The heatmap was not the only factor casting doubt on Shootingstar El Mala's readiness. Julian Nagelsmann is still taking a risk by picking Leroy Sané for the World Cup

"That's a 'very, very good' record," said Nagelsmann, who had got his figures right, but at the same time admitted: "His record at club level isn't good enough, especially in 2026." Sane has one goal and three assists to his name; he hasn't been involved in 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, and 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 on grounds other than statistics. "What speaks in his favour is that he is held in extremely high regard within the team," said Nagelsmann, noting several teammates "who have an extremely close bond with him". 

Naturally, a 19-year-old like El Mala, who has yet to play a senior international for Germany, cannot match that. Yet the lightning-quick rising star from 1. FC Köln, 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 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 give everything for the DFB jersey. Instead, he picked 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. 

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

Right at the start of the press conference, he stressed that while other nations might boast more world-class talent, previous World Cup winners had always prospered thanks to the right glue within the squad.

Ultimately, the 38-year-old 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."

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," the coach said, 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 opponents or when opponents are tiring, using his pace, his technique in tight spaces and in combination 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 another World Cup towards the end of my career. It's the biggest stage in football; everyone wants to be there."

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

By including the 74-cap winger, the national team coach is therefore taking a calculated risk. "I've known him for years and have a great rapport with him," Nagelsmann added. "I'm confident I can motivate him so that, after the World Cup, there will be far more positive comments about the player than negative ones."