Atubolu snubs Nigeria, eyes Germany call-up
Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu has ended speculations about his international future, as he is looking forward to a German national team call-up and not Nigeria, The NewsNGR reports.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper has been impressive in the German Bundesliga this season, setting a new club record of not conceding for consecutive games during Freiburg’s 0-0 draw against RB Leipzig on Saturday.
Atubolu has now gone 576 minutes without conceding a goal, the fifth-longest clean sheet streak in Bundesliga history and he now has 10 clean sheets after 25 games this season.
He broke Richard Golz’s record of not conceding for 510 minutes in the 2000/01 season.
The last time he conceded a goal was against Bayern Munich on January 25 as the 22-year-old inches closer to Timo Hildebrand’s record of 885 minutes without conceding a goal in the German topflight.
Following his performance against Leipzig, where he made three saves to keep his team’s Champions League qualification hopes alive, Atubolu hopes that his brilliant performance will not escape the attention of the German national team coach, Julian Nagelsmann.
“Of course, I really want to get the chance to play for the senior national team,” Atubolu said via Football5Star.
“I have played for the national team in various age groups. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I have a desire to strengthen the senior national team,” he added.
Born to a German mother and Nigerian father, Atubolu is eligible to play for both Germany and Nigeria, but it seems the Nigeria Football Federation has also moved over him as he was not listed in coach Eric Chelle’s 39-man provisional squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Atubolu’s chances of getting his first call-up to the Die Mannschaft senior squad are quite wide open as the German Machines are currently looking for a new goalkeeper to replace Manuel Neuer, who has retired.
Another senior goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, is certain not to be included in the squad because he is undergoing treatment for a serious knee injury. Ter Stegen will likely only be able to return to the field in August or September 2025.
Atubolu is not the only player eyeing the Die Mannschaft goalkeeper position. Other names are also on Nagelsmann’s radar such as Kevin Trapp, Finn Dahmen, and Oliver Bauman.
Germany will undergo a pair of UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches this month. On March 21, they will face Italy at the San Siro. The second leg is planned to be held at Signal Iduna Park three days later.
