“My assets will soon be used up, yes. I have donated around 4 million euros and work on a voluntary basis. I played professional football for 14 years, but my salaries were gross. And I have not had so many outstanding years with a million salary. That was at BVB for a while. That is why corporate partnerships are so important: they help to bear the foundation costs and thus the foundation with me."

Neven Subotic moved from Mainz 05 to Borussia Dortmund in 2008 alongside Jürgen Klopp. This marked the beginning of BVB’s most successful era in recent history. At the height of his career, the Dortmund defensive leader founded the “Neven Subotic Foundation,” based in Dortmund, to build wells and sanitation facilities in East Africa. The foundation was honored by the European Parliament with the 2019 Silver Rose Award for its commitment.

Question: Mr. Subotic, you won the league title with BVB in 2011 and the double in 2012. At the same time, you’ve been supporting drinking water and sanitation projects in East Africa through your “well:fair” foundation since 2012. Your former coach, Jürgen Klopp, wrote in the foreword to your book Alles geben: “Neven began to transform himself from a football player into a saint.” Would you agree with that?

Neven Subotic: I see it as a great compliment from someone who chooses his words carefully and, at the same time, truly knows how to value people. But it’s hard to live up to the role of a saint. Because I make mistakes, too.

Question: How would you describe yourself?

Subotic: My main role is that of foundation manager. Of course, I’m also the founder, but you can set up a foundation and then just sit back and do nothing (smiles). For me, my work is a blessing, but at the same time a bit of a curse: I sometimes see life passing me by because I absolutely don’t want to drift away from my work. That’s something I took to the complete opposite extreme at the beginning of my football career.

Question: In what way?

Subotic: There was absolutely no control. I had fast cars, a mansion with a jacuzzi. That was acting without thinking, just extreme. That changed in 2010: Then I wanted control, and I founded my foundation in 2012. And after my career ended, I decided to give everything to my foundation: my money, my time, my thoughts. To date, among other things, we have provided 439,255 people with access to drinking water.

Question: You said that life is passing you by.

Subotic: When it comes to “doing something for myself and not just for others,” I don’t like how I handle it. I need to grow in that regard so I can keep up with my workload. Because the work of making a difference never ends. When I was still playing, I was forced to stop working to train or to get eight hours of sleep.

Question: That sounds as if you miss football as a way to unwind.

Subotic: I had those incredible moments of triumph in front of 80,000 fans. Your mind is completely elsewhere, filled with euphoria. It doesn’t save the world, but it’s just wonderful.

Question: After 27 moves, you’re living in Dortmund. Is it because this is where you had your best time as a pro?

Subotic: Because my foundation is here. When my ex-girlfriend and I broke up, my foundation was the center of my existence. Throughout my life, relationships have repeatedly fallen apart due to moves: fleeing Yugoslavia, being deported from Germany, starting over in the U.S., returning to Mainz for football, my career. I’ve been separated from my family for 20 years now. Relationships can break apart, but my work remains. It will endure beyond my lifetime. Sometimes I could cry just thinking about how significant that is. And my foundation has given me a new family.

Question: Please tell us about it.

Subotic: A colleague lives above me with her husband and their two-year-old daughter. Below me lives another friend I met through the foundation, along with his family. The best days are when I grab the little girl from upstairs, we go grocery shopping at Rewe, or we just watch the trains go by from my window. I enjoy being an uncle. Without her, I often spend 14 hours at my computer.

Question: The goal is to provide one million people with drinking water by 2030, more than double what has been achieved so far.

Subotic: In the first year, we had revenue of about 76,000 euros. Now we’re at just under five million a year. People have more confidence in us and trust us more; we have corporate partnerships and an ambassador program. This allows us to make a bigger impact and continue to keep our 100% promise.

Question: You promise that 100 cents of every euro will go toward the cause. Have you covered all travel and administrative costs out of your own pocket?

Subotic: Yes.

Question: Won’t that eventually run out?

Subotic: Actually, my savings will be gone soon, yes. I’ve donated around four million euros and am working as a volunteer. I played professional football for 14 years, but my salaries were gross. And I didn’t have that many standout years with a million-euro salary. That was just for a while at BVB. My money is finite. That’s why corporate partnerships are so important: they help me cover the foundation’s costs and thus support its foundation.

Question: Do you still go to the stadium sometimes or keep in touch with former teammates?

Subotic: I went to BVB once, though it was for and with donors. I loved playing on the field. Watching was never my thing. I’ve stayed in touch with former BVB press officer Josef Schneck and team manager Fritz Lünschermann. I grew up without grandparents. They are people with heart; they were always there.

Question: If you had one wish, who in the world would you like to go out for a beer with?

Subotic: I’ve had the chance to meet some amazing people over the past few years. What they’ve achieved is incredible. But grill them? I’d rather read interviews with them. I’d really love to have a beer with Jürgen Klopp. He shaped my life, but we never had a quiet moment together. He had 30 players to look after. It would be nice to reflect on things together again and get his input.