A goal every 58 minutes – Is it time for Germany to start Niclas Füllkrug?

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Euro 2024 

Niclas Füllkrug has done it again for Germany. With the score 1-0 for Switzerland and Germany destined to finish second in Group A, David Raum swung a cross from the left in the box; Füllkrug rose to meet it and then headed the ball home into the long corner of Yann Sommer’s goal to make it 1-1. The stadium in Frankfurt, which had been quiet since Switzerland took the lead, erupted and Germany now seems to have preserved the famous momentum necessary to be successful at a tournament. 

All that would not be possible without Julian Nagelsmann’s joker off the bench. Füllkrug has now scored more goals coming off the bench at the World Cup and European Championships than any other European player. Füllkrug scored twice at the 2022 World Cup coming off the bench and has added two more at this tournament, scoring in the opening match against Scotland and then on matchday 3 against Switzerland. 

A glimpse in the Transfermarkt database, in fact, underlines Füllkrug’s deadly efficiency. The 31-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker has now scored 13 goals in 19 games in Germany. That number on its own is remarkable. But it becomes even more remarkable when one considers that Füllkrug has done it in just 750 minutes played for Germany. In other words, Füllkrug has scored every 58 minutes for his country.

That goalscoring record has created a conundrum for Nagelsmann. “Füllkrug delivers arguments to play from the start but also to keep coming off the bench,” Nagelsmann said after the Switzerland game. Füllkrug, too, is a bit baffled by his off-the-bench performances. “I don’t know what the secret is,” Füllkrug said. “Because I am not used to coming off the bench when I play for my club.”

Now headed to the round of 16, Nagelsmann will have to decide, Füllkrug or Havertz? “We are very happy to have a classic no.9 on the bench,” Nagelsmann said. “Kai also does a good job there, but Füllkrug comes off well off the bench. It is a bit difficult to decide here. But it will depend on who we play in the round of 16 and then in the quarterfinals.”

Germany will face whoever finishes second in Group C, which includes England, Denmark, Slovenia, and Serbia. All four could still finish second, leaving Nagelsmann to ponder his tactical options ahead of Saturday’s round of 16 showdown. But Füllkrug has already scored twice at the tournament, and his deadly efficiency is hard to argue against, no matter who Germany faces next at Euro 2024.