The moment Stefan Ortega found out he was on standby for the Euros
Arminia Bielefeld goalkeeper Stefan Ortega recalls the moment when DFB goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke called him about the European Championships squad.
The 28-year-old shotstopper appeared on Sport1's podcast 'Meine Bayern-Woche' or 'My Bayern Week', and spoke about the moment when the goalkeeper coach from the German National Team gave him a call to tell him he was the standby goalkeeper should Manuel Neuer, Bernd Leno or Kevin Trapp pick up an injury.
Ortega said: “The moment the call came, I was very, very surprised and quite speechless. Mr. Köpke called me two days before the nomination went out and told me that they had followed me very well and would also like to reward me - and that with the position on demand."
He went on to say: "I did not expect that. After that, I called my girlfriend and my father and they were all just as flabbergasted. This is a new situation that I am now experiencing for the first time. [...] We stayed in such a way that I am always ready and I keep myself physically in good shape, even though the summer break is actually beginning now. But we will go on vacation anyway, that's how it is planned and we'll see everything else.”
The keeper made a significant impact on Arminia Bielefeld's season, as they stayed up and fought off relegation bravely. His form has seen the likes of Bayern Munich take an interest in him. When asked about his future at the East Westphalia club, Ortega said: "How is Arminia planning too? Are they doing something else here? We'll sit down and chat about it over the next few days.” Ortega jokingly also said: "A move is imminent anyway. "In addition, regardless of a change of club - we unfortunately have to get out of our current apartment and therefore definitely have to prepare for a move."
Ortega's current contract with Arminia lasts until June 2022, and discussions about his future is a topic that he would like to discuss with his advisors and the club as soon as possible.