Is 'nation-hopping' ruining German youth football?
Key takeaways
- Many young German footballers are choosing other countries over Germany.
- There's also Juventus' Kenan Yıldız and PSV's Paul Wanner.
- They all hold dual citizenship and have opted to take the field for Turkey, Algeria, the USA, Croatia or Austria.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Many young German footballers are choosing other countries over Germany. DFB Director Andreas Rettig is aiming to change this and is calling for a compensation fee.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Efn6Malik Tillmann will not be representing Germany at the World Cup this summer, wearing USA colors instead Image: Revierfoto/IMAGOAdvertisement Some of the best young talents at the World Cup this summer include Bayer Leverkusen's Ibrahim Maza and Malik Tillman, Eintracht Frankfurt's Can Uzun, and Bayern Munich's domestic-double winner Josip Stanisic. There's also Juventus' Kenan Yıldız and PSV's Paul Wanner. Despite either being born in Germany or having gone through the academy system in the country, none of them will be playing for Germany on the world's biggest stage this summer.
They all hold dual citizenship and have opted to take the field for Turkey, Algeria, the USA, Croatia or Austria. Whether for sporting, emotional, or family reasons, or because they hoped doing so would give their own careers a boost, their choice is also a conscious choice against Germany. This development has shaken German FA (DFB) Director Andreas Rettig.