Thanks to Hoeneß and Flick: Why Leweling plays for Germany

On Monday evening, the arena in Munich rose twice: when the DFB legends Ilkay Gündogan, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller said goodbye – and when Jamie Leweling was substituted. “It’s not often,” explained captain Joshua Kimmich, “that the Allianz Arena stands and applauds a debutant.”

Via Schnaittach and Feucht to the big stage

Jamie Leweling, born in Nuremberg and coming to professional football via Schnaittach, Feucht, Nuremberg and Fürth, had an absolute dream debut. “Regardless of the goal – he smashed it into the roof – he really played a great game,” enthused Kimmich in the Sportschau interview. In the 64th minute, Leweling fired a rebound from ten meters into the right angle, securing the 1-0 win against the Netherlands and the early quarter-finals in the Nations League. “Don’t think too much, just hit it,” is what Leweling himself called his motto: “If he’s supposed to go in, he’ll go in.”

Blitz debut surprises national coach Leweling

Leweling didn’t have much time to think anyway. Around twelve hours before his goal, he was informed by national coach Julian Nagelsmann that he would not celebrate his DFB debut from the bench, but from the starting eleven. “Then you get a little excited,” the Franconian revealed to Sportschau after the game: “I couldn’t have imagined it better that we would play a game like that and I would score another goal.”

Leweling from emergency to ideal solution

The white Leweling often comes unexpectedly. Because his jump into the national team was anything but predictable. Due to the loss of Deniz Undav, the lightning-fast and physically strong winger from VfB Stuttgart was moved back into the first eleven. He was also only added to the DFB squad later on because Bayern’s top star Jamal Musiala had withdrawn due to injury. Two players who couldn’t replace Leweling 1-1 with his style of play.

“I’m actually not the kind of player who stays between the lines,” explained the 23-year-old as openly and clearly as he does on the pitch: “But here with the national team I have to do it that way. I’m actually more of an outside player, but now I’ve shown that I can also do quite well between the lines.

Team-serving, carefree and clever, that was the tenor of the praise that Nagelsmann and Kimmich sang about the new national player. “He wanted to have every ball. Even in very difficult situations, he always came up with clever solutions,” emphasized Kimmich. His coach particularly praised the “many actions that were very good defensively.”

Became a professional in Fürth – on the bench in Berlin

Leweling developed all of these qualities during his years as an apprentice at 1. FC Nürnberg and SpVgg Greuther Fürth. In 2012, Leweling moved to the club, which he left after five years for Fürth. At Kleeblatt he made his debut in the second division at the age of 18 and was promoted to the Bundesliga with the game association. After direct relegation in 2022, they moved to Union Berlin and a year later to VfB Stuttgart.

In Berlin, Leweling was somewhat sidelined for the first time in his career. His type of player was not in demand under coach Urs Fischer and only played 264 minutes in 16 appearances. In addition, Leweling had to deal with a very personal “difficult topic”.

“Difficult topic”: Leweling decides against Ghana

He gradually had to decide which country he wanted to play for: his birth country Germany or his fatherland Ghana. “I’ve already dealt with that too much. I can’t come up with a solution.” Leweling was already a German U20 national player in 2020 and was invited by the Ghanaian association to the Africa Cup of Nations qualification. With a heavy heart, Leweling canceled at the time.

In 2022, it was Nagelsmann’s predecessor Hansi Flick who approached Leweling in the person of his assistant Danny Röhl and U21 national coach Antonio di Salvo. The duo visited him at Union Berlin’s training camp and showed him the long-term prospects in the DFB team. This was followed by a difficult year with the Eisernen and the loan to VfB Stuttgart. There he found a suitable sponsor in Sebastian Hoeneß.

Leweling’s breakthrough “wasn’t foreseeable”

“I knew that he played a big role in Julian (Nagelsmann, editor’s note),” said Hoeneß after Leweling’s nomination a week ago: “Jamie has continuously developed and, above all, achieved top performances Brought. That wasn’t foreseeable when he came to us. Leweling has been a regular player for the Swabians since this season at the latest, having, among other things, displaced Chris Führich from the starting line-up (and the national team).

Leweling will give the next taste of his talents on Saturday evening, again in the Munich Arena. Leweling then travels with Stuttgart to FC Bayern Munich for the top game at 6:30 p.m. As he had shortly before on the field, Leweling reacted quickly and straightforwardly in the interview after the Netherlands game: “I hope that we win here and play a good game.”