Next Thursday, Julian Nagelsmann will nominate his squad for the national team’s international matches in March. A surprising name is said to be there.
Jan-Niklas Beste from promoted team 1. FC Heidenheim becomes a German national player. The pay-TV channel Sky reported this on Saturday. It is said that national coach Julian Nagelsmann has already spoken to the 25-year-old on the phone.
Beste comes from Borussia Dortmund’s youth ranks, but played in his professional career for the second representative of Werder Bremen, the Dutch club FC Emmen, SSV Jahn Regensburg and, since 2022, for 1. FC Heidenheim. With coach Frank Schmidt’s team he was promoted to the Bundesliga last season, contributing twelve goals and 13 assists.
This season, Beste knows how to impress over the long term. With seven goals, he is number one in the internal top scorers list (together with Eren Dinkçi and Tim Kleindienst). Beste added ten more goals.
Heidenheim boss: “A huge deal for our club”
Heidenheim’s CEO Holger Sanwald told Sky before the game against FC Augsburg: “Ultimately, the nomination will take place next week. I’m obviously keeping my fingers crossed for Nicki that he will be nominated.”
Then the 56-year-old added: “That would be a huge thing for him and also for our club. He would have deserved it and would be good for the national team.”
Best has all the virtues that the national team could use, said Sanwald. In the end, only the player and the national coach would know what the nomination is. “But I hope that’s the case,” said Sanwald, underlining his hopes for a national player for the newly promoted team.