Tiago Pereira Cardoso had more than one reason to celebrate his Bundesliga debut in March at the age of 18. His Borussia Monchengladbach side ran out 3–0 winners away to Heidenheim to ensure the Luxembourg goalkeeper could mark his first game, victory and clean sheet together.
Two weeks later, he was called on again in the closing stages away to Werder Bremen, following an injury to Jonas Omlin. The youngster kept a clean sheet through this game as well. It wasn’t until his fourth league game that someone broke through his defences, as he was beaten by FC St Pauli’s Oladapo Afolayan.
Pereira Cardoso went the first 283 minutes of his Bundesliga career without conceding a goal – putting him fourth all-time on a list that includes such goalkeeping greats as Sepp Maier, Oliver Kahn and Toni Schumacher. He also became the youngest-ever foreign-born goalie in Bundesliga history. And as if that wasn’t enough, when he wasn’t playing, he was preparing for his high school finals.
The 19-year-old keeper sat down with FIFA to reflect on this period, and to take a look ahead at what’s still to come. With six international caps to his name already, Pereira Cardoso and the Luxembourg national team begin qualifications for the FIFA World Cup 26™ at the start of September.
The Gladbach keeper also shared his thoughts on Luxembourg’s goals, new manager Jeff Strasser, and a FIFA World Cup™ memory that left its mark on him.
Tiago Pereira Cardoso: Goalie’s definitely not the first position you think about as a kid (laughs). I also played as an outfielder when I was younger. Then one day, as sometimes happens… our goalie got injured so I went in net. That’s where it all began.
In Luxembourg, I would train with the youth national side during the week, then join up with my club on the weekend. We often played (friendlies) on Wednesdays against international sides like Schalke, Leverkusen, Monchengladbach, Mainz, or teams from France or Belgium. Borussia had a couple of scouts at one of the Schalke games and they invited me to a trial.
There were obviously plenty of nerves, but they were drowned out by the excitement. Plus, I had a whole team behind me: the club, the goalie group under Andre [Wachter], and our manager [Gerardo Seoane]. So I felt good going into the match and I just played my game. Us taking the lead early also helped me quickly shake any early nerves.
That extra pressure you feel as a goalie is definitely there, and the mental aspect is always important. But my parents, in particular, have been a huge source of support. I also think I’m quite mature and I’m able to prepare myself for specific moments – with breathing techniques, for example. Add to that the fact that you know that everyone’s behind you and that experienced players like Julian Weigl or Tim Kleindienst are willing to put in a word for you, that helps, as a young player you feel really good, you feel like you belong.
It was a tough period, but it was also amazing and I got loads of support from my family and the club who made sure I was able to catch up on school after training, for example. That made things easier. That said, it took a fair amount of self-discipline as well.
The plan is obviously to continue developing during the week in training with the professionals, and then use the weekends to get in some game time, which is so important for a young player, and gain some experience with the U23s in the regional league. It’s perfect for helping me to continue developing, which is precisely what I’m aiming to do this season.
I spent my entire childhood with the national team. So making the jump to the senior squad is obviously a huge honour. The feeling of playing football for your country is hard to beat.
Yes, I know him personally, although he’s never coached me before. He’s a great guy, I’ve only got good things to say about him. He’s a true legend in Luxembourg – and here in Gladbach too. So I’ve got a really good relationship with him.
I won’t beat around the bush, our goal is to qualify. In the most recent Euro qualifiers, we made it into the playoffs against Georgia and we very nearly beat them. We want to pick up where we left off.
Absolutely. When you look at our players… the likes of Leandro Barreiro who makes regular Champions League appearances with Benfica, Christopher Martins who plays in Russia [for Spartak Moscow], or our goalie Anthony Moris who won the Belgian league with Union St Gilloise. So the quality is on the up and we’ve got loads of incredible young players coming through, like Aiman [Dardari] or Yvandro [Borges Sanches]. Expectations are increasing, but we’re well prepared for that and we want to make the best of the situation.
Manuel Neuer’s performances at the 2014 World Cup. For me as a goalie, in particular, there was something special about getting to see him play. Football has been constantly changing and developing over the years. Now, goalies are expected to get involved in the action. Things are no different with Luxembourg or Gladbach. I like that, it makes me feel good.
