On 24 July, the time had come: amid huge media interest, Jürgen Klopp was unveiled as the new Germany head coach. The disastrous World Cup under his predecessor Julian Nagelsmann, which ended with elimination in the round of 32 against Paraguay, was meant to be put to bed quickly. Klopp radiated confidence and said he wants to get not only the national team, but perhaps even the whole country, back on track. In his view, that will require a collective effort and fresh ideas for the DFB team, who have mostly disappointed badly at major tournaments in recent times. "I have 57 outfield players I’m looking at," Klopp revealed, and one of them is almost certain to be Philipp Treu.
For the new Germany head coach, the 25-year-old from SC Freiburg should stand out for more than just his position. Treu has built his career carefully, step by step, and is now an undisputed regular for Sport-Club, who will be playing in Europe for the second season in a row next term. Last season’s European journey took Freiburg with Treu all the way to the Europa League final against Aston Villa. Treu has the quality to be at least a strong candidate for the Germany team, and he is a right-back. That puts him in exactly one of the positions that has given Germany’s recent head coaches a headache.
"We don’t have all that much choice at full-back in Germany," Treu assessed the competitive situation for himself realistically in kicker. The lack of options prompted Julian Nagelsmann to move Joshua Kimmich back to the right once again, even though the DFB vice-captain plays exclusively in defensive midfield for Bayern Munich. When it all went wrong against Paraguay, Kimmich left his post and moved into the centre, where fans, team-mates and pundits much prefer to see him anyway.
From Nagelsmann’s point of view, the shortage of right-back options had previously ruled that out, but this is exactly the alternative that could now open up for Jürgen Klopp with Philipp Treu. "It’s no secret that it would be a dream of mine to walk out with the eagle on my chest one day," Treu admitted to Sky.
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In some ways, the Freiburg player is similar to a former BVB protégé whom Klopp first turned into a major player: Kevin Großkreutz. When Dortmund were short of options in the 2013/14 season, the naturally attacking player suddenly had to fill in at right-back and did the job so well that he was even nominated for the World Cup in Brazil, even if head coach Jogi Löw did not use him at the tournament. Großkreutz shone under Klopp at Dortmund with huge commitment, tireless running and strong physicality, and Philipp Treu brought those same qualities to Sport-Club last year. They are clearly attributes the new Germany head coach values highly in this position.
Philipp Treu: "I know I’m still some way off the national team"
"I know I’m still some way off the national team," Treu said in kicker at the end of March, but the gap is likely to have narrowed further since then. Three and a half years ago, the shirt with the eagle on the chest was still an almost unattainable dream for Treu: he was captain for Sport-Club, but only for the second team in the 3. Liga.
Then, when the summer of 2023 arrived and he had to decide what came next, Treu chose against stepping up into the Bundesliga squad as a fringe player with little prospect of game time and opted to leave instead. He joined FC St. Pauli in the 2. Bundesliga for €500,000. It was the next step up, carefully considered and deliberately chosen. He won promotion straight away with the Hamburg club and also spent the 2024/25 season in the Bundesliga, in which St. Pauli stayed up.
Getty ImagesBy 2025, the next step followed in the Bundesliga, and it took him back to Freiburg. "Philipp has developed superbly and we are absolutely delighted about his return," said SC Freiburg sporting director Klemens Hartenbach. Freiburg paid €5.5 million for Treu, who came through their own academy, 11 times the fee they had received for him two years earlier. It proved a worthwhile investment, because the 25-year-old’s market value has now reached €15 million. "The way things have gone in recent months gives me enormous pleasure, but I’m always hungry," Treu told kicker.
That is exactly the hunger that, as the past has shown more than clearly, the new Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp wants from his players. That is unlikely to change with the national team. Since Philipp Treu can also solve the problem at right-back, it would not be a big surprise if he takes the next step in September and fulfils his dream of playing for the DFB team. That is when Jürgen Klopp will name his 26-man squad for the upcoming Nations League assignments, and Philipp Treu is a strong candidate for one of the places.