“I was feeling pretty miserable” – Amiri reflects on emotional wait for Germany World Cup call-up
| Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Bongarts/Getty Images |
Mainz midfielder Nadiem Amiri was handed one of the 26 coveted spots in Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann’s World Cup squad, which was announced last Thursday.
His family already knew about his call-up beforehand, as they had been asked to record a video for the official squad announcement. However, they did not reveal anything to Amiri, who was anxiously awaiting a call from the Germany coach.
“My family had already recorded the nomination video on Monday. That means they knew several days in advance, while I was feeling pretty miserable during that time,” Amiri told Bild.
He was on a FaceTime call with Mainz teammate Philip Tietz when Nagelsmann finally rang.
“Tietz had just asked me how things were looking. Right after that, the call came. I put him on hold and told him the news immediately afterwards,” Amiri explained.
“At that moment, I wasn’t expecting it, but I was absolutely delighted,” he added.
Nagelsmann previously revealed that Amiri was “very emotional” upon receiving the call-up.
