Celtic’s Mika Baur earns landmark German cap

Celtic midfielder Mika Baur made his senior Germany debut this evening. The summer arrival at Celtic Park came off the bench for Jurgen Klopp’s side in their win against Serbia. Not only was it a milestone for the Celtic player, it was also a substantial milestone for Die Mannschaft.

Baur became the 1,000th player in history to represent the German national team.

It is to Baur’s credit that he found himself in Klopp’s thinking. He will be motivated to ensure that he is not a one-cap wonder with his National Team.

Baur arrived at Celtic in August 2026 as one of the most significant additions of Martin O’Neill’s summer rebuild, joining from Paderborn on a four-year contract with the option of a further season. The 22-year-old German midfielder cost an initial fee reported at around £4.5million, potentially rising to £6.8m.

A product of Freiburg’s academy, Baur moved to Paderborn in 2024 before spending part of the following campaign on loan at Dynamo Dresden. His breakthrough came during 2025/26, when he registered four goals and five assists in 33 league appearances as Paderborn secured promotion to the Bundesliga, with Baur subsequently named the club’s Player of the Year.

His Celtic career has begun encouragingly. Baur has quickly established himself among O’Neill’s midfield options, making ten appearances across all competitions and scoring twice, including his first Premiership goal against St Johnstone. Still only 22, the German International represents both an immediate first-team option and a potentially valuable long-term asset for Celtic.