Jürgen Klopp wants to reclaim the flag before the Nations League
In the conference room of the Deutscher Fußball-Bund, Jürgen Klopp appears wearing a black cap bearing the old Adidas logo in the colours of the German flag, slogan “1 out of 83 million”. He launches a call to reclaim national pride, ahead of the start of the Nations League campaign, as the AfD gains ground.
Since the AfD recently won 44 percent of the vote in the state of Saxony‑Anhalt, a historic score that recalls dark times, the subsequent elections in Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania and in Berlin confirmed the party’s rise, though without reaching such percentages.
A mission following the former coaches
Like Hansi Flick, who succeeded Joachim Löw, and Julian Nagelsmann, who followed Hansi Flick, Jürgen Klopp is tasked with building a new Nationalmannschaft capable of erasing the failures of the previous generation.
During the presentation of his squad for the Nations League – where Germany will face the Netherlands, Greece twice, and Serbia – the new Bundestrainer announced two groups totalling 44 players, including 16 newcomers with varied profiles, such as defender Felix Keidel from Elversberg or midfielder Mika Baur of Celtic, who has never appeared in the Bundesliga.
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A new milestone for national pride
A new cap handed out to journalists, black and adorned with the flag, bears the slogan “1 out of 83 million”, a reference to a French theory about the number of selectors, adapted to the German population, highlighting the idea that every citizen can feel selected.
“I would like us to reclaim the national flag and, when it flies in the wind, not think of it as something negative,” Klopp said, adding that the symbol should “give the feeling of being happy, of being born, of having grown up or settled in a wonderful country.”
After handing the accessory to all the journalists present, Klopp clarified that it was not intended for mass retail, emphasizing the political link of the gesture and stating that he does not hide behind the small detail to mention it.
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Recalling that the Nationalmannschaft today includes players of very diverse origins, he concluded: “To make this list, I did not look at what we don’t have, but at what we have.” Julian Nagelsmann, who had already spoken about the need to tighten ties with the public, added that he does not want to leave national pride to the wrong people, preferring to talk about “positive patriotism.”