When Jürgen Klopp was unveiled a few weeks ago as Germany's new head coach, he made one thing clear at his first press conference: he was starting again. Only a handful of players could feel sure of their place in the DFB team. Performance, form and, of course, work rate would decide who got called up for future training camps.
Klopp also revealed that 57 players were on his shortlist for his first matches in charge of the national team. The 59-year-old deliberately kept names to himself, but it was already clear he was considering players who had never been involved with the DFB team before. After three botched World Cup tournaments in a row, the aim was to leave that humiliation behind with a fresh start and new faces.
Now one of those new faces could be Felix Keidel. 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, and a day later kicker followed up and confirmed the reports with information of its own. Keidel's nomination is a huge surprise. He has made only three appearances in Germany's top flight and brings almost no experience at the highest level.
Getty ImagesWhich clubs did Felix Keidel play for in his career?
At FC Ingolstadt, where his football career started in the U19s in 2012, Keidel progressed through every youth side before joining the professional squad in summer 2022. He then spent three years with the club from the car city, establishing himself as a regular in the senior side in his first season at the age of just 20 and making 37 appearances in the 3. Liga, with one goal and four assists.
Then, in 2025, he stepped up a division and joined SVE, who were in a period of upheaval after narrowly missing out on promotion against 1. FC Heidenheim and bought him out of his Ingolstadt contract for a modest €400,000. Once again, he barely needed any time to settle. He immediately became a regular in Vincent Wagner's side, making 25 appearances, 13 of them starts, and played a major role as the Saarland club sensationally celebrated promotion to the Bundesliga at the end of the season.
That meant Keidel needed only a little over two years to climb from the third tier to the very top. Three Bundesliga appearances against Leverkusen, Gladbach and, most recently, Bayern, with one goal, plus one DFB Cup match against MSV Duisburg, with two assists, were apparently enough to convince Klopp of his qualities and hand him a chance in the national team.
Getty ImagesWill Felix Keidel solve a major problem area in the DFB team?
Whether the 23-year-old is already at the required level to play a decisive role for the DFB team from the outset remains to be seen. What Klopp is likely to value most is Keidel's outstanding versatility, which allows him to fill several positions for the national team without any issue.
During his spell at Ingolstadt, for example, there was hardly a role on the pitch Keidel did not take on. His biggest supporter, FCI coach Sabrina Wittmann, used him at both full-back positions, although his natural role is actually right-back in a back four, as well as in central midfield and even in attacking midfield as a playmaker and half-space player drifting slightly wider.
Following his move to Elversberg, his role became a little more defensive. He played mainly at right-back in the promotion season, but 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 under consideration primarily as a right-back. Germany have not had anyone truly convince there since Philipp Lahm retired and Joshua Kimmich moved into the middle. Klopp's predecessors Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann both tried a range of options, but none really worked. From the Leipzig pair Benjamin Henrichs and Ridle Baku to Stuttgart's Josha Vagnoman and even Kimmich's move back there at the 2026 World Cup, most of those ideas were dropped again after a brief trial.
German football is still looking for a high-quality, long-term option at right-back in a back four. Perhaps Keidel, of all people, is the answer.