National team
Hummels on cancellation talks with Nagelsmann: “short and disappointing”
In 2023, Mats Hummels was still wearing the national team jersey
© Christian Charisius / DPA
Mats Hummels has reported on the conversation in which national coach Julian Nagelsmann told him not to take part in the European Championships. His fitness was probably one reason, said the Dortmund professional.
The conversation with Julian Nagelsmann about his exclusion from the home European Championship was “short and disappointing” for BVB defender Mats Hummels. “Not even two minutes. I just had to go to training. But in moments like that I don’t need a long conversation or a big explanation. That was enough for me,” the 2014 world champion told “Sport-Bild”. As he understood Nagelsmann, the decision was less about accepting a joker role, but rather “about age-related things like fitness.”
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Mats Hummels understands the cancellation
The Dortmund defender also showed understanding for the national coach’s squad decision: “I can understand the idea that a group should have grown since March. For me as an individual, that is bitter because I am currently one of the five best defenders in Germany, I have that confidence. If I had had the phase like I did before the nomination in March, I might have been there – and now also part of the European Championship squad.”
Hummels has been in outstanding form in recent weeks and played a major role in BVB’s entry into the Champions League final. Hummels and Co. will face Real Madrid on Saturday at London’s Wembley Stadium.