Ex-national player makes it clear
“I can no longer identify with the German team”
January 21, 2025 – 5:55 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Kerem Demirbay played two international matches for Germany eight years ago. No more were added – and that’s how it stays, he says himself.
Kerem Demirbay made his first appearance for Germany in June 2017. In a friendly against Denmark (1-1), the creative midfielder came on as a substitute in the final quarter of an hour. Three weeks later he was even used in the starting line-up in Germany’s Confederations Cup group game against Cameroon (3-1) and scored his first international goal. Demirbay was supposed to win the tournament with Germany, but there was no further appearance in the DFB jersey.
The 31-year-old, who previously played for TSG Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen, among others, has no interest in anything changing. “If the DFB asked me to take part in a World Cup today, I would say with great respect: ‘Guys, I’d rather go on holiday with my family.’ I have finished with the German national team and can no longer identify with it,” he told the sports portal “Spox”, but also added: “Please, that doesn’t sound wrong. I grew up in Germany and am very grateful to the country . But now I’m at home in Turkey and I don’t want to leave here anymore. The quality of life in Istanbul cannot be compared to any German city.
Demirbay is currently playing for Galatasaray in the Turkish metropolis and moved from Leverkusen to the record champions in the summer of 2023. He sees the standard at Galatasaray as high. “If we were to play in the Bundesliga, many clubs would have to tremble. We would definitely be one of the best clubs. Bayern, Galatasaray, Leverkusen, Leipzig, Dortmund: I think that’s what the table would look like in the end,” Demirbay is sure.
The club is currently at the top of the Turkish Süper Lig table, six points ahead of arch-rivals Fenerbahçe. But even if he wins the championship, Demirbay doesn’t want to leave Turkey for a new challenge: “A change is out of the question for me. I’m a husband and father, my whole family feels very comfortable in Istanbul. At 20, things go hop, hop, boom , Change. Now I have to think about my family when making decisions like that.”