The last 12 months have provided Mario Lemina with a rollercoaster of emotions.
As well as being a key cog in Gary O’Neil gold and black machine which saw him named Player of the Season, the midfielder also suffered personal heartbreak, with the passing of his father.
Having brought experience and guile to the heart of the Old Gold following his move to Molineux 18 months ago, Lemina is flourishing at a club which is aiming to match his ambitions.
Although he was never in doubt about what the team could have achieved last season, Lemina believes Wolves have all the components to go even further in 2024/25.
On his first full season at Molineux
“It’s been interesting. We didn’t really start very well, and after we managed to be better. We had some good spells, some players improved a lot, the team chemistry was on point and it was really interesting to see that with all the injuries that we had and stuff, we still managed to try to improve and try to be a better team.
“We were all together from the beginning until the end and I was really pleased to play this season with the Wolves and I hope we’re going to continue like that for the next year.”
On being written off before the season started
“For some of the staff and for some of the players, it was a motivation. But for myself, I was really confident with the team that we’ve got and we did well.
“We proved to people that we’ve got a good team and if we didn’t have the kind of injuries we did, we know we could have shown even more and a better side. But it is what it is. We need to learn from this situation and be a better team next year.”
Sarabia and Super Mario sink Spurs late on 🙌
— Wolves (@Wolves) May 22, 2024
🆚 Spurs (H)
🗒️ 2-1
⚽️ Sarabia, 90+1, Lemina, 90+7' pic.twitter.com/TmM5yrxVUY
On being an ever-present
“It was really nice. I really enjoyed it. We’ve been playing good football, we scored a lot of goals, we tried to defend well and we knew we could have achieved a good position in the league, despite not many people believing in us at the beginning, but that’s why we’re really proud of it.
“Of course, we could have done better, especially if we didn’t have these kinds of injuries, but this is part of football, we need to accept it, and try to work on it so we can be better next year.”
On growing into a leader
“I’ve been around for a while now, and I’m a more experienced player, I know my football better and I know how I need to manage myself. I haven’t been injured for a while now and I’m really pleased with that.
“I’ve still be improving my football, my leadership, and that was great this year, and everyone was happy with me and I was happy with everyone – that’s what’s been good.”
On the camaraderie within the group
“We’ve got such an amazing group. The lads are really good, with good hearts and they showed the togetherness. Even the fans were with me during this tough period.
“I’m really happy to be here and I hope I’m going to stay here for a long time, and I’ll try to give my best so Wolves can be the best Wolves team we can be.”
