Even after the return of long-term captain and veteran Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gündogan continues to see himself as captain of the national soccer team.
“At the moment I assume that I am still the captain,” said the FC Barcelona professional on Prime Video. However, there are many, many players in the team who would and should take on a lot of responsibility. “In the end, it doesn’t matter to a certain extent who wears the armband,” said the 33-year-old. “In the end it is important that we are a team, that we show unity, that everyone is aware of their role. And if we do that well, then I am convinced that we will play a very, very good European Championship.”
He recently spoke on the phone with national coach Julian Nagelsmann. “But it was a very short conversation, you can assume that I will be at the European Championships, those were his words.” Gündogan reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League with FC Barcelona on Tuesday evening. Nagelsmann will announce his squad for the friendly games in France (March 23) and against the Netherlands (March 26) on Thursday.
In addition to Kroos, long-time captain Neuer is also returning to the DFB selection for the double pack for the first time since the 2022 World Cup. The 37-year-old Bayern goalkeeper was out for almost a year after his skiing accident after the World Cup in Qatar. Marc-Andre ter Stegen from FC Barcelona replaced him in the DFB team. Gündogan was named the new DFB captain by Hansi Flick in June 2023, and successor Nagelsmann had confirmed the former Dortmund player as captain.
