Kosovo midfielder Leon Avdullahu immediately became a key player in his first year at Hoffenheim.
With his performances, the 22-year-old midfielder has taken his and Hoffenheim's game to another level.
In a lengthy interview given to the Bundesliga website, Avdullahu said that he aims to become a Champions League-level player.
"I feel very comfortable here. Hoffenheim feels like a family to me. The conditions are ideal for me to continue to develop, play in Europe next season and continue to perform at this level," said Avdullahu.
In Europe, Hoffenheim played for the first time in the 2017/18 season. In the group stage of the Champions League for the first and only time, it appeared in the 2018/19 season. It appeared in the Europa League in the 2020/2021 season and in the 2024/2025 season.
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And for the fifth time in history, Hoffenheim will play in Europe in the next competitive season, 2026/2027. It has secured the Europa League, while aiming for the Champions League.
"We know we have to win both games. It's no longer in our hands to secure a place in the top four, so we have to hope for results elsewhere. Our focus is simply to win the next game and then see what happens," said Avdullahu.
Hoffenheim had a golden opportunity to take a big step towards the Champions League last weekend. But a 3:3 draw at home to Stuttgart denied them the chance.
Hoffenheim is in sixth place with 58 points, as are Stuttgart in fifth place and Bayer Leverkusen in fourth place.
"It's very difficult to accept, it feels like a defeat. I think, until the red card, it was a very good performance from our side - with high intensity, good with and without the ball. However, after the red card, we became very careless, very defensive and not clinical enough in attack. We didn't use our numerical advantages well and in the end we deserved to concede a goal. We did the analysis and saw again that from the seventh minute onwards, it wasn't a disaster, it should have been 4:1 or 5:1 for us and closed the match", said Avdullahu.
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There are two matches left to be played in the Bundesliga until the end of the current season.
Hoffenheim hosts Werder Bremen at home this weekend, while playing their last match away against Borussia Monchengladbach.
"I knew that the club had a plan and wanted a fresh start with new players. My goal was to qualify for Europe with Hoffenheim. At first, no one really believed in me, but in the end we did it. I felt from the first weeks of training that something was possible. The quality was there and for me it was clear that with this team we could qualify for Europe," says Avdullahu.
He also spoke about Albian Hajdari's influence on Hoffenheim. Kosovo striker Fisnik Asllani also has a great influence on Hoffenheim's success.
"I've known Hajdar for a long time, since our youth days in Basel. We even went to school together and our families know each other, so it's great that he's here," added Avdullahu.
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Avdullahu says he has looked to former Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets and Sunderland and Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka as role models.
"My role model is Sergio Busquets. Granit Xhaka too. I took as an example his leadership and calmness. On and off the pitch, he is a leader," said Avdullahu.
