From BZ/dpa
Kevin Behrens missed two calls from national coach Julian Nagelsmann when he was nominated for the German national soccer team for the first time.
“I was sitting in the car and had two missed calls. Then I called back,” said the Union Berlin striker after the 4-2 defeat in the Bundesliga at Borussia Dortmund. Then he “recognized the voice straight away,” he added on Sky: “But of course you have doubts as to whether you’re being taken for a ride.”
The 32-year-old said he was surprised about the nomination, “but I’m extremely happy about it. It’s crazy that I’m nominated for the national team. A dream, unbelievable.” I don’t have the 2024 European Championship in my own country as a goal right now, I have to be honest. I try to live in the moment and not dream about any European Championships. I want to enjoy and absorb everything, then I’ll see what it’s good for.”
When asked whether he wanted to score the penalty instead of Leonardo Bonucci to make it 2-1 because he had been waiting for a goal since the second matchday, Behrens said: “Perhaps it would have been good for me to score a goal again, even if it had been it would have been from the penalty spot. But it was clearly agreed upon and I’m sticking to it. I don’t want to make a drama or a fight out of it.”
His coach Urs Fischer is also happy for Behrens. He is “the best example for many of how you can achieve great things with really hard work. You can only congratulate him on that.”