“Belongs in the squad”
Ex-DFB captain sees Sané at the World Cup
October 18, 2025 – 8:23 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
They know each other well. Now İlkay Gündoğan has emphasized that he would advise Julian Nagelsmann to take Leroy Sané with him to the World Cup.
Next year the World Cup will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico. For former DFB captain Iİlkay Gündoğan, his Istanbul teammate Leroy Sané belongs back in the German national team.
“For me personally, Leroy belongs in the 2026 World Cup squad,” said the 35-year-old in an interview with “Kicker” with a view to the tournament next summer. “He’s not playing for any club now, he’s still playing for Galatasaray, so at a high level.”
Julian Nagelsmann recently did not consider the former Bayern player for the World Cup qualifying games. The national coach explained that the Turkish Süper Lig was “a bit worse” than other European competitions. He emphasized that Sané “needs to stand out more” – and referred to the necessary goal and assist quota.
Gündoğan showed little understanding for this. “Leroy is not yet at 100 percent,” said the former DFB captain. However, statistics alone are not a decisive criterion for him: “But I don’t judge teammates solely based on statistics.” He thinks the Turkish league is better than it is often made out to be. You can’t compare it with the Premier League, but: “You can’t compare any league in the world with it,” said Gündoğan. Not even the Bundesliga. “Accordingly, you have to look at everything a little differently,” he explained.
Even after his summer move from FC Bayern to Turkey, Sané continues to be a top player. “I see how he works backwards, in training, even when his teammates lose the ball. That’s why I would like his critics to also watch the games, knowing what his tasks are,” said Gündogan: “So he knows best what he has to do. I hope that he comes back in top form, because without him it actually doesn’t work at all.”