Nagelsmann: The hierarchy of European Championship captains remains the same.

The national team is referred to here. - Nagelsmann: The hierarchy of European Championship captains remains the same.

Julian Nagelsmann plans to keep Ilkay Gündogan as the captain of the German team at the European Championship, with Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller serving as his deputies, despite the return of previous captains Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos. "We're still going with Ilkay, Josh, and Thomas," said the national coach during a presser ahead of the EM trial against Ukraine on Monday (8:45 pm/ARD) in Nuremberg. This indicates that Gündogan will lead the German team with the captain's armband during the home tournament. If Gündogan doesn't play, Kimmich will be the first deputy, and Müller will be the next substitute captain. "I think one of them will be on the pitch," said Nagelsmann, stating that the captaincy would be decided "spontaneously" should none of them feature in the game.

While Neuer and Kroos would have been logical choices for their fourth European Championship representing Germany, Nagelsmann maintained his decision. Neuer previously functioned as captain from 2016 until his severe leg injury following the 2022 World Cup. During this time, Kimmich led the national team, before recently appointing Gündogan as the captain by former coach Hansi Flick, and Nagelsmann maintained this decision.

Nagelsmann has underscored before that the captaincy is not a significant role for him. "The captain is there for the team," he said on Sunday. He personally speaks to all his players instead.

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1. Ilkay Gündogan, the current captain of the German national team, will continue to lead the DFB squad during the European Football Championship (EM).
2. Despite the return of Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos, Julian Nagelsmann has decided to keep Gündogan as the captain, with Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller as his deputies.
3. Nagelsmann made this announcement during a press conference ahead of the EM trial against Ukraine, which will be broadcast on ARD at 8:45 pm on Monday in Nuremberg.
4. If Gündogan is unable to play, Kimmich will take over as the first deputy captain, with Müller serving as the second substitute captain.
5. Neuer and Kroos, both veterans of the DFB and Bavaria's soccer teams, were considered strong candidates for the captaincy role.
6. However, Nagelsmann has maintained his decision to stick with Gündogan, a choice he inherited from former coach Hansi Flick.
7. Nagelsmann has previously stated that for him, the captain's role is less about personal responsibility and more about supporting the team.
8. In a recent interview, Nagelsmann emphasized that he speaks to all his players individually rather than relying on a captain to communicate messages.
9. The European Football Championship will take place in Germany this year, with Ukraine being one of the opponents for the German national team.

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