Before I arrived here [ Borussia Dortmund], a lot of people were questioning about whether I could ever play as a striker, that I was a guy who could only run down the wing quickly.

The fans of Borussia Dortmund are truly amazing. It is hard to describe what you feel when you play in front of them, the atmosphere they create not only on the yellow wall with its 25000-something fans jumping up and down a full 90-plus minutes of every game, no matter the score or the opponent.

Every goal is hard work, especially in such an excellent league as the Bundesliga; or even take the Champions League.

I always set myself new goals. I always want to do better than I did in the past. I always want to achieve things I never achieved before.

It was Thomas Tuchel's first season as coach and I played centrally always. The whole team had a great year, one that I enjoyed a lot. Our style has changed a bit, from trying to score within five seconds to a more calm and in some regard more educated style of play. We try to find the right moment - and then we explode.

My mother used to have a shop in which she offered very colorful clothes. I liked that from my early days on.

There are a lot of things to like about [Borussia Dortmund's fans] and the city of Dortmund as a whole.I like their honesty. And I like that my family and I can feel safe here. I don' t have to worry at all about my safety and their and my own safety. Believe me, in other countries I have made different experiences in that regard. All of this, too, has led to my decision to extend my contract until 2020, and I can imagine staying even longer.