Kai Havertz feared becoming meme had he missed Champions League final winner
Kai Havertz has admitted he feared becoming a meme had he missed the chance that won Chelsea the Champions League final against Man City back in May.
The German attacker latched onto Mason Mount's through pass shortly before half-time in Porto's Dragao Stadium, before vaulting City goalkeeper Ederson and slotting the ball into the empty net to score the one and only goal of the game.
Havertz certainly made it look easy, but he has revealed that with the goal gaping his main concern was avoiding missing an open goal and becoming the butt of all jokes online.
"These moments, they are always the worst, because you think if I miss this one then of course you are on YouTube, on Instagram and in every meme, so I was just thinking ‘please, I have to score now’," he told Chelsea's official website.
"Then, of course, it happened and then these are the best moments in football."
The 22-year-old also spoke about the confidence that the strike has given him and the Chelsea squad as a whole as they attempt to mount a title challenge in 2021/22.
"When you have success and you score a very important goal, of course it gives you confidence, but I think it’s not only about confidence. I just feel very good here now, I know the players, I know the staff, I know the games, the opponents a bit better and sometimes this also helps you a lot," he continued.
"But for me confidence is the most important thing in football and when you have this you are very strong and better. So it’s been a combination of confidence and feeling more at home."
Havertz was also asked about his colourful language in a post-match interview with BT Sport on the night, in which he shouted down the camera: "To be honest I don't give a f*** right now, we won the f***ing Champions League!"
"My English was okay before I came to England, I think now it is of course better after one year. Those kind of words I think everybody knows, so it’s very difficult to learn which ones are bad and when you are so emotional after the game, sometimes you say some things that aren’t what you mean like this, that in this moment I hope people just found funny.
"I just heard these words on TV and from other people in Germany before I came here, everybody knows these words, so for me they were not bad words. It’s just sometimes when you are from outside and don’t know that and you watch an interview like this you don’t want to hear these words, but I hope people understood and just thought it was funny."