The goalkeeper question has plagued German football for months – who will be in the team in 2026 WM in the US, Mexico and Canada in the DFB goal?
In the ZDF sports studio, former national goalkeeper René Adler (40/12 internationals) also weighed in on the debate and support for current DFB goalkeeper Oliver Baumann (35) – including huge praise!
René Adler (40) ended his career in 2019. In the Bundesliga he played for Bayer Leverkusen and HSV, among others
Adler: “I think we have absolutely no discussion about the goalkeeper at the moment – because of Oliver Baumann’s performance. That’s why he is the best player for me along with Nick Woltemade DFB in this World Cup qualifier and really deserve to play in this World Cup.”
Background: Experts have repeatedly discussed whether Manuel Neuer (39) should return to the goal of the national team. The reason is, Marc-André ter Stegen (33), who was originally placed, had to regain his old strength after back surgery and also had to miss FC Barcelona.
Adler continued: “Now we all don’t know, what will happen to Marc-André ter Stegen? Will Manuel Neuer’s name come up again in March? It wouldn’t be difficult for me to play in the World Cup with Oliver Baumann here and now.”
At the end of March, the DFB will have two more test matches. However, it is still unclear who will occupy the German goal.
Nagelsmann still keeps a low profile in the goalkeeping debate
Meanwhile, national coach Julian Nagelsmann (38) is still keeping a low profile and does not want to commit.
After the 6-0 bashing against Slovakia and regarding World Cup qualification, he said on ZDF: “So far, we are very happy with him. He is doing well. And we will see what happens next year. None of us are fortune tellers.”
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Is the goalkeeper question also an issue between Baumann and Nagelsmann?
The Hoffenheim goalkeeper said this clearly on “Sportstudio”: “Yes, I have a very good relationship with him but we don’t talk about the topic.”
Of course going to the World Cup is still a big dream. Baumann: “I always thought that I would really like to do that. I’ll leave it at that. We’ll have to see what happens next year.”
