International match decisions: When talent plays for other nations

Lazar Samardzic and Derry Scherhant stood in the Munich arena and chatted animatedly, like physical evidence that things can very quickly turn out very differently than expected. They had just swapped their sweaty jerseys. Both casually hung the scrap of fabric over each other's shoulders. As they stood there chatting, their former class teacher came down from the stands for a photo together. The aim was to capture the moment of the first international match in which both were on the pitch together.

Anyone who would have bet when they were at school that Samardzic and Scherhant would one day be on the pitch together at an international match would now have had their stake multiplied. The odds would have been even higher for someone who thought they were both on different teams. Scherhant for Germany, Samardzic for Serbia.

Unlike Samardzic, Scherhant only played very few junior international matches for Germany at a very late stage. A late-comer, who was still playing in the junior regional league as a seventeen-year-old.

“I am very grateful to the DFB for everything, but I feel Serbian”

Samardzic, on the other hand, was seen early on as a future professional, and some even saw him as a child prodigy. Or as Guido Streichsbier says: “A highly talented person”. Streichsbier trained Samardzic in the U-teams of the German Football Association (DFB) and even let him play in the older years. “He drew attention to himself there too,” says Streichsbier.

Young footballers rarely skimp on superlatives. The hopes that various sides have in them - from clubs, consultants, associations - are often huge. The disappointment was all the greater from the association's perspective when Samardzic decided against the German national team and in favor of Serbia in 2023. His parents' country. "It was a decision of the heart. I was raised Serbian at home, eat Serbian food and have a Serbian name. I am very grateful to the DFB for everything, but I feel Serbian," he says.

Samardzic is one of several talented footballers born between 2002 and 2005 who chose their parents' country after a successful time in the DFB's junior teams. Can Uzun, Kenan Yıldız (both Türkiye), Ibrahim Maza (Algeria) and Paul Wanner (Austria) followed suit with Samardzic. The individual reasons for this vary from player to player, but one common denominator is the increased competition in the German national team.

World champions often have an oversupply in the central midfield

All of those mentioned feel most comfortable in the attacking midfield; where Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, who played for England in his junior days, are also at home in the DFB team. "That also played a role in my decision. They both play where I like to play most, and they are also younger than me," says Samardzic. Wirtz and Musiala were both born in 2003, a year after Samardzic.

Who can blame the players for taking the easier route? Guido Streichsbier has less understanding for this. “In its most successful times, Germany always had several outstanding footballers in one position,” he says.

Streichsbier is reminiscent of the 1990 world champions, where the then national coach Franz Beckenbauer was able to rely on an oversupply in the central midfield. Or the 2014 world champions. “There would always have been a place for Lazar Samardzic. Just like for the other players who decided against the DFB,” he says. Streichsbier is still a trainer there; the loss of talent hurts him.

If top players with similar profiles are repeatedly trained within a few consecutive years, does the philosophy need to be questioned? Is the focus then too strong on certain offensive-oriented skills? And are others neglected in return?

Of the trained full-backs born between 2002 and 2005, only Nathaniel Brown is currently said to be of a higher international standard. Brown is used primarily on the left side. On the right, national coach Jürgen Klopp is currently testing Freiburg's Philipp Treu, who played no role in the DFB's youth teams. Treu only made two appearances for the U19 seven years ago.

When sighted, those who are good with the ball stand out

“It's the case that when we're sighted, the central players who are good with the ball are the ones that stand out,” says Streichsbier. Players with potential for defensive positions have a harder time. "We have a duty to develop these guys. Or to retrain players who see themselves in the headquarters," says Streichsbier. He cites Ridle Baku and Benjamin Henrichs as examples, who went from central midfielders to full-backs. Or David Raum, who started as a striker and is now at home on the left.

For Samardzic, retraining would have been difficult to imagine. He sees himself best off in central midfield. In the German junior teams he usually twirled together with Karim Adeyemi and Nick Woltemade, and he also saw them again in Munich. "That was cool. I'm happy for both of them that they're making their way in the national team," he says. He doesn't feel any sadness for their time together. "Nick and Karim are different types of players and have different strengths. It's good, especially for Karim, that the new national coach is now relying more on real wingers," says Samardzic.

Woltemade has recently had to assert himself in the offensive center against, among others, Younes Ebnoutalib, who could also have played for the Morocco national team. His father is Moroccan by birth. But Ebnoutalib chose his country of birth. The competition situation for center forwards is more manageable than in many other positions.

Ebnoutalib was never considered an outstanding talent in Germany; at times he played for FC Gießen in the fourth division. Unlike Samardzic. Although blessed with outstanding skills, he only made a few appearances in the Bundesliga at Hertha BSC and RB Leipzig. The then Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann even said he didn't have what it takes to have a successful career. It was too comfortable, they said.

Samardzic made his breakthrough in Italy. First at Udinese Calcio, he now plays for Atalanta Bergamo, the 2024 Europa League winner. During his successful time in Udine, there was also contact with the then national coach Hansi Flick, who wanted to nominate Samardzic. But the phone call was short. “I had already decided on Serbia,” says Samardzic.

He keeps his fingers crossed for Germany from afar in the future. “But only if it’s not against Serbia,” he says. The second leg will take place on November 13th in Belgrade, at the Red Star Stadium. Then Lazar Samardzic hopes to be able to take part again and also see his friend Derry Scherhant again. Guido Streichsbier would have found it better if they both played in the same team – the German one.