Just how big is Jonas Urbig’s future? He was always very, very highly rated as a young goalkeeper in the 1. FC Köln academy and racked up over 50 2. Bundesliga appearances. But when it came to proving his qualities for his parent club, he made some crucial mistakes and was benched for a more experienced goalkeeper in Marvin Schwäbe.
It was from that bench in Köln that Bayern Munich plucked the young goalkeeper and made him their latest bet to be the heir apparent to Manuel Neuer the Bavarians have
been seeking for so long. Many were critical of the Bavarians’ decision, but he proved his competence when an injury to Neuer forced Urbig into high pressure Champions League knockout matches against domestic rivals Bayer Leverkusen and eventual finalists Inter Milan.
A year later, Urbig has again deputized for Neuer in a crucial Champions League tie, this time against Atalanta Bergamo. More than just proving his competence, the 22-year-old truly excelled in these matches and never looked more like the heir apparent to Neuer. Therefore it seemed right that, just after the game finished, it was leaked that Urbig made it into Germany’s squad for the upcoming international break for the very first time.
Asked about Urbig’s inclusion, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann had many things to say (a:
“It wasn’t a decision against Noah Atubolu and Finn Dahmen, but a decision for Jonas,” Nagelsmann explained, as captured by @iMiaSanMia. “Despite his young age, he’s shown extremely good psychological stability. He was thrown in at the deep end and immediately performed in the Champions League. He’s a very good footballer, he knows many of the guys here. The Bayern block is very valuable for us. If everything continues to go this way, Jonas will have a big future in German football. We want to see how he integrates with us. He can now show and prove himself, and then we’ll decide what’s best in May. We’re very relaxed regarding the goalkeeping situation.”
Of course, it is unlikely that Urbig was brought in to start ahead of the likes of Alexander Nübel or Oliver Baumann in the 2026 World Cup, but Nagelsmann’s hint at “a big future in German football” certainly makes it sound as if Nagelsmann has Urbig down as an option for Germany’s No.1 once Baumann ages out of that role- whenever that is. As long as he keeps doing what he has been doing in the last 12 months, of course.
