I play in the Bundesliga now and it’s physically very demanding, but I’m getting used to it."

bundesliga.com: How does it feel to play for Frankfurt?

Brown: "It’s an unbelievable feeling. When I walk onto the pitch and look at the fans to the right, it’s a feeling I have rarely experienced. The fans at Nuremberg were also really good, but when the stadium here is full, it’s really something else. It’s unbelievable."

Watch: Brown scores in Eintracht Frankfurt's hammering of Bochum - highlights 

bundesliga.com: Following your arrival, you suddenly had teammates and opponents that you previously only knew from video games or television. How did that feel?

Brown: "It was strange because I’m football mad and I always watched the Bundesliga. I am on every football app and I am a big fan, so it’s a strange feeling when you’re standing in front of someone who you have only otherwise seen on television. Unfortunately, I didn’t play against Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund, but I was in the squad against Bayer Leverkusen and it was cool to see players like [Jeremie] Frimpong. In the Frankfurt side, of course I was impressed with Mario Götze, and Omar Marmoush’s development has also been incredible. Every player has quality and it’s great to be able to play with players like this."

bundesliga.com: What sets Eintracht apart and what brand of football do you want to play?

Brown: "We have become a proper team and it’s great fun to go into the dressing room because we all get on so well. We simply have a lot of quality and some really good players. We have different types of players, so we can react to anything, and that’s what makes us so dangerous. We play a lot on the counter-attack because we have two very fast forwards, but we still want to have the ball. We want to play on the front foot and score as many goals as possible and concede as few as possible. It’s easy to say, but that is what we stand for."

bundesliga.com: How would you assess the first half of the season, especially considering the small dip at the end of the year?

Brown: "We were a little bit unlucky, but I think it’s part of football because not every game can go how the previous games went. At the start of the season, all of the luck was on our side, whereas the final game was just unfortunate. However, we shouldn’t talk down the first half of the season just because of one or two games. We have had a great season so far and if someone had offered us that before the season, we would have gladly accepted."

Watch: Nathaniel Brown crowned November Rookie of the Month

bundesliga.com: You play as a left-back or left wing-back, a position that is considered to be in short supply in Germany after Philipp Lahm's retirment. What makes this role so special?

Brown: "It’s a difficult position because you need to be strong in both attack and defence. I see myself in more of an attacking role, but I cannot neglect my defensive duties, and this is something I still need to work on. I think every position in football is tough and there are no easy positions, but left back is certainly difficult. A good winger has to bring speed, but they also have to be solid defensively because they often play against the best dribblers and wingers from the opposition. You have to be strong in defence and quick in attack."

bundesliga.com: What role did your family play in your football growing up?

Brown: "There was no football tradition in our family and it’s just come from me. I like this because when I go home, we talk a little about football, but it’s not the number one topic of conversation. This does me a lot of good because I am able to just switch off and don’t have to constantly talk about football with my friends. It was difficult to convince my mum in the beginning, but now she watches Bundesliga football even when I’m not there. She is now very interested in football, and even more so when I’m playing. When she’s at home with my little brother, they watch some games together."

bundesliga.com: 2025 will be your first full year with Eintracht. What are your expectations for the Bundesliga over the next 12 months?

Brown: "We want to keep going in exactly the same way as the first half of the season. We want to keep playing our attractive football, play on the front foot, and score goals in order to bring the fans onto our side. These are our main aims and then we will see what’s possible. We definitely want to play attractive football. The first game back is against St. Pauli, which will be a very tough game. I played against them with Nuremberg and although you can’t compare the two, we will want to be dominant from the first second. We want to show what Frankfurt is about and we definitely want to win."