Felix Keidel: Klopp’s Surprising New Call-Up for Germany
When Jürgen Klopp walked into his first press conference as Germany head coach, he drew a hard line under the past. Hierarchies? Gone. Reputation? Parked. Only performance, form and sheer work rate would decide who wore the eagle on their chest.
He even revealed the scale of the reset: a 57-man shortlist for his first squad, a pool wide enough to sweep up established stars and complete unknowns alike. Names stayed behind closed doors, but the message was unmistakable. After three failed World Cup campaigns, Germany would not just tweak. It would start again.
Out of that reset, one name has stunned almost everyone: Felix Keidel.
Late on Tuesday, Bild reported that the 23-year-old SV Elversberg player had received an invitation from Klopp. A day later, kicker backed it up with its own information. No one dressed it up: this is a bolt from the blue. Keidel has only three Bundesliga appearances and barely a taste of top-level football. Yet he now stands on the brink of the national team.
From Ingolstadt Youth to the Bundesliga
Keidel’s story does not come from a traditional powerhouse academy. It begins at FC Ingolstadt, where he joined the U19s in 2012 and quietly climbed every rung of the youth ladder. A decade later, in the summer of 2022, he finally stepped into the professional squad.
He did not lurk on the fringes for long. At just 20, he established himself as a regular in the 3. Liga side, racking up 37 league appearances in his first season. One goal, four assists, and a growing sense that this was a player who could handle more.
That “more” arrived in 2025. Elversberg, still stung after narrowly missing out on promotion against 1. FC Heidenheim, went looking for fresh energy and bought Keidel out of his Ingolstadt contract for around €400,000. Modest money, big step.
Again, he settled almost instantly. Under Vincent Wagner, Keidel became a fixture, playing 25 times, starting 13 of those matches. He helped drive a club from Saarland that many expected to fade instead all the way to a sensational promotion to the Bundesliga.
From the third tier to the top flight in just over two years. It is a steep climb, and he has not stopped yet.
Three Bundesliga games – against Leverkusen, Gladbach and, most recently, Bayern – brought his first top-flight goal. Add a DFB Cup outing against MSV Duisburg, where he delivered two assists, and that small sample was enough for Klopp to pick up the phone. In a squad reboot, Keidel’s rise has become a symbol.
A Problem Position, A Versatile Answer?
The obvious question hangs over the call-up: is Keidel already good enough to play a decisive role for Germany? That will only be answered on the pitch. What is clearer is why Klopp is intrigued.
Versatility.
At Ingolstadt, Keidel became the coach’s Swiss army knife. Sabrina Wittmann, his strongest backer there, used him in almost every role across the pitch. Both full-back positions. His natural spot at right-back in a back four. Central midfield. Even attacking midfield, operating as a playmaker and drifting into the half-spaces.
Elversberg nudged him back a little. During the promotion campaign he mainly locked down the right-back role, but Wagner has since shifted him into defensive midfield, pairing him with Lukasz Poreba. Different coaches, different systems, same conclusion: Keidel can adapt.
For Klopp and the DFB, that flexibility is gold dust. Yet one position stands out.
Germany have been searching for a long-term right-back ever since Philipp Lahm retired and Joshua Kimmich moved into midfield. The experiments have been endless and often short-lived. Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann both rotated through options: Benjamin Henrichs, Ridle Baku, Josha Vagnoman, even a temporary Kimmich return to the flank at the 2026 World Cup. None of those solutions truly stuck.
The national team still lacks a convincing, high-quality right-back in a back four. It has become one of the most obvious weak spots in the squad.
So Klopp has turned to a player who has sprinted through the divisions, covered half the pitch in different roles, and shown enough in three Bundesliga games and a cup tie to earn a chance.
Perhaps Felix Keidel will prove just another experiment. Or perhaps, of all people, the 23-year-old from Ingolstadt and Elversberg will finally close the gap Lahm left behind.
