If Timo Werner’s goalscoring exploits as a child were anything like his professional prowess, then you hope he had a good dentist growing up.
As a child, the German would spend weekends playing in football tournaments and his father would reward him for scoring goals with some pocket money.
Naturally, like any youngster, Werner spent his winnings exactly as you’d imagine.
“If I scored 10 goals I got 10 euros, which meant a lot of candy!” says the Chelsea forward.
“It was a little bit like for kids that you could get candy for every goal. Not much money, but a very small amount. It was a joke from my dad that I have a feeling that I love scoring goals and success after that.”
Werner’s father, Gunther Schuh, had a big impact on his career growing up – drilling his son to ensure he reached the top. He was a former player himself, and later a coach, and his work ethic is clearly evident in Werner today.
“My father always wanted me to be very fast and give me strength in my muscles by running up hills,” says Werner.
“It helped me a lot. It gave me this way to work hard - the fitness and strength for the game does not come from doing nothing.
“It was not the time I say: 'The hills give me my fastness', but how you have to train and work hard and have fitness to pass defenders.”
The hard work has certainly paid off for Werner, who has already been handed the nickname ‘Turbo Timo’.
His pace was there for all to see as he made his Chelsea debut on Monday against Brighton, winning a penalty, and he promises to terrorise Liverpool on Sunday.
Werner was always known for his pace, particularly as he climbed through the ranks at Stuttgart, although the 24-year-old thinks his personal best time over 100 metres needs updating.
“The last time I ran 11.1 seconds was when I was 15 or 16, so hopefully I'm a little bit faster!” he says.
“I've heard it [my nickname] a few moments ago for the first time. I was a little bit surprised. Of course Turbo Timo is not the worst nickname and hopefully I can show it fits good to me.
“That I'm fast is a really good thing for me because it gives me a lot of opportunities in the game where I can score goals, where I can create chances for the team and other players.
“It's a nickname that I can maybe say as - Turbo Timo scores a lot of goals.”
After making his professional debut with Stuttgart, it was at RB Leipzig that Werner really showed his potential. The German scored 28 goals in the Bundesliga last season, a tally that was only eclipsed by Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, but he says he can reach greater heights at Chelsea.
“Of course in Leipzig it wasn't like I was the best Timo I can be,” he adds.
“For me it was the right time to say I want to try something new, try out of Germany. I want to go to the Premier League for a lot of matches with defenders with a lot of strength.
“I wanted the next challenge in my life. I made some steps in Germany. When I came from Stuttgart, I got into the first team.
“I played at Leipzig for four great years, I got to the Champions League and in the end the quarter-finals. This was a really good experience, but now I want to start a new chapter in my career, a new way to go and give my game some part of English football.
“When I get the strength of English football, it will be much better for me as I will have more possibilities and options in my game to do different things.”
Transitioning to a new country and culture is never easy and Werner is thankful to have fellow German Antonio Rudiger helping him settle.
“Toni gives me tips in terms of the congestion charge that I will get a bill every day! That was really important, helping me to take care of some things,” he says.
“I think it is really important for everybody to have people who can speak your language. He helped me a lot in my first days.”
Once he is fully settled, ‘Turbo Timo’ looks ready to take off.
