Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Tim Kleindienst has emerged from Germany’s Nations League quarter-final victory over Italy as a big winner in the race to see who might lead the line at the 2026 World Cup.
The Germans have to reach the tournament first, with their qualification starting in September, but they can further boost their confidence ahead of time by hosting and potentially winning the Nations League Final Four in June.
Kleindienst seems certain to be at those finals, with Germany hosting Portugal in Munich in their semi-final on June 4 before Spain meet France in Stuttgart the next day.
The 29-year-old scored in both legs of the quarter-final against Italy, the 2-1 victory in Milan and Sunday’s frantic 3-3 draw in Dortmund.
He replaced the ineffective Jonathan Burkardt up top in the San Siro at half-time and scored within four minutes with a typical centre forward’s header. He repeated the trick while starting in Dortmund.
A special compliment came from former world-class striker and World Cup winner Rudi Völler.
“I congratulated Tim again,” the German Football Federation (DFB) sporting director told reporters.
“It’s always easy to say a striker has done his job when he scores a goal, but the way he held up the ball is also important. And he had already demonstrated his strength in heading during the first leg.”
Kleindienst, who made his Germany debut in October, has a similar career path to Niclas Füllkrug, who was also a late bloomer for Germany.
Füllkrug also made his debut at 29 and has 14 goals in 22 matches since. The West Ham United striker has been rocked by injuries this term, however, and Kleindienst has stepped into the void – with four goals in six internationals.
Kleindienst, a born number nine who contrasts with the utility of Kai Havertz, was buzzing after the dominant first half where Germany led 3-0 in Dortmund.
“It was unbelievably fun,” he said. “Everything just clicked.”
Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann was annoyed his side conceded three in the second half. But they still progressed and Kleindienst was a bright spot for the coach.
Asked whether the former Heidenheim striker needed to move to a bigger club to secure his Germany place, Nagelsmann said: “He has only just moved to Gladbach and still feels very comfortable there. He should focus on consistently delivering his performances and scoring goals, as he’s currently doing.
“If I were advising him, I’d say just play as much as you can and score as many goals as you can. If he feels confident enough to take on the challenge of playing for an even bigger club than Gladbach, he should go for it. If not, he should stay where he is.”