Few expected Nathaniel “Nene” Brown to even start a game for Germany at the World Cup. After all, fellow left back David Raum has become one of Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s leaders in the dressing room and had started most of the 2014 World Cup winner’s fixtures ahead of the 2026 edition. But Brown edged ahead of Raum in the preparation for the tournament and was even confirmed as a starter by Nagelsmann ahead of Germany’s opener against Curaçao.
Therefore, Brown’s family and friends will
have settled into the stadium expected to see Brown start. But could they have dreamed to see the Eintracht Frankfurt player score? Because that is exactly what he did, assisting Germany’s winner on the day to make it 2-1 and executing a beautiful finish with his right foot to score Germany’s 5th goal on the night in an eventual 7-1 romp.
Left breathless after the match, Brown reflected on his wonderful night (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):
“It’s incredible to score in my first World Cup game. My family and friends are here. We scored 7 goals. Sure, we conceded an unnecessary goal but I think it might have done us good to wake up. We kept our heads up, controlled the games and scored many goals. We have to keep going and work on our weaknesses,” declared Brown.
One cannot say for sure that Brown has established himself as Germany’s starting left back moving forward, but his display tonight will have done his chances no harm whatsoever. If Bayern Munich do sign the former 1. FC Nürnberg player, they can look forward to some real displays of skill on the left flank.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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