Renato Steffen scores for the first time in over a year in Lugano's 3-0 win against YB - and then speaks openly about a stressful year full of doubts, injuries and frustration with the national team.
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- Renato Steffen scores his first Super League goal in over a year in Lugano's 3-0 win against Young Boys.
- After the game, the 34-year-old talks openly about a difficult 2025, characterized by injuries and the mental strain of his retirement from the national team.
- Despite setbacks, Steffen sees the late sense of achievement as a hopeful sign for the coming year 2026.
Renato Steffen scores in the 16th minute of Lugano's 3:0 win against Young Boys to make it 2:0. It is a special goal for the 34-year-old. Because it is his first goal in the Super League in over a year. Steffen last scored on December 7, 2024 in a 4-1 win against Luzern.
In an interview with blue Sport after the game, he said: "I only realized it when I read it, you don't really notice it that much. But of course, as an attacking player, it's good to score goals."
The winger goes on to explain that 2025 was not a good year for him. "I was often plagued by injuries and also by dissatisfaction on my part. Anyone who knows me knows that I can only play good football when I'm at peace with myself."
Steffen suffered a serious injury in September 2025 and was even in a critical condition. After a collision with Lausanne goalkeeper Karlo Letica, Renato Steffen suffered a lung trauma with pneumothorax and spent two days in intensive care.
In addition to the injuries, he was also not clear in his head, so it's funny that he was still able to finish 2025 with a goal: "I take that as a good omen for 2026."
The negative spiral in 2025
Steffen then explains what specifically weighed on him this year: "It started with the national team, where at some point you realize you're no longer there. Where you might expect someone to call and tell you: 'Boy, you're not there anymore'."
It was difficult for him to process because the national team had always been a highlight for him and had always made him proud: "For me, it was always the reason why I put in these performances at Lugano. Then suddenly that falls away, you fall into a bit of a hole and start to doubt."
After that, it's difficult to play as carefree as you might imagine, explains the 41-time Swiss international: "Then your body suddenly starts to tweak and you start to think. Then the first injuries come. That was the spiral I found myself in in 2025."
In the blue Sport studio, expert Timm Klose, himself a 17-time international player, says: "I can understand that. When you suddenly realize that the competition isn't sleeping and is overtaking you. Then you no longer get the call-up - and that hurts at the beginning."
However, Steffen wants to take something positive from the whole thing and says: "It wasn't easy, but I may have learned something new for my life to help me deal with it better. Even with tough decisions that I simply had to accept."
