Before the final Four in the Nations League, Nick Woltemade is part of the German national team squad for the first time. Much speaks for more than just being there.
If you only looked at Nick Woltemade in the final phase of the past season at VfB Stuttgart, you would probably not have come back to you how the football year had started for him.
In the summer of 2024, the striker was free from Werder Bremen and initially had great difficulty with the runner -up in Stuttgart. In the first nine Bundesliga games, Woltemade was not used five times and only 46 minutes as a Joker on the pitch.
Woltemade: reaction to Champions League disappointment
It should have been worse for the 23-year-old that his trainer Sebastian Hoeneß did not nominate him for the Champions League. His change should fulfill the dream of the premier class, now it was only for him as a spectator.
On November 10th, Woltemade then shot his first Bundesligator for the new club. It was a goal for his team, because it was not enough for more than the 2: 3 connection against Eintracht Frankfurt. But for him personally, the left shot in the opposing housing was the starting shot in a remaining season that catapulted him into new spheres.
This hit followed 16 competitive gates, many strong performances, lots of praise (“Woltemessi”), Apparently great interest in big clubs (there are rumors about Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid) and the first nomination for the A national team. And Woltemade is not only a list of preparation for the Nation League semi-final on Wednesday against Portugal-he could even play there right from the start.
Fill mug and Undav are the competitors in the storm
The injury problems in the DFB team are also clearly noticeable in the storm. For example, Tim Kleindienst is missing due to a knee injury, and Jonathan Burkardt had to leave his heel due to a crack wound. There are still Woltemade, his VfB colleague Deniz Undav and Niclas Füllkrug. He was once the number one in the attack under Julian Nagelsmann, but has hardly shone since moving to West Ham United and was injured for a long time.
Füllkrug has three goals, his last sense of achievement was two months ago. At the same time when the 32-year-old did not meet, Woltemade scored four goals in six competitive games-and won the DFB Cup with Stuttgart. If Nagelsmann wants a player who is in the flow, he has to prefer Woltemade. There would then only be a VfB duel around the “9”.
Nick Woltemade on the ball against Waldemar Anton in training the national team
And also the comparison with Undav does not have to shy away from Woltemade. The 28-year-old Undav has only two goals and two templates in his past 15 Bundesliga games, but he showed a significantly improved form with his performance on the last match day at RB Leipzig (goal and assist in the 3-2 victory) and in the cup final against Arminia Bielefeld (also two scorer points at 4: 0). If it were afterwards, it will be a pure nailing decision for Nagelsmann.
Völler predicts “big career”, Nagelsmann puts on the “Momentum”
It will be shown how much the national coach will put on Woltemade in the present. However, there is no doubt that he will become a striker of the future. “He has developed enormously in the past six months. He still has room for improvement, especially in the header game, but you can train that. If he adds a few percent, he has a very big career in front of him”said DFB sports director Rudi Völler.
And Nagelsmann raved: “We have a very good striker in the squad with him who has the momentum on his side and brings extraordinary skills. He was already close to the games against Italy, but it hasn’t worked out yet – also with a view to the U21. He knows that both things are important and I am convinced that he will do it very well with both teams.”
Woltemade: First DFB Cup, then Nations League, then U21 title?
Because for Woltemade, the Nations League is not over. After that, the European Championship with the U21 (June 11th to 28th) is on the program. The Stuttgart striker has set and has scored six goals in the past six games and prepared four goals, and he made an impression on his last U21 mission against title competitor Spain in March with a triple pack.
Woltemade will be a very important factor in the fight for the title for the team of coach Antonio di Salvo. But before that, he is about the final entry against Portugal and a subsequent victory against Spain or France in the final. In the best case, Woltemade experiences a triple summer after the cup triumph. And in the very best case, Nagelsmann gives him the chance to make a big contribution even in the DFB team.