Cologne – Offensive player Brajan Gruda is dreaming of being nominated again by Julian Nagelsmann after his short stint with the senior national team. “Of course my goal is to be at the 2026 World Cup and to have an important role. I’m firmly convinced that my time with the senior national team will come,” said the 20-year-old on Tuesday. First of all, his focus is on the German U21, with whom he will face Bulgaria on Friday (6 p.m./ProSieben MAXX) in the fight for the European Championship ticket.
Nagelsmann is a big fan of the former Mainz player, who moved to English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer for more than 30 million euros. The national coach had already invited Gruda to the German training group during the preparations for the European Championship in May.
This time was “like a dream come true,” he says looking back: “I used to only see the boys who play for the senior national team on television. The fact that you can then train with them is a real deal awesome feeling.” Gruda then got injured and only made his Premier League debut for Brighton last weekend.
Gruda would also be eligible to play for Albania, but sees his future with the DFB. “My parents come from Albania, but I’ve been playing for the German national team since I was a teenager, I was born in Germany. You don’t know what the future will bring. My heart says right now that I want to play for Germany,” said Gruda.
