When Jürgen Klopp was unveiled a few weeks ago as Germany's new head coach, he kept making the same point in his first press conference: under him, the cards would be completely reshuffled. Only a handful of players could feel sure of their place in the DFB team. Beyond that, performances, form and of course work ethic would decide who earned an invitation to future training camps.
Klopp also revealed that 57 players were on his imaginary shortlist for his first matches in charge of the German national team. The 59-year-old did not mention any names, but even then it was clear he had players in mind who had never been involved with the DFB team. The shame of three botched World Cup tournaments in a row was meant to be left behind, ideally with a fresh start and some new faces.
Felix Keidel could now be one of them. Late on Tuesday evening, the Bild newspaper first reported that the 23-year-old from SV Elversberg had received an invitation from the Germany head coach. A day later, kicker followed up and confirmed the reports with information of their own. Keidel's nomination is a major surprise. He has made just three appearances in the German top flight and brings virtually no experience at the very highest level.
Getty ImagesWhich clubs did Felix Keidel play for in his career?
Keidel's football career began at FC Ingolstadt in the U19 side in 2012, and he progressed through every youth team before his promotion to the professional squad in the summer of 2022. He then spent three years with the club from the car city, establishing himself as a first-team regular in his very first season at the age of just 20 and making 37 appearances in the 3. Liga (one goal, four assists).
Then came a move one division higher in 2025 to SVE, who were in transition after narrowly missing out on promotion against 1. FC Heidenheim and bought Keidel out of his contract in Ingolstadt for a modest transfer fee of just €400,000. Again, he needed virtually no settling-in time. He immediately became a regular in coach Vincent Wagner's team (25 appearances, 13 of them in the starting line-up) and played a key role as the Saarland side sensationally celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga at the end of the season.
Keidel's rise from the third tier to the very top took only a little more than two years. Three Bundesliga appearances against Leverkusen, Gladbach and most recently Bayern (one goal), plus one DFB Cup match against MSV Duisburg (two assists), were apparently enough to convince Klopp of his quality and hand him a chance in the national team.
Getty ImagesCan Felix Keidel solve a major problem area in the DFB team?
Whether the 23-year-old already has the level to play a decisive role in the DFB team from the outset remains to be seen. What Klopp will value most is Keidel's versatility, which means he can fill several positions for the national team without any problem.
At Ingolstadt, for example, there was hardly a role on the pitch that Keidel did not take on. His biggest backer, FCI coach Sabrina Wittmann, used him in both full-back positions, although his natural role is actually right-back in a back four. She also deployed him in central midfield and even in attacking midfield as a playmaker and half-space player a little wider out.
His role became a little more defensive after the move to Elversberg. While he mainly played at right-back in the promotion season, SVE coach Wagner now seems to favour using him in defensive midfield alongside Lukasz Poreba.
For Klopp and the DFB team, though, Keidel is likely to be on the radar primarily as a right-back. No player has really managed to convince there since Philipp Lahm retired and Joshua Kimmich moved into the centre. Klopp's predecessors Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann tried a multitude of options, but none truly worked. From the Leipzig duo of Benjamin Henrichs and Ridle Baku to Stuttgart's Josha Vagnoman and even Kimmich's move back there at the 2026 World Cup, most of the ideas were shelved again after only a short testing phase.
German football is still searching for a high-quality and above all long-term option at right-back in a back four. Possibly, of all people, no-name Keidel is the solution.