Nagelsmann Proposes Burkardt for Nomination
Germany Calls Up Jonathan Burkardt for Nations League Semifinals
Frankfurt/Main – Following an ankle injury to Angelo Stiller of VfB Stuttgart, striker Jonathan Burkardt from 1. FSV Mainz 05 has been retroactively included in the German National Team's squad for the Nations League Final Four.
The Football Association (DFB) announced that Stiller cannot participate due to his ankle injury, which he also sustained during the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday. VfB emerged victorious against Arminia Bielefeld with a score of 4-2, but Stiller had missed previous matches due to his injury.
Burkardt, despite initial public criticism for not being nominal, is now part of the team after he became the top-scoring German player in the 2021-2022 Bundesliga season, tallying 18 goals.
Germany will face Portugal in the semifinals of the UEFA competition on June 4 in Munich (9:00 PM CET/ZDF). Potential final opponents four days later could be Spain and France. The team will assemble in Herzogenaurach on Friday to commence preparations.
Regarding the top overall goalscorer in the Bundesliga for the 2021-2022 season, Robert Lewandowski took that title with 35 goals. However, he is a Polish national who played for Bayern Munich, a German club, though this does not affect Burkardt's inclusion in the German squad.
Burkardt's inclusion in the German National Team opens a new opportunity for sports-analysis, as his impressive performances in football, scoring 18 goals in the 2021-2022 Bundesliga, are set to make an impact in the Nations League Semifinals against Portugal on June 4. Despite initial criticism, his inclusion has been justified by his extraordinary display in the league, which was second only to Robert Lewandowski's 35 goals in the overall top scorers list.
