Stiller speaks on "goosebump" moment: "Hey, I'm playing for Germany!"
Despite the fact that he entered late with the DFB-XI leading 5-0, Stiller admitted that adrenaline and anxiety accompanied his actually very well polished performance.
| Photo: Jeollo, VfB-exklusiv.de, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
One of Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann's most intriguing selections for the German national team during the current international break quickly earned his first senior team cap in Saturday evening's UEFA Nations' League win over Hungary. Despite the fact that he entered as Nagelsmann's fifth and final sub in the 82nd minute, VfB Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller certainly drew attention to himself in his brief relief shift.
The 23-year-old accrued 17 touches in just nine minutes. He also connected with all 16 passes. In an interview published on the DFB's website, Stiller noted that his polished performance wasn't without its fair share of nerves. The Munich-native and former FC Bayern München academy man also expressed relief that he had gotten his first senior team appearance out of the way.
"The nervousness didn't go away," Stiller admitted when speaking about what it felt like to step onto the pitch, "It was enormous. I didn't fully comprehend matters at first. When the ball first went out into touch, I realized 'Hey, you're playing for Germany'. That was a real 'goosebump' moment."
"It took a bit of the pressure off," Stiller said of his deployment when the DFB-XI was leading 5-0. "Knowing that the heat was out of the match helped. One could play a bit more freely, which is what one should be doing anyway."
Stiller spoke on a variety of topics in the lengthy interview, including what it felt like to follow the German-hosted Euro 2024 as a fan, how he and his football-driven family interacted with each other, and the upcoming Nations League fixture against Holland. The youngster declared himself "very excited" to be headed for the "atmosphere in Amsterdam".
Whether or not Stiller logs more minutes remains to be seen. Given that the German Nationalmanschaft is undergoing a massive "changing of the guard" in midfield, every second will count for one of the potential long-term successors to retirees such as Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gündogan. Current starters Pascal Groß (33) and Robert Andrich (29) may prove mere placeholders for Stiller and his fellow Munich native Aleksandar Pavlovic.
"The lads [national team colleagues] have taken to me well," Stiller said of his experience in DFB camp, "We chat a lot and also have a lot of fun on and off the pitch. Everyone's comfortable and self-confident. Luckily, we have a pretty big VfB [Stuttgart] block here. Having people I could converse with helped me straight away."