Daniel Brühl (Barcelona, 45 years old) is a symbol for a generation of Europeans. To his memorable performance in Goodbye, Lenin! His works followed in The Educators, Salvador, Damned Bastards, Rush and Captain America, among other. Now, the actor promotes Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, the story of the famous fashion designer. Fun and close; sensitive and clairvoyant; Brühl acts as a cultural and football bridge between Spain and Germany for EL PAÍS at the start of a series that aspires to talk about football and not only.
Ask. Is he very fond of football?
Answer. A lot. I grew up in Germany, but I was born in Barcelona. And thanks to my uncles and my family there I ended up being a culé.
Q. Bad moment for a Barcelona fan.
R. We live in complicated times. It hurts to think about the enemy’s 15 Champions Leagues.
Q. How are you doing?
R. You have to have respect and not become a bitter and hostile fan.
Q. Did you at least have some consolation with a German team?
R. Barcelona is a team of another level. But since I grew up in Cologne I have always had an eye on the team there, as well as Dortmund.
Q. Always a counterpower, Barça from Madrid and Dortmund from Bayern.
R. Exact. Real Madrid and Bayern are teams that fall badly.
Q. And at the selection level?
R. I have lived fantastic moments with Germany and Spain. Imagine, for a while I haven’t stopped celebrating: 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. Very beautiful years. Plus, we have French family.
Q. Did you also celebrate the 2018 World Cup?
R. It would have been a bit far-fetched. The French part is not in my blood. In neighboring countries there can be bad vibes, many wars, a lot of trouble. But if you cross a border, then there are good relations. And there have always been between Germany and Spain.
Q. What do you attribute this good relationship to? Culturally they are far away?
R. They say that the Catalans are the Germans of Spain. There is an orderly point, perhaps a little less fussy than, for example, in Andalusia. My grandfather was Andalusian and my grandmother was from Catalonia. So I’m charnego.
Q. Does the term charnego bother you?
R. Salt and pepper is what makes life interesting. I am delighted to have an Andalusian grandfather, I love Andalusia. I always think that Germany and Catalonia could use a little more spark. I love living with that ratatouille that we had in our family, French, Spanish, Catalan, German…
Q. What does each one have?
R. I usually think of a phrase from Charles V that my father told me: “I speak with God in Spanish, with his lover in French and with his horse in German.” That’s what he said in the 16th century and he still has his point.
Q. Translation.
R. I like the vibe that languages have. The romanticism of the French woman; the power of the Spanish language, perfect for praying; and the most technical language is German.
Q. Beyond having a tapas bar in Berlin (Bar Raval), do you feel like an ambassador of Spain in Germany and an ambassador of Germany in Spain?
R. I feel very European. I know German and Spanish culture very well and that richness is brutal. We must teach the diversity of cultures. Therefore, also the tapas bar. To show the Germans the gastronomic wealth of Spain. Not everything is ham and sangria, nor is Germany just Frankfurt.
Q. Always diversity.
R. I try to stay curious. Now we see that we are moving to the right and I grew up in a continent that was opening up, in which the walls were falling and everyone had an open and tolerant spirit.
Q. Good bye, Lenin.
R. That Europe I grew up in was a fanatical chapter in history and now we have to be careful.
Q. And how is Europe taken care of?
R. With dialogue. And realizing the easy messages of populism do not work in the long run. The human being is very complex. Those who go around the world and Europe selling the motorcycle of everything is so easy and that you can lock yourself up to save yourself and take care of your wealth is not going to work. We live in a globalized world.
Q. Does it make you sad?
R. Yes, it is a little sad that the populist poison with its simple messages sweeps away so much. We must overcome these sad moments. I am a father of two children and I cannot allow myself to be bitter. I must have faith and optimism for my children.
Q. What team is your son on?
R. From Barça. He plays for a local team and I go to every game wearing a Barça shirt.
Q. Did you ask for a shirt?
R. I gave him one that Busquets signed for me and he has another one from Messi, but it’s too small and he left it to his little brother.
Q. Tell me something about Messi.
R. I saw it in the Laureus and I asked for a signature for my son. For my son it was spectacular. His father had been with Leo, Lewandowski and Puyol.
Q. Your first memory in a stadium?
R. At the Camp Nou. He was about eight or nine years old, against Kaiserslautern. A European Cup match. Later, since we lived in Cologne, I didn’t go there as much until Ronaldinho’s time came.
Q. A fantastic time.
R. Yes and I later linked it with the superteam of Guardiola and Messi. I went to see them many times.
Q. To Camp Nou?
R. To the Bernabéu too. And, whenever I went, always celebrating. I kept my mouth shut, yes. Some glorious days.
Q. Your best day in a field?
R. The 2015 Champions League final in Berlin, when we beat Juventus 3-1. And because of what the World Cup final in Germany means for the history of football, the day of Materazzi’s headbutt to Zidane.
Q. And the saddest?
R. He was also at Dortmund’s stadium when Italy eliminated Germany in the 2006 World Cup semi-final.
Q. He has great games on his resume.
R. A lot of. I always try to go. Now I want to go with my son so we can watch a game in Germany or Spain. I would like to go with him to the Spain game against Croatia in Berlin.
Q. What song moves you the most?
R. Nobody beats the English: You Will never Walk Alone. I’m not from Liverpool, but I have the utmost respect for him. It’s sad that a great man like Jürgen Klopp has left. The Barça anthem, of course, and to be in a good mood, I always listen to The Lightning Seeds and their Football is coming home.
Q. Who is going to win the Euro?
A. The English are very good. The French, too. And we must take into account the Germans at home and the Spanish team.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes in Facebook and xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
_
