A tattoo for Julian Nagelsmann?! Germany coach has 'shot himself in the foot' as left-back reveals World Cup bet

The bond between Nagelsmann and his Germany squad continues to grow ahead of the 2026 World Cup. During a recent squad announcement, the Germany coach joked about getting a tattoo with Raum if the national team win the tournament in North America. Nagelsmann suggested the idea of sharing ink with the heavily tattooed left-back was more frightening than the pressure of a World Cup final itself.

As quoted by Bild, Nagelsmann joked: "What scares me most is our matching tattoo if we win the World Cup. Not because I'm afraid of getting it done. But because I think we won't find enough space on your tattoo machine."

Raum quickly responded to the comments and insisted there would still be room for another tattoo if Germany lift the trophy. The RB Leipzig captain also hinted that Nagelsmann may now struggle to back away from the agreement.

The defender said: "No, no. You can always find a free spot. I still have a few free ones. We haven't even discussed it yet, not even the design. But with that statement, Julian kind of shot himself in the foot, because I think he can't avoid it now if we actually go through with it. For me, it's really great if we do it. He can choose the design himself, as far as I'm concerned, but I definitely want to be there when he gets it."

While the tattoo bet adds a light-hearted element to the build-up, Raum is deadly serious about Germany's ambitions on the global stage. He believes that the team must aim for nothing less than the title, echoing the sentiments shared by Nagelsmann following their exit from the home Euros two years ago.

He emphasizes: "When I go into a competition, I want the big picture. And I think Julian put it well after the elimination at the home European Championship: Then we simply have to become world champions. If you enter a tournament like this and say you only want to reach the semi-finals, that's the wrong attitude. We want to go as far as possible, and that means the final and winning the title.

"What's also important to me personally, of course, is that the people in our country are proud of us, how we perform as a team, how we stick together. That's what should distinguish us as the German national team. If our athletic performance is also up to par and we pull it off, then everyone will be happy."

Germany will be looking to prepare well for their Group E matches against Curacao, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador. Before that, they will play two friendlies, against Finland on May 31 and the USMNT on June 6.