DFB Juniors - Reception for U17 world champions - "Tailwind for the European Championship year"
The world championship title of the German U17 national team should give German soccer new momentum.
"Three months ago, we were saying that German soccer was at rock bottom and how bad things were in terms of young talent. Today we are talking about the fact that a new generation of great players is growing up," said Bernd Neuendorf, President of the German Football Association. "This success is a great end to the year and will give us at the DFB a tailwind for the 2024 European Championship." Neuendorf will welcome the team to the DFB Campus today.
The U17 national team won the World Cup title for the first time at the weekend thanks to a penalty shoot-out win against France. Coach Christian Wück appealed after the World Cup triumph in Indonesia that the talents must now be offered match practice at a high level. "Without good training, without good talent, the senior national team and the U21 will not be fed with young players," said Wück.
Völler: Players need good career decisions
However, there is still a long way to go on the road to great professional careers or even the senior national team, for whom the home European Championships are coming up next year. "We have incredibly talented players in this age group who have now been rewarded," said DFB sports director Rudi Völler on Sport1-Doppelpass. "The fact that they are now being advised in such a way that they are also being used by the clubs is the basis of everything. That they don't go to clubs where they don't get to play."
Wück likes to cite FC Barcelona as an example of a big club that gives young players playing time. Marc Guiu (17) and Lamine Yamal (16) have already played over ten times in the Premier League there. "Having confidence over a longer period of time is incredibly important. Giving them the opportunity to play professionally. Other nations - Spain is a good example - show us how it's done by using young players in the top three leagues. I would like to see more of that in Germany," Wück told the German Press Agency during the tournament.
Captain Darvich chooses the path abroad
U17 captain Noah Darvich is also hoping that his move to Spain is the right one. He moved from SC Freiburg to FC Barcelona in the summer for an estimated 2.5 million euros. "From a player's point of view, I can understand the move. Noah Darvich can speak Spanish. For him, the change is not quite as big as some people think," Wück told dpa.
"From a German coach's point of view, it's a shame that we couldn't keep such a top talent in Germany. We have to ask ourselves why. I don't know the communication between Noah and Freiburg, only the player's point of view. Basically, it's a shame when a top talent of a year goes abroad."
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- Bernd Neuendorf, the president of the German Football Association (DFB), will welcome the U17 world champion team to the DFB Campus today.
- The U17 German national team secured the World Cup title against France in a penalty shoot-out during the weekend.
- Rudi Völler, the DFB sports director, praised the young players, noting that they have earned their reward after their impressive performance.
- Christian Wück, the coach of the U17 team, emphasized the need for continuous training and match practice for the talents to progress further.
- Wück pointed out that clubs like FC Barcelona in Spain provide good opportunities for young players to gain professional experience by featuring them in top leagues.
- U17 team captain Noah Darvich chose to move to FC Barcelona in the summer, featuring in over ten Premier League games since.
- Wück lamented the loss of top talent like Darvich but understood his decision, given his ability to communicate in Spanish.
- The German soccer association is now looking forward to the 2024 European Championship year, motivated by the team's success.
- Germany, as a country, should strive to offer better opportunities and career decisions for young talents to prevent them from leaving for other nations, like Spain.
Source: www.stern.de
