Widmer: Write a new story

For the third season in a row, Silvan Widmer will wear the captain's armband for 1. FSV Mainz 05. The Swiss defender shared the news at a press conference held at the 05ers training camp in Brixental. Following his participation at EURO 2024 with Switzerland, Widmer has returned from holiday raring to begin training again with his teammates as they seek to get the 2024/25 season off to a successful start. 

Widmer admitted that his fitness levels aren't fully on par with the rest of his teammates yet, but added he's "not far behind." Together with Phillipp Mwene, who also took part in the EUROs, Widmer is working hard to close the gap. Widmer was able to relax and recharge during his three weeks of holiday following Switzerland's elimination in the quarter-finals of the EUROs against England. "A feeling of pride, but at the same time, also the feeling of 'we still had more to give,' " was what Widmer was left with after the tournament, adding "The atmosphere in and around the stadiums was fantastic."  

"We can carry that with us"

Now, his focus is on preparing for the upcoming season in which he hopes to feature regularly again at right wing-back, despite facing stiff competition. "There's competition at every position – mine as well – between strong players that all want to feature. At the end of the day, it's the coach that makes a decision that benefits the team, because he wants to name his strongest team. Last year, as well as throughout my career, I've shown that I'm willing to do what's best for the team, no matter what the coach decides," said Widmer. The captain added that he is feeling positive ahead of the upcoming campaign, with all the new signings having made a strong impression so far. 

Memories from last season, in which a strong end to the campaign under head coach Bo Henriksen saw Mainz secure safety, are still fresh in Widmer's mind. The fans, team and club all came together under the motto of "never give up," as the 05ers went on to gather the points needed to stay up. "It's something that we can certainly keep building on, although it was incredible already last term," he said. "We can carry it with us, but also have to put this chapter behind us. We want to write a new story during the upcoming season."