“Didn’t have to think for long”: How Jürgen Klopp won top talent Wael Mohya over to the DFB team
Borussia Mönchengladbach's top talent Wael Mohya has revealed how Jürgen Klopp convinced him to choose the DFB team as his national side.
"The way Jürgen Klopp spoke to me meant I didn’t have to think long about whether to accept the invitation. What he said convinced me, and I immediately realised he’s a really cool guy. I’m simply looking forward to spending time with him on the pitch over the coming weeks, and I’m convinced he’ll make me a better player too," the 17-year-old told Bild.
The call-up caught Mohya completely off guard. "I was in the basement at home. My parents have set up a home gym for us there. When I realised the national team coach was calling me, I immediately took out my headphones and stopped training."
Over dinner, Mohya broke the news to his parents. "I told my parents over dinner. It was an incredible moment! It’s something very special not just for me, but for everyone around me. Afterwards, my phone exploded. I’ve never received so many messages. When I next walked into the Gladbach dressing room, everyone applauded. It was very emotional," Mohya said.
Mohya described his talks with the national team coach as "very good, honest and open". Klopp gave the Gladbach youngster no false hope. "He made me no promises and gave me no guarantees. He told me that I can and must earn everything here."
Even so, Mohya found it easy to choose Germany, though he could theoretically play for Morocco because his parents are from there. "They’ve never made a secret of the fact that Morocco are interested too. My parents come from there. The country is part of my family, and I have great respect for that."
Wael Mohya names Florian Wirtz as his role model
As he works towards his first senior international appearance, Mohya looks to Florian Wirtz as a role model. "We play in a similar position. I’ve learned a great deal from watching him. I want to do that here too. His joy in playing, his creativity – that impresses me," the 17-year-old said of the Liverpool star.
Klopp named Mohya in his 24-man squad for the matches against Serbia and the Netherlands during the current international break, but subsequently left him out of the matchday squad, which can contain a maximum of 23 players.
Before the match against Serbia, Klopp explained that they had already agreed on that arrangement. The national team coach had only wanted a first impression of Mohya in training, so the Gladbach player will have to wait a little longer for his first senior international appearance.
