Nagelsmann does without him
DFB striker after World Cup exit: “It’s worth more than just taking part”
May 25, 2026 – 11:33 amReading time: 2 minutes
Tim Kleindienst reflects on his World Cup exit and puts something completely different in the foreground. He could still be there in the USA.
Bundesliga striker Tim Kleindienst understands that he was not nominated for the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico by national coach Julian Nagelsmann. “I’ve always said that if I get a rejection, it’s normal. If I had gone along, it would have been really extraordinary,” said the 30-year-old in an interview with the “Bild” newspaper.
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But for him it was “nonsense” to mourn the missed World Cup opportunity. “I’m incredibly happy that I’m fit again now. And in the end that’s worth more than taking part in the World Cup. Because I still have a few years left in my career and hopefully I’ll stay injury-free.”
If he had gotten fit again earlier, “it would have been a different issue. And then I would probably have gone along too,” the attacker suspected. Nagelsmann also confirmed this when nominating the squad last week. “I would have loved to have him there because he made a great impression as a guy. But we couldn’t do that after the long period of injury.”
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Kleindienst had missed almost the entire season due to a knee injury and only made a four-minute comeback on the last matchday. He can therefore understand the national coach’s decision. In his six international matches, the Gladbach striker scored four goals and prepared one.
In the future, the striker could become an option for the national coach again. He doesn’t see his career in the DFB team as over yet. You can and should rely on young players, but according to him, every team needs a certain average age. “If you meet the profile that the national coach wants, anything is possible.”
