Oliver Baumann has expressed his frustration over the way he lost his place as Germany 's starting goalkeeper shortly before the 2026 World Cup.
The 36-year-old had established himself as Germany's first-choice goalkeeperafter Marc-André ter Stegen 's injury and featured throughout the team's World Cup qualification campaign. However, shortly before the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico , then-head coach Julian Nagelsmann decided to bring Manuel Neuer back into the national team.
Neuer subsequently started all four of Germany's World Cup matches, with the team eventually eliminated by Paraguay in the round of 16. He then retired from international football for a second time.
Baumann, meanwhile, remained part of the squad as Neuer's deputy. His last appearance for Germany came in the World Cup warm-up match against the United States, which Germany won 2-1. According to reports, Nagelsmann had already made his decision in favour of Neuer at that point.
Speaking after Hoffenheim 's 2-0 Europa League defeat to OFI Crete, Baumann was asked about his recent omission from the Germany squad under new head coach Jürgen Klopp.
The goalkeeper admitted that Klopp's decision was disappointing but said he could accept it.
"I have to accept the decision. I don't like it, that's clear. They are taking a different path, and I have to accept and respect that."
However, Baumann made clear that his current situation was less painful than what happened before the World Cup.
"The summer hurt much more, the way it happened was unbelievable - and not just from one direction, actually," he said in an interview with Nitro.
Baumann did not elaborate on what he meant by "not just from one direction", leaving the exact circumstances he was referring to unclear.
The Hoffenheim captain has made 13 appearances for Germany, all of them under Nagelsmann. He is currently not part of Klopp's plans, with the new Germany coach selecting Marc-André ter Stegen, Alexander Nübel, Finn Dahmen , Noah Atubolu and Jonas Urbig for the upcoming international fixtures.
