⚽ Endless debate settled? This German star could set the fans free | OneFootball

The discussion feels as old as the last title won by the German national team: The DFB squad has a striker problem. Ever since Miroslav Klose and maybe even Mario Gomez, the roughly 80 million national team coaches have been complaining that beautiful football may be nice to watch, but it doesn’t automatically score goals. 

For a long time, they operated with a false nine, until Niclas Füllkrug filled the gaping hole in the German attack and ensured that no one had to long for a classic striker anymore—at least in the short term, the qualities of the finisher were appreciated throughout the country.

But then the next problem arose: With the now over-30-year-old striker, who is repeatedly plagued by injuries in England, you really couldn’t talk about the future—and there was the fear that the never-ending experiments with the false nine would soon return.

But that’s over now. Optimists would say, at the latest after the dominant 6-0 win against Slovakia in the final for direct World Cup qualification: Germany has left the striker problem behind. The reason for this initiated that very victory yesterday after 18 minutes with a header following a Kimmich cross: Nick Woltemade.

Finally, there’s someone in the box again who knows where a goal scorer needs to be. And unlike “Fülle,” there’s someone who is far from the autumn of his career—in fact, he doesn’t even seem to have reached the peak of his performance yet.

The 23-year-old moved to Newcastle United in the Premier League this summer for a sum that initially seemed absurd—and, unlike national teammate Florian Wirtz, did not have a difficult start there.

The Newcastle fans—still reeling from the loss of their star striker Alexander Isak, who joined the Reds—were certainly skeptical at first. After all, just two years earlier, Woltemade had been playing for SV Elversberg in the 3rd division. But the English heartbreak was quickly forgotten—thanks to Woltemade’s debut in the Premier League.

He needed only 29 minutes to score the winning goal for his new team with a header in his first match, instantly winning over the fans as “Woltemessi.” Since his transfer, he has scored six goals in 14 appearances across all competitions. 

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At first glance, Nick Woltemade may be a classic striker, but he often combines the physical presence of one with technical qualities reminiscent of an attacking number ten. In matches where a classic striker would be neutralized, he plays more variably, drops back, and contributes to the build-up play instead of just waiting to be served something decent.

We were able to admire his presence on the field once again yesterday. In addition to his opening goal, which put the DFB team on the road to victory, he continued to have a major influence on the game. With his strengths on the ball, he set up his teammates well and initiated Ridle Baku’s 5-0 with an impressive dribble.

And let’s not forget that the striker only made his debut less than half a year ago in the Nations League final. Since then, he has scored four goals in eight appearances—a record that more than speaks for itself.

That Woltemade will be part of the World Cup squad, as long as he stays injury-free (knock on wood), is basically a sure thing in the eyes of many German fans.

And for him personally? Well, he didn’t quite want to admit it in the ZDF interview after the Slovakia match. However, he did say on the microphone that he always enjoys playing for Germany. He also said he’s really looking forward to going to a World Cup, and assumes he’ll be there—as long as he keeps up his performances.

And honestly? After this international break, we all expect that. The striker problem could therefore be a thing of the past. National coach Julian Nagelsmann can now finally solve it for the coming years with his protégé Nick Woltemade, and free the fans, journalists, and armchair coaches from the eternal striker debate once and for all. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

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