With Niklas Süle, Karim Adeyemi and Nico Schlotterbeck, Borussia Dortmund signed three German national soccer players this summer. If you believe the rumours, a fourth DFB player could follow with David Raum. There are also Emre Can, Mahmoud Dahoud, Julian Brandt, Mats Hummels and Marco Reus, all of whom are hoping to take part in the World Cup. There has long been talk of a BVB block in the German team. However, it would not be the first time that the dream of Borussia Germany burst.
With five players, Borussia Dortmund provided the second largest block (FC Bayern seven) in the 1996 European Championship victory in the German national team. The same applies to the disappointing World Cup in 1998 – but the BVB block gradually disappeared.
The 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup were negative highlights, with no Dortmund player in the squad. BVB again provided a quartet for the 2014 World Cup triumph, but only Mats Hummels was used. Since then, only Julian Weigl (EM 2016), Marco Reus (WM 2018) and Hummels and Can (EM 2020) have made it to a major tournament – a sobering record, especially with regard to Dortmund’s transfer activities.
BVB lured Brandt to the Ruhr area in 2019 for 25 million euros, Can had another 25 million euros due and Schulz had to pay 25.5 million euros to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. There are also 30.5 million euros, for which Hummels was brought back from FC Bayern. The latter had just been banned from the DFB team by ex-national coach Joachim Löw, but according to “kicker” the agreement had been reached “long ago”, before the EM Löw also rowed back.
BVB’s dream has already burst
Makes more than 100 million euros that were invested (unsuccessfully) in German stars and a leading role in the DFB team at Borsigplatz in the run-up to EURO 2020, which was ultimately only held in 2021. Hummels lost his former leadership role when he was booted out, Brandt usually fights for a place in the extended squad, Can often only becomes a real option when there is a need and Schulz disappeared from the scene almost immediately with his signature in Dortmund.
In the run-up to the first Winter World Cup in history, BVB has now made another attempt to assume a more dominant role in the national team. With the three newcomers, the squad now has eight current Germany stars. The squad for the Nations League currently has five players who will wear the black and yellow shirt from the summer. Only FC Bayern has more players.
“We had the feeling that we wanted to have more German national players again, I had already announced that to the national coach,” explained Dortmund’s managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke recently that it was by no means a coincidence.
Words that are well received by national coach Hansi Flick. “I absolutely welcome that. The past has shown that if you have two clubs that form a block, that you can be successful there,” replied Flick, DFB sports director Oliver Bierhoff added: “It was always good for the national team when we had a block or two because the players know each other and trust each other.”
Many question marks behind the DFB stars of BVB
However, it is also true that Flick emphasized that he would only be able to see a result at the home European Championship in 2024. Plenty of time to get used to the club and the DFB-Elf.
However, there was also plenty of time to disappoint the great expectations. After all, Reus is already 35 in 2024, Hummels 34, and Brandt and Can have recently been associated with a farewell to BVB several times. There is enormous competition for Schlotterbeck and Süle in the middle of the defense and Adeyemi must first prove that the leap from the Austrian to the German Bundesliga is not too big for him.
The next chance to make an impression on Flick will be on June 11th, when Germany will be in Hungary as part of the Nations League from 8:45 p.m. sport.de accompanies the game as usual in the LIVE ticker.
Marc Affeldt