Timo Werner believes a run to the Champions League semi-finals with Chelsea has helped him to silence those who criticised the timing of his move to England, with the German forward having unfinished business in Europe.
The forward, who was back in the goals during his last outing against West Ham, agreed a switch to Stamford Bridge in June 2020 when his former employers at RB Leipzig were still involved in continental competition.
He walked away from a last-four showdown, but will now get to grace that stage as Thomas Tuchel's Blues ready themselves for a heavyweight clash with Real Madrid, with the first leg of that encounter on Tuesday.
What has been said?
Werner told reporters: "Last year I dropped out in the quarter-finals because of the move.
"I had a lot of criticism for that in Germany because it is not often you are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but now I have reached it again, one year later, with my new club. I can show everybody I can do it not only with one team but with two, two years in a row.
"It makes me proud, more hungry to make it this year to the final, and maybe to win."
The bigger picture
Werner has endured a testing debut campaign with Chelsea, however he has never shied away from a challenge and has 11 efforts to his name across all competitions after grabbing the winner in the crucial derby win against the Hammers.
He said: "To reach the Champions League final and win it is the dream of every kid.
"We face a very strong opponent. We want to keep pushing and give everything we have. It’s very difficult because we have to also keep an eye on the Premier League because we have big games there. It is not boring!
"The Champions League is the most difficult cup in the world to win, but we also have a big chance to win the FA Cup. We have a good team. We are not here because we are lucky."
Further reading
- Why should I dream of Vialli, Van Basten and Lineker? - Tuchel
- Werner makes 'everybody is happy' claim amid Chelsea exit talk
- Tuchel warns Chelsea strikers he could consider replacements