When Assan Ouédraogo headed off on holiday to Marbella at the start of the week, he may have expected plenty of things – just probably not that, only a few days later, he would be travelling to North America for the World Cup after all.

Back in mid-May, the 20-year-old told us in an interview that his biggest dream was “to win the World Cup one day”. However, a mere few days afterwards, his name was missing from Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad for the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada. It was a setback for the Mülheim-born midfielder.

That changed late on Friday evening. After Lennart Karl was ruled out with a muscle tear, Nagelsmann opted to call up the RBL talent in his place. For Assan, a dream has now come true, bringing an eventful season to its fittingly eventful conclusion.

Assan Ouédraogo on his call-up

"I got the call from the national team coach on Friday evening while on holiday. When Julian Nagelsmann told me I was now part of the squad, I needed a moment to take it in and realise what had happened before going and packing my things straight away. It is a huge honour and makes me very proud to represent Germany at the World Cup.

A childhood dream of mine has come true - one I have worked hard for, especially over the past few months and years. I’m looking forward to my role in the team and want to help the lads as much as I can, both on and off the pitch.

At the same time, I would like to wish Lenny a speedy and full recovery. I feel very sorry for him that he got injured so close to the tournament and can’t be involved. Alongside the joy I feel, I also sympathise with his situation greatly. I wish him all the best from the bottom of my heart and hope he is back out on the pitch soon."