Sparking World Cup excitement

After an excellent season with RB Leipzig and given the qualities he brings to the pitch, our captain looks set to be Germany’s first-choice left-back at the World Cup. Another major strength is the way he connects with those around him – teammates, staff and fans alike. Our number 22 wants to provide direction and help create the right atmosphere.

With convincing friendly performances against Finland and then the USA (6th June, 20:30 CEST), followed by a successful World Cup opener against Curaçao (14th June, 19:00 CEST), David hopes he and his Germany teammates can spark the same excitement that surrounded last summer’s home European Championship. He has a key role to play in that – and has already been igniting that spark over the past few days.

When the Germany squad arrived in Herzogenaurach on Wednesday, he took time for the young football fans waiting there. “Someone once said: ‘You never stop being a Germany player.’ It was no effort for me to stop briefly and give three or four kids autographs and take photos with them. It meant very little effort for me, but a lot to the boys,” he explained during the DFB media session.

One of those boys was even wearing a shirt with David’s name on it – a small detail that underlines his growing importance as a player fans can identify with. David is appreciated by supporters young and old, as well as by his teammates. He knows how important role models can be. By staying approachable, he wants to help the excitement around the team spread across the country again – from sofas at home to fan zones and big screens nationwide.