Gosens comments on missed call-up: "A lifelong dream has been shattered."
Reached for comment by Düsseldorf's Rheinische Post about not getting called up to Germany's World Cup squad, Inter Milan fullback Robin Gosens naturally revealed that he was crushed at having been left out.
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"A lifelong dream has been shattered for me, and that hurts," the 28-year-old to Nordrhein-Westfallen's Rheinische Post when reached for comment, "Of course I can understand Hansi Flick's motives. Nevertheless, I was of course hoping to participate. I was so close."
Gosens still hasn't been able to make his mark at his current Serie A club, mostly because of injuries. Reflecting on how things have been at Inter Milan since joining from Atlanta in the most recent January transfer window, Gosens was forthright about the situation.
"My goal is to assert myself at Inter," Gosens said. "I feel like I haven't arrived yet. In training, I believe that I have the level to break through at such a top tier club."
Gosens can naturally still hope to realize other dreams, potentially representing Germany at the 2024 European Championships. He will be nearly 32 at the time of the next World Cup, due to be hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada in 2026. An actualization of this dream isn't totally out of the question.
The Emmerich-am-Rhein native's dream of one day playing in his native country could also come true at some point, even if several Bundesliga clubs continue to downplay transfer rumors. Gosens has still never played in Germany professionally after failing to latch on at various club youth levels in Germany's football-mad state of North-Rhine Westphalia.
Gosens remains a very popular figure amongst the German footballing public, in large part because his story remains one of perseverance against all the odds. Unlike most professional footballers, Gosens had to work actual bread jobs during his youth and nearly left the professional scene entirely.
"For sure I want to play in the Bundesliga at some point," Gosens was sure to remind the German newspaper.
