Baumann & Nübel also in focus
©IMAGO
For the upcoming Nations League games in Bosnia-Herzegovina (October 11th) and against the Netherlands (October 14th), Tim Kleindienst, the next debutant of the era of national coach Julian Nagelsmann, is in the starting blocks. The center forward, who has been hunting goals for Borussia Mönchengladbach since the summer, could make his debut in the German national team jersey as a 29-year-old.
As a result, the 7 million euro new signing from Gladbach would join the ranking of the oldest DFB debutants – between Horst Heldt and Michael Hartmann, who received their first international appearance from Erich Ribbeck and Rudi Völler respectively. However, the former Heidenheim promotion shooter Kleindienst narrowly missed out on the top 10 of the most experienced German late starters. Five professionals, including BVB purchasing agent Pascal Groß (33), were already over 30 in their first game as national players.
Kleindienst turned 29 on August 31st. However, the offensive man already knows what it means to represent his country. Since his debut in September 2014, he appeared ten times for the German U20 under Frank Wormuth, but failed to score. In addition to Kleindienst, goalkeepers Alexander Nübel (VfB Stuttgart) and Oliver Baumann (TSG Hoffenheim) also have the opportunity to receive an entry among the oldest German debutants.
The keeper Nübel, who was loaned out by FC Bayern, was nominated for the first time last June and was also in the squad after the European Championships, but at the age of 28 he is still waiting for his first game between the DFB posts. The same applies especially to the now 34-year-old Baumann, who was already part of the squad in September 2020, but since then has only had to sit on the bench when he was nominated. But now he is about to make his debut, as Nagelsmann confirmed.
