First England, now Germany: Felix Nmecha makes it like his brother Lukas. On Friday he stands against Latvia in front of his U21 debut.
For Felix Nmecha, the big brother has always been a role model. “Already when I was young, I looked at him,” says the midfielder over the two years older Lukas, with whom he plays together at the VfL Wolfsburg. No wonder then that Felix is now in front of his debut for German U21, although he once went to England on goals hunting. Finally, Luke went the same way.
“A bit crazy is that,” says Felix Nmecha about the parallels in the careers. Both learned in the Academy of Manchester City of Pep Guardiola, both play now in Wolfsburg, and both exchanged the jersey with the three lions against this with the eagle: Felix can be on Friday in the EM qualifying against Latvia (18.15 pm / ProSieben Maxx ) For the first time for the U21, Luke a day later for the A team of Hansi Flick against Israel.
“I’ve considered pretty long because of the change. But I think it was a good decision. I saw how it gone for Luke,” says Felix Nmecha, who made a lot, “We want as much as possible win. Maybe we can do it back to the final. ” In 2021, the U21 had brought the title – with Lukas Nmecha as a goalkeeper king, who also met in the final.
The native Hamburgs had emigrated to England in 2007 as children with their parents from Hamburg. Stefan Kuntz was the one who visited the family on the island (“Papa Nmecha makes the best scrambled eggs, which there are”) and first won Luke for Deutsche U21. The pass change made itself paid by the title and later nomination for the A team.
Now Felix wants to go a similar way. “We are all very excited, as he presents himself and what he shows in the square,” says DFB coach Antonio di Salvo, who can use well in the fight for the EM-Ticket creative player like Nmecha. The 21-year-old Nmecha has decided “out of conviction” to play again for Germany. “
The right foot was used twice in the English U16 in 2015, moved in 2018 to DFB and ran three times for Deutsche U18 before returning to the FA again.
So now the renewed change. “Felix ‘return to the DFB is very pleased,” says Joti Chatziallexiou, Nmechay director of national teams: “I hope for me to take a similar way like his brother Luke and puts athletic as human accents.”