Christian Eriksen's journey with Wolfsburg ended, as the Danish international player, who holds the record for the number of international appearances, and the club's management mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was scheduled to last until June 30, 2027.
Dieter Hecking, the club’s sporting director, said in statements on the official website: “It was clear to us that the decision to determine his future rests with Christian himself. We wanted to give him that freedom in this particular situation, and we have now agreed to his request to terminate the contract. Eriksen has achieved a lot during his exceptional career, but what stood out most to us at Wolfsburg was his humility and ease of dealing with him. Despite the short period he spent here, he left a profound impact on his teammates, the technical staff and the fans. We thank Christian and wish him and his family all the best.”
Christian Eriksen said: “It is important for me at the moment to be close to my family in Denmark. I am glad that we were able to find a common solution. My time at Wolfsburg had many ups and downs. I know that the club is now in safe hands capable of leading the journey back to the Bundesliga, and I am confident that Wolfsburg's future will be successful. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who supported me at the club and in the city of Wolfsburg. It was a pleasure for me to play for this team, and I will keep beautiful memories of this period.”
Eriksen joined Wolfsburg one year ago on a free transfer, bringing with him experience gained from playing more than 300 matches in the English Premier League, and about 100 matches in the Champions League and Europa League. The midfielder participated in 34 matches with Wolfsburg in the German League, the German Cup, and the playoff matches to stay in the league, during which he scored three goals and made ten others.
Jurgen Klopp, coach of the German national football team, said that he will begin his mission with the team seriously when it faces the Dutch national team on Thursday in the opening of the European Nations League competitions.
Klopp told reporters after the German national team's final training session on Wednesday: "I have not heard about playing many friendly matches in Amsterdam, so we will get straight into the competition."
The new coach of the German national team added: “Everyone is very excited, so we feel a real state of anticipation.”
Klopp took over as coach of the German national team, succeeding Julian Nagelsmann, who left his position after the World Cup this year, to face a major challenge of rebuilding the team and leading it towards regaining success.
The German national team was eliminated from the group stage in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, before showing promising levels in the European Nations Cup (Euro 2024), which it hosted on its soil, but it exited the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing to Spain. In the 2026 World Cup, the German national team was eliminated in the round of 32, so pressure increased for the team to regain its position on the international scene.
Klopp's appointment sparked a state of optimism in Germany, but this optimism will need quick results to boost it.
“When there is pressure, it means there is something at stake,” Klopp said. “When there is pressure, you know that it is really important at that moment, and then it becomes easier to fully focus.”
He added: “We learn how to enjoy playing under pressure.”
For his part, Joshua Kimmich, captain of the German national team, confirmed that the team realizes that it “comes from a difficult situation,” noting that “what is important for us will be to regain our special identity and distinctive personality.”
Dutch footballing philosophy has clearly influenced Spain's sweeping success in recent years, but with the Netherlands now looking to boost their fortunes, they have turned to a Spanish World Cup champion for inspiration.
Xavi Hernandez, the former Barcelona midfielder and coach, became the first foreigner to lead the Dutch national team since the 1978 World Cup.
Xavi, who won the 2010 World Cup as a player and won two European Championship titles, will begin his coaching advice on Thursday when the Netherlands host Germany in Amsterdam, and will play three more matches in the Nations League during the three-week international break.
The Netherlands turned to him in search of a change in vision after two periods under the leadership of Ronald Koeman and Louis Van Gaal, which sparked a lot of controversy regarding the team’s playing style and football philosophy. The two coaches were accused of abandoning traditional Dutch values based on possession and attacking football, and relying on counter-attacks as their main weapon.
Although Van Gaal led the team to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup and reached the semi-finals of the 2024 European Championship under Koeman's leadership, the exit in the round of 32 of the World Cup last summer was a major disappointment.
Former international player Nigel de Jong, who appointed Xavi as technical director of the Dutch Football Association, said: “It is about the way we want to play football in the Netherlands. This means playing with control and engaging the team in a positive way while doing so. Control does not always mean playing offensive football, but we also want to impose our control defensively. “By conceding fewer goals, we want to try to win games.”
Although Xavi (46 years old) is a relatively inexperienced coach, the Dutch believe that as a player he had many elements that their team lacks in terms of skill, discipline and creativity.
During his coaching spell with Barcelona, where he won the Spanish League title in his first season at the helm of the coaching staff, he demonstrated the ideas that Dutch fans want to see from their national team.
Midfielder Tijani Reynders said: “After the first meeting, I immediately felt the desire to get on the field. There are new ideas and a new way of playing football. “I think that is also good for the group.”
Xavi, who signed a four-year contract, said in a press conference on Wednesday that he felt that “the players were convinced of his football model and philosophy, which he described as being based on possession, positioning, pressure, awareness and passion.” You need to have possession of the ball to win the match. It needs correct positioning. When you lose the ball you have to press. You also need the perception to see what is happening around you and understand the match. But without passion, football cannot be played.”
But he also made it clear that winning remains the ultimate goal.
Xavi added: “I think this squad definitely has great potential.”
