More of the same rather than a breath of fresh air. Nagelsmann is taking a risk with this World Cup squad selection

Germany Announces FIFA World Cup 2026 Squad

Julian Nagelsmann has included Leroy Sané in Germany's World Cup squad despite feeling that his goal tally is "insufficient". The manager values the 30-year-old's intangible attributes—qualities that Said El Mala does not possess.

Julian Nagelsmann saw the question coming. "He's a player who divides opinion," the Germany coach began, then cited Leroy Sané's recent numbers. "In our last four games, he's contributed five goals," he said, defending his decision to call up the Galatasaray forward.

"That's a very, very good record," said Nagelsmann, acknowledging the statistic, before adding, "But his club record isn't good enough, especially in 2026." Sane has one goal and three assists; he has not contributed to a goal since 12 April. Overall, he ends his first season in Istanbul with seven goals and nine assists in 43 competitive matches.

Nagelsmann had given the 30-year-old a clear mandate after his move to Istanbul: "He needs to make more of an impact. I need a certain rate." That did not happen at first; Sane was left out of the September and October training camps. Now, however, Nagelsmann has included him in the World Cup squad, suggesting the winger has met those expectations.

Yet on Thursday afternoon in Frankfurt, Nagelsmann justified selecting Sane over players such as Said El Mala, Chris Führich and Karim Adeyemi with factors beyond raw numbers. "What speaks in his favour is that he is held in extremely high regard within the team," Nagelsmann explained, noting several teammates "who have an extremely close bond with him". 

Leroy Sane

Leroy Sané wins his head-to-head with Said El Mala.

Naturally, a 19-year-old like El Mala, who has yet to play a senior international for Germany, cannot match that. Yet the nimble 1. FC Köln attacker, who was still plying his trade in the third tier last season, has netted 13 goals and provided five assists in 34 Bundesliga outings. El Mala was behind almost 37% of Köln's goals—a ratio no other top-flight player could match.

His raw numbers are actually slightly better than Sane's. Whether he deserved a World Cup spot more than the experienced winger is moot, but he certainly made a stronger impression over the entire campaign and was in better form than Sane, who spent some time on the bench at Gala.

Nagelsmann overlooked a youngster who would have viewed his first senior call-up as an honour and seized the chance to fight tooth and nail for the DFB jersey, instead picking Sane, who was even booed by his own fans after coming on as a substitute against Ghana. "He's a player where you increasingly see what he doesn't bring to the table, because unfortunately he sometimes has a certain charisma," Nagelsmann said. 

Said El Mala: Performance statistics for the 2025/26 season

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With Sane, there is "a synergy within the team dynamic"

Instead of blooding a new face, the national coach has opted for the known quantity of Sané, believing his inclusion will boost team chemistry. "A symbiosis develops within the team structure" when Sané is in the squad, he explained.

He stressed this point from the outset, reminding reporters that while other nations may have more individual stars, past World Cup winners always relied on the right team dynamic to lift the trophy.

The 38-year-old ultimately used this rationale to explain El Mala's omission. "He fits in very well with Cologne's style of play. We then need to assess whether he also fits into our style of play, given our attacking approach," Nagelsmann said. "If you look at the heatmap from Cologne, it's very close to their own goal; he has plenty of space for counter-attacks there."

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Nagelsmann makes it clear: Sane is ready to challenge

Dortmund's Maximilian Beier is poised to capitalise on this during the tournament; like El Mala, he has 18 points in the league. "Then you have to weigh things up," explained Nagelsmann. "You have to look at the bigger picture and consider which players work well together and how often they've played together before."

He also acknowledged Sané's ability to unlock tight spaces. "He still has something very special in tight spaces, of course," he explained, before adding that the former Bayern man is earmarked as a super-sub: "His club form means he'll start in a challenger role. He can make a difference against deep-lying defences or when opponents are tiring, using his pace, his technique in tight spaces and his link-up play."

Success is imperative, as this is probably Sané's last chance in the national team. The player himself acknowledged as much in a recent interview with the Turkish news agency DHA: "I would be delighted to take part in one last World Cup towards the end of my career. It's the biggest stage in football; everyone wants to be there."

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Nagelsmann is taking a calculated risk with Sané.

How he will ultimately perform there is one of the big question marks that has always hung over Sane, and Nagelsmann is well aware of it. "Let's be honest: with him, we never know 100 per cent what we'll get on the pitch," he told kicker back in March.

By including Sané, the national team coach is therefore taking a calculated risk—one he acknowledges because of the player's 74 caps. "I've known him for years, and we have a great rapport," Nagelsmann added. "I'm confident I can motivate him so that, after the World Cup, the public will hear far more positive comments about him than negative ones."

Leroy Sané: Performance statistics for the 2025/26 season