Klopp surprises with third-division player – Keidel could solve DFB problem

Jürgen Klopp's sensational nomination for the Nations League matches is causing a stir, because he has called up the 23‑year‑old Felix Keidel from SV Elversberg to the German national squad. The former third‑division player could thereby address a long‑standing unresolved problem of the German national team. Klopp emphasized that performance, form and work ethic are the only criteria for selection.

Radical squad overhaul under Klopp

When Jürgen Klopp was introduced to the public a few weeks ago as the new national team coach, he stressed that the cards under him would be completely reshuffled. Only a handful of players could be sure of their place in the German team; performance, form and work ethic should decide. Klopp listed a total of 57 names that he was considering for the first Nations League matches, but he did not mention any specific players.

The coach wants to finally put an end to the shame of three failed World Cups and bring fresh faces into the national team. Such an approach has been rare in German football so far, because it would bring in players with no previous contact with the team.

Keidel's rapid rise

Keidel's rise began in 2012 in the A‑youth of FC Ingolstadt, where he progressed through all youth levels until his professional debut in the summer of 2022. In the 3. League he amassed 37 appearances, scored one goal and provided four assists.

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In 2025 he transferred for a fee of €400,000 to SV Elversberg, immediately became a regular starter, made 25 appearances, 13 of them in the starting eleven, and helped the club achieve promotion to the Bundesliga. In the top German league he featured in three matches against Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC Bayern Munich, scoring a goal, and provided two assists in the DFB Cup against MSV Duisburg.

Possible consequences for the national team

Klopp values Keidel's versatility and primarily sees him as a right‑back, where since Philipp Lahm's retirement and Joshua Kimmich's shift no convincing option has existed. While he was deployed at Ingolstadt on both full‑back positions, as well as in central and attacking midfield, SV Elversberg coach Vincent Wagner now uses him in defensive midfield alongside Łukasz Poreba.

The juxtaposition of Klopp's radical squad overhaul and Keidel's spectacular rise from the third tier highlights that the German national team is ready to take unconventional routes to remedy long‑standing weaknesses.