In front of the national coach and the rest of the team
The first DFB professional is already in the World Cup quarters
June 8, 2026 – 9:00 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
The German national team travels from Chicago to Winston-Salem. A DFB professional is already waiting there.
National coach Julian Nagelsmann called up 20-year-old Assan Ouédraogo from RB Leipzig at short notice after Lennart Karl’s thigh injury. The youngster received the call while he was on vacation in Spain – and shortly afterwards he was already on the plane to the USA.
While his future teammates spent a day off in Chicago on Sunday, Ouédraogo was the first of the DFB entourage to check into the team hotel “The Graylyn Estate” in Winston-Salem. He was greeted with a “Welcome to Graylyn” and then driven around the facility in a golf cart.
- Former assistant coach open: Secret insight into Nagelsmann’s training work
Ouédraogo described the moment of his nomination in Marbella as follows: “When Julian Nagelsmann told me that I was now included, I first had to briefly process and realize the moment before I immediately packed my things.” For him, taking part is more than just a short trip: “It’s a huge honor and makes me very proud to represent Germany at the World Cup.”
Embed
Nagelsmann explained his choice: “We definitely wanted to take a young player with us and we chose the one who, along with Lenny, left the best impression on us.” Ouédraogo also went on a trip to South Africa with RB Leipzig after the Bundesliga season – including playing games. “He’s totally in the juice and in the rhythm,” said the national coach.
Ouédraogo scored on his debut for the DFB team
The fact that the choice did not fall on 19-year-old Saïd El Mala from Cologne or Chris Führich from Stuttgart sparked discussions. Record national player Lothar Matthäus said: “Yes, it was surprising for me too. But Julian Nagelsmann definitely thought something of it.”
The national team is not new territory for Ouédraogo. The professional trained at FC Schalke 04 moved to RB Leipzig in 2024. He made a 14-minute debut in the World Cup qualifier against Slovakia last November and scored to make it 6-0 at his home stadium in Leipzig. In the World Cup year, a knee injury slowed him down for a long time. Looking at Karl, he said: “I’m very sorry for him.” Ouédraogo also takes over the jersey number 25 from him.
Nagelsmann relies on Ouédraogo’s versatility in the offensive, where the 1.92 meter tall professional can be used centrally and out wide: “With Assan we are getting a player who, like Lenny, had a great debut with us. He is also highly talented and should play bravely and carefree here.”