The nominations for the World Cup squad by Hansi Flick caused one or the other discussion before the start of the tournament. And of course also for disappointments in some players. For Benjamin Henrichs, for example, his non-nomination was a “total shock”.
“I’m telling this now as Benny, as a person,” Benjamin Henrichs explained in his own stream when he announced that he would say a few words about his non-nomination. The man from Leipzig didn’t make it into Hansi Flick’s squad and has to watch the World Cup from home.
“I have to say that I expected to be there,” he said right at the start. His explanation: “Because I’ve always been there the last three times. The last time […] I was nominated for Marco Reus. I’ve played less in Leipzig lately, but when I played it was actually always good work.”
He was also in regular contact with Hansi Flick in the period between the last appearances of the national team and the squad nomination. “I actually had a good feeling,” the 25-year-old recalled of this phase.
“It was a total shock for me – totally disappointing. Also because – as I said – I didn’t expect it,” Henrichs looked back at the sobering decision for him. “After that, I wrote to Flick again that I would continue to step on the gas. Simply because that’s how I learned it, also in Leipzig.”
This great disappointment for him was also the reason why he was not active on social networks for about a week. Networks like Instagram, which he otherwise uses comparatively often.
“You have to imagine,” he explained to his viewers, “as a little boy you dream of playing a World Cup. You used to watch the World Cups – those are all memories that I have too. And now that I have them myself had a chance and was really close to being there, the call came. That was a blow for me.”
It is now important for him to focus on the new goals. Of course, that applies to the rest of the season at RBL, but also with regard to his further career in the national team. He has already chosen the European Championships, which will take place in Germany in 2024, as his goal.
This article was originally published on 90min.de as “Total shock”: Henrichs talks about not being nominated for the World Cup.
