Pascal Groß is looking forward to his debut in the national soccer team.
“It’s a very nice and exciting time for me. I’ve always said it’s a dream for me to be with the national team,” said the 32-year-old from Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion after his first Training session with the DFB selection in Wolfsburg.
Gross himself was surprised by the nomination
In the group of national players he was “greatly received”. A “few little things” would be different than in the club. But you get used to it “quickly”.
Somewhat surprisingly, national coach Hansi Flick nominated Groß for the international matches on Saturday (8.45 p.m.) against Japan in Wolfsburg and three days later against France in Dortmund (9 p.m. / ARD). The nomination was also surprising for himself, said the latecomer, who switched from FC Ingolstadt to the Premier League in 2017. “The more I was happy, the bigger the surprise was”said Groß at the media event in Wolfsburg.
Social media profiles are alien to him
Born in Mannheim, he always flew a little under the radar – despite nearly 200 games for Brighton and Hove Albion’s “Seagulls” in the world’s strongest league. Pascal Groß does not know luxury posturing. His dialect is strongly Mannheim, he says “ned” instead of “not”. Social media profiles for self-expression are not his world.
“I’m doing quite well with it,” reported the midfielder, whose father Stephan once played for Karlsruher SC in the Bundesliga. “I try to stay away from this world. Life has so many ups and downs that the additional rollercoaster curves on social media are too steep and too deep for me.”
Top Premier League goalscorer for the Seagulls
His career, on the other hand, is straight forward. At least for six years, during which he plays in the English seaside resort on the English Channel. Gross is the first Premier League goalscorer in Seagulls history and also the top with 27 goals. Many tactical nerds have been calling for Hansi Flick to call him for a long time.
“I’m trying to bring a lot of energy into the team,” said the midfielder, who says he can be “flexibly deployed”. But he is primarily a team player: “That’s my greatest strength.”
Strengths in standards
His strength with standards would probably have been helpful in the failed World Cup. He can pull the strings on the eight, i.e. as a replacement for Leon Goretzka, who was not called up, or as a classic ten.
However, there are two things that really bother him. On the one hand, he has to get used to a new ball. And, much worse: he would very much like to avoid the obligatory singing performance in the dressing room. “Hopefully I have to go,” said Pascal Groß. “I have other talents.” You might see that against Japan on Saturday.