Ready to answer the call

Slowly ticking away in the background is of course the countdown to this summer's World Cup. The possibility of a call-up is obviously on Ridle's mind, but he's not stressing about the subject. "We all have to be patient and wait another couple of weeks," said the defender, seeming relaxed about the whole topic. This May, Germany national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann will announce his final squad for the upcoming competition.

He's recently been in touch with Nagelsmann to discuss his performances. He knows where he stands, then. "What I can influence is how I perform on the pitch." What does that mean in practice? Ridle is fully focused on a strong end to the season with RBL. Everything else can be put to the side for now. It's also true to say, though, that: "Capping it all off with a World Cup call-up would be something special, of course."

There is a general World Cup fever building in the dressing room as well. Particularly, the Austrian trio of Christoph Baumgartner, Xaver Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald are already brimming with excitement. "They have Argentina in their group, and it'll surely be their last chance to face Messi. There's nothing wrong with that," grinned Ridle. "But we still have a job to do at this club. And when that's done and dusted, hopefully we can all enjoy the buzz as we head towards the World Cup."