I don’t think it makes much sense to practice a shootout. We didn’t prior to the match against Madrid and still won. The coach now said that it was a mistake that he didn’t decide who shoots but I don’t think you can blame him for that. There were enough players who had the chance to step up and say: “I shoot.

There were many back stories that made the penalty shootout more difficult for us. For example many often forget that we already missed a penalty in extra time. In the 112th minute I looked up to the scoreboard and thought: only eight minutes, I think we have to score a goal now or this becomes a game of luck. Right after that I ran to the sideline and made a slide tackle even though my adductors stopped working in the 80th minute. I wanted to give my teammates another boost.

Then I got a kick in the calf after three minutes, that caused problems throughout the entire match. That’s also why I missed the first part of the preparation for the Euro. When the referee blew the whistle after 120 minutes I thought: did Chelsea accomplish their goal now? Or will our dream still come true, the dream that had been on my mind for days before the match because there was such an amazing atmosphere in the city? Those were quick thoughts that appeared but when I shot my penalty I was completely focused.

…that was the only corner kick for Chelsea in the entire match! Right before, David Luiz went past me and said: “And now goal!” [Then Chelsea score and…] he passed me again, shrugged and said very calmly and sympathetically: “Sorry.” This wasn’t mocking or anything like that but really almost apologetic.

After the semifinal match in Madrid I was more exhausted than ever before. Before the match I thought I can play for about 60 minutes [he had to play 120 minutes]. [After the match] I was lying in bed in my hotel room and I couldn’t move anymore - but I was so completely full of happiness because we made it to the final in Munich.

At the beginning of the summer I didn’t do anything, you simply hope that you can go down the stairs without any pain. It’s always annoying when you wake up and are in pain. In the second half of last season there were way too many moments when I was in pain and with us playing in three competitions there wasn’t enough time to make a full recovery. I still remember that one moment in August, right before our cup match in Regensburg, when I woke up and suddenly realized that something’s missing: I wasn’t in pain! On that day I hugged everybody on my way to the training ground.

I do not think that Dortmund have passed us marketing wise. Dortmund are more of a regional thing whereas Bayern Munich are a global brand. When you walk the boulevard in Beijing and ask a random person to name a German football club, the answer will always be Bayern Munich and not Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund will never be able to catch up with the incredible successes we have achieved in the past 30 years and the tradition that comes with it. If Dortmund are to be more popular than Bayern worldwide, they need to win at least 10 more consecutive Bundesliga titles.

I’d take it at once if Bayern offer me the chance to retire here. I have a four-year contract, and I’m delighted to be here. I’m not thinking about any other clubs. I’ll give everything I have in these four years and attempt to repay the faith shown in me. My time here has been outstanding so far. It all works so well together, the club, the stadium, the fans, my new team-mates. I have a super, positive feeling. I really like Munich.