Since last year, Germany has a real old-fashioned target man on the attack again. Also tonight against the Red Devils, the Germans are counting on their cult striker again. Meet Niclas Füllkrug, the middle-aged (football) striker who played in the German second division last season.
Since Miroslav Klose’s retirement, Germany developed a number 9 problem. The position of purebred targetman had been vacant ever since.
Until the unknown Niclas Füllkrug wet the white-black national jersey for the first time in the run-up to the World Cup.
Füllkrug made his debut just before the World Cup in a friendly against Oman. At 29 years, 9 months and 7 days, he became the oldest debutant ever for Germany.
Immediately after coming on, he broke open the game and scored. He took care of that idiosyncratic before Germany could travel to Qatar with a victory.
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Füllkrug immediately scored on his debut for the national team.
Goal scoring machine in the German second division
It also immediately showed the right of national coach Hansi Flick, who rather surprisingly, partly due to the failure of Timo Werner, counted Füllkrug as one of his 26 players for Qatar.
No one could have predicted last season that the number 11 of the then second division club Werder Bremen would become the clinical finisher of the national team at the 2022 World Cup.
Because that is exactly what – and certainly in Germany – plays in his favor: Füllkrug can score. Last season he led the green-whites with 19 goals to the Bundesliga.
He also scored well there this season. With 15 goals in 24 matches, Füllkrug is currently the top scorer in the Bundesliga.
Ever together with De Bruyne on the field
Ten years ago, Füllkrug came to Werder as a promising youth product to put the nose to the window of the first team, which then revolved around Kevin De Bruyne.
But then he was plagued by injuries. Sore knees and ankles required multiple surgeries. Each time he fought back, with goals.
In the German 2nd division, he scored 47 goals in 135 games after passing through Greuther Fürth, Nürnberg and Hannover 96 over a decade. And since 2019 again with his childhood sweetheart Werder …
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De Bruyne (left) and Füllkrug (central, nr 41) were once teammates at Werder Bremen.
The killer with the gap between the teeth
Werder Bremen announced the return of Füllkrug with a remarkable tweet at the time. The green and white family immediately knew who it was about, because you don’t easily forget a smile like that.
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The tooth deficiency earned him the nickname The killer with the gap tooth (the killer with the gap between the teeth) on, shortened gap. He says he doesn’t mind, he even met his wife through it.
And the fact that he has a thing for teeth proves the irony: he was once taken to hospital after training because a tooth of his teammate got stuck in his forehead.
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It is clear why Füllkrug got its nickname.
The recipe of the new cult hero
It proves his passion, which according to his national coach is “an example for the entire selection”. Every element of Füllkrug seems to be an ingredient in the preparation of the new hero.
But his current status as a cult striker is mainly due to his goals. At the World Cup he was good for 2 goals and 1 assist in 3 relatively short raids.
And even if it was not enough for the Germans to survive the 1st round, confidence in Füllkrug has remained. Last week he hit 2 times in the exhibition match against Peru. With that, his counter is now at 5 goals in as many international matches.
“Lücke” brings Germany luck, that’s clear. The striker is in excellent shape and the defense of the Red Devils has been warned: they will soon have to step up a gear to keep Füllkrug in check.
