“My role model”
German group opponents fight over jersey
June 13, 2026 – 1:48 a.mReading time: 1 min.
On Sunday, Germany will play its first World Cup game against Curaçao. The World Cup debutant is already thinking about the time after the game.
The German group opponents Curaçao are apparently arguing about which player can swap which jersey after the first game against Germany. The focus should be on Antonio Rüdiger’s jersey for the two defenders Roshon van Eijma and Jurien Gaari.
“He is my role model, plays in the same position as me. If he doesn’t play, I will go to the bench after the game and ask him for his jersey,” said van Eijma in an interview with the “Bild” newspaper. The 28-year-old is under contract with RKC Waalwijk in the Netherlands.
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However, van Eijma’s colleague Gaari seems to have a better card: “One of my friends is good with Rüdiger. He has already spoken to him so that I can get the shirt from him.”
It will be seen on Sunday which player wins the race. Germany will meet the island nation in Houston at 7 p.m. German time. Curaçao is the smallest state that has ever qualified for a World Cup.
Almost all of the players in the squad were not born on the island, but in the Netherlands. Although the island is an independent state, it belongs to the Dutch Kingdom. The team is coached by Dick Advocaat, who was already under contract with Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany.