Midfielder Assan Ouedraogo was called up to the Germany World Cup squad on June 5 after Lennart Karl sustained a muscle tear in training ahead of a friendly match against the United States [1, 2].
Ouedraogo was on holiday in Marbella when national coach Julian Nagelsmann called him on the evening of June 5. “I needed a moment to take it in and realise what had happened before going and packing my things straight away,” Ouedraogo said about the call [1].
The 20-year-old midfielder has previously made one appearance for Germany, replacing injured Nadiem Amiri and scoring in a 6-0 win over Slovakia in November qualifying [1, 2]. He expressed pride at the opportunity, calling it “a huge honour” and “a childhood dream of mine” that he has worked hard for over recent months and years [1].
Ouedraogo also wished Karl a “speedy and full recovery” and said he felt sorry that Karl was injured so close to the tournament and could not participate [1].
Germany will start their World Cup Group E campaign on June 14 against Curacao in Houston. They will also face Ivory Coast and Ecuador in the group stage [1, 2].