New signing Mathias Pereira: FC St. Pauli feels like a family!”

New signing Mathias Pereira: FC St. Pauli feels like a family!”

On July 17, 2025 it will be official: Mathias Pereira Lage, FC St. Pauli's new signing, gave his first impressions during a press conference. The 23-year-old midfielder from France has now accepted the challenge of playing in the Bundesliga with a clear mission: He wants to improve both his football skills and his German language in Germany.

Pereira situation has already settled in well. “The team is really nice,” he reports, emphasizing that the team atmosphere makes it easier for him to arrive. An additional advantage is the possibility of speaking French, which facilitates the flow of communication. When asked about his first training impressions, he replied that the week was intense and his legs feel better now. "There are a lot of processes that I have to memorize. The new style of play offers a lot of space offensively," explains the player, drawing a comparison to a former teammate, Morgan Guilavogui, whose style of play inspired him.

An exciting project in Hamburg

Pereira Lage sees FC St. Pauli as an exciting project and describes the club as a “family”. The move to Hamburg was a goal that he has now achieved. He particularly emphasizes that the situation at FC St. Pauli is similar to that at his previous club Stade Brest, both complaining about a low budget. “We face similar challenges here, but the will to achieve something is amazing,” said the Frenchman.

Before his move, he had an important conversation with coach Alexander Blessin. He was impressed by the quality of the team and made it clear to him that every game, even against smaller clubs, is important. Blessin, who has been head coach since summer 2024, has had an eventful football career with positions as a player and coach, including at RB Leipzig, KV Ostende and Royal Union Saint-Gilloise.

The path to integration

A lot has changed in the Bundesliga in the last few decades, especially since the introduction of professionalism in 1963. According to bpb.de, the number of foreign players in the German league has steadily increased over the years. When the league was founded there were only five foreigners from four nations active, but now over 50 percent of the professionals are from abroad. The Bundesliga has thus developed into an inclusive platform on which players from a wide range of backgrounds can build a career.

Pereira location itself is part of this development. While he does everything he can to find his way in the new environment, learning the German language is a central point for him. “It helps me in everyday life and integrates me better,” said the midfielder, who has already familiarized himself with a small vocabulary. In addition to his sporting career, he has an interesting passion: a jersey collection that includes, among others, jerseys from Rodrygo and Vitinha. In honor of his personal happiness, he wears the number 28, which reminds him of his older brother's birthday.

A player who starts the new season with clear goals and a positive attitude – that is Mathias Pereira Lage. The Hamburg audience can look forward to exciting games and a success story! Essential to this path, as Pereira Lage himself says, will be the thorough internalization of the new style of play. On his first days at FC St. Pauli, promising potential already seems to be emerging.