For weeks in top form
© Imago
Nick Woltemade hopes to make the leap into the German national team until the World Cup next year. The fact that he was not nominated for the Nations League quarter-finals of the DFB selection against Italy on Thursday (8:45 p.m./ARD) and Sunday (8:45 p.m./RTL) may even do him quite well, said VfB Stuttgart’s attacker in the “Sky” interview. It is already “a lot of hustle and bustle” around him at the moment.
“The 2026 World Cup is one goal,” said Woltemade. “I work on that.” It is a “difficult way, no question”, but he “gives everything for it”. The 23-year-old has been in strong form for weeks. He has achieved nine Bundesliga goals for VfB in the current season-three of them in the past five games. He is “enormous fun” at the moment, said Woltemade, who had moved from Werder Bremen to Stuttgart in the summer and initially only only held the reservist role. “I am very, very grateful that the situation is now and also proud of it.” The invitation to the A national team will “hopefully come at some point”.
Everything this season, Woltemade believes, “happens a bit of one reason”. It was therefore completely okay for him to be at the U21 national team. On Friday (6 p.m./ProSieben Maxx), this will contest an international match against Slovakia and another against Spain in Darmstadt next Tuesday (8:30 p.m./SAT.1). From June 11th to 28th, the European Championship finals of the U21 will also be in Slovakia.
This is exactly what national coach Julian Nagelsmann also had in view when he was nomination for the Prestigeduelle with Italy. At the moment, Woltemade “had certainly deserved” an invitation to the A selection, Nagelsmann had explained. But it is also about Constance for a long time. He also believes that Woltemade can play a “leading role” at the U21 European Championship in summer. Unlike a Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund, who, like the professionals of FC Bayern and his club, will take part in the club World Cup in the USA in summer, Woltemade is also available for the U21 European Championship.