Germany will face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday. For many, it’s just an improved friendly game, but for a former Schalke player, it’s something very special.

Alexander Nübel is set to make his debut in the German goal. The VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper will be in charge against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, October 11, at 8:45 p.m. It’s a dream come true for the 28-year-old.

“Of course I’m a bit nervous, but the anticipation is clearly overwhelming. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow evening. From a sporting point of view, it’s the early highlight of my career,” he said in advance.

Nübel expects anything but an easy win for the favored German team: “It’s a nice tradition. They have a few nice old school cabins. We also had that in Stuttgart during the arena renovation, but of course you can’t compare the two. We can expect a special, hot atmosphere. That’s what makes the games in such countries so special.”

Nübel had to cope with the disappointment of being dropped from the European Championship squad in the summer. Now the goalkeeper, who is on loan from Bayern Munich to VfB Stuttgart, is in high demand: Manuel Neuer has ended his national team career, and his designated successor, Marc-André ter Stegen, has been seriously injured and will be out for months.

Now Hoffenheim’s Baumann and Nübel are fighting for the German goal. It was not always clear that Nübel would get there again. Time and again, the undoubtedly talented goalkeeper was considered uncertain, but he noticeably stabilized with his loan to VfB Stuttgart, which took place in the summer of 2023. He is now considered one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga.

Nübel, born in Paderborn, went through the youth ranks of SCP and left the first team for FC Schalke 04 in the summer of 2015. He slid into the goal for Schalke in the 2018/19 season and became the starting keeper. After 53 games for the pros, he transferred to FC Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020 – much to the displeasure of Schalke fans.

In Munich, he was unable to get past Neuer, which is why he went on loan to AS Monaco in France. There he was promptly named in the starting lineup and played as the starting keeper for two seasons. This was followed by a loan to VfB Stuttgart, which was even more successful and should now even lead to another invitation to the German national team.