Augsburg’s Kömür is also in focus
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In the past, more than 60 players born in Germany decided to play for the Turkish national team instead of the German one. Another could be Muhammed Damar. The DFB U21 national player is said to be courted by Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella, reports “Sky”.
Accordingly, the 51-year-old recently contacted Damar again by phone to persuade the Hoffenheim professional to switch to the Turkish association. He gave him the prospect of being part of the squad if he qualified for the 2026 World Cup. There is said to have been contact between the two even before that. It is said that the former center forward is particularly impressed by the 21-year-old’s creativity and dribbling strength.
Damar, who was born in Berlin, has been active for the German youth team since the U18s. In September he made his debut for the U21s, for whom he has appeared three times so far, recording two goals and one assist. The next game is this Tuesday (6:30 p.m./ProSieben Maxx) in Belfast against Northern Ireland, where the German youth are under great pressure. After the 2-3 defeat against Greece, the DFB selection has to score a victory in the race for a European Championship ticket in order not to lose ground early on the way to the finals in 2027.
The Turkish association (TFF) is said to believe that Damar will develop similarly to Eintracht Frankfurt’s shooting star Can Uzun. Both the DFB and the TFF also tried to recruit the 19-year-old, but in the end the player decided on Turkey, for whom he has appeared four times so far. However, Uzun had already played in the Turks’ U17 and U18 teams and had never played for the DFB as a youth.
Mert Kömür from FC Augsburg, Damar’s teammate in the German U21, should also be in the focus of the TFF. Like the Hoffenheim player, the Dachau native has been through all of the DFB’s youth teams since the U18s. Kömür has even been there since the U17. For both, a decision for a senior national team is still pending.