Germany Summons Inter Milan's Bisseck for Nations League Games Against Italy

11 March 2025, Italy, Milan: Feyenoord's Givairo Read and Inter's Yann Bisseck battle for the ball during the the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Inter Milan and Feyenoord at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. Photo: Nderim Kaceli/Ipa Sport / Ipa-Ag/LiveMedia/IPA/dpa
11 March 2025, Italy, Milan: Feyenoord's Givairo Read and Inter's Yann Bisseck battle for the ball during the the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Inter Milan and Feyenoord at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. Photo: Nderim Kaceli/Ipa Sport / Ipa-Ag/LiveMedia/IPA/dpa
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Germany Summons Inter Milan's Bisseck for Nations League Games Against Italy

11 March 2025, Italy, Milan: Feyenoord's Givairo Read and Inter's Yann Bisseck battle for the ball during the the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Inter Milan and Feyenoord at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. Photo: Nderim Kaceli/Ipa Sport / Ipa-Ag/LiveMedia/IPA/dpa
11 March 2025, Italy, Milan: Feyenoord's Givairo Read and Inter's Yann Bisseck battle for the ball during the the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Inter Milan and Feyenoord at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. Photo: Nderim Kaceli/Ipa Sport / Ipa-Ag/LiveMedia/IPA/dpa

Germany is bringing in some local knowledge for its Nations League quarterfinal against Italy.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann gave a first senior call-up on Thursday to Inter Milan defender Yann Bisseck, who plays his club games at the San Siro, where Italy hosts Germany for the first leg on March 20, The Associated Press reported.
Bisseck is having a solid season for Inter, where he's played 29 games across all competitions. He started in Inter's 2-1 Champions League win over Feyenoord on Tuesday. The center back was one of the youngest Bundesliga players in history at the age of 16 for Cologne in 2017 but has spent much of his career since then outside of Germany.
Nagelsmann has recalled eight players to his 23-player squad, including Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka, who last played for Germany in November 2023, and Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi, who was last in the squad for the 2022 World Cup.
The second leg is in Dortmund on March 23.

Germany:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Alexander Nübel (Stuttgart), Stefan Ortega (Manchester City)
Defenders: Yann Bisseck (Inter Milan), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstädt (Stuttgart), David Raum (Leipzig), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Karim Adeyemi (Dortmund), Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Robert Andrich (Leverkusen), Leon Goretzka (Bayern), Pascal Gross (Dortmund), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Jamal Musiala (Bayern), Leroy Sané (Bayern), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart)
Forwards: Jonathan Burkardt (Mainz), Tim Kleindienst (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart)



England’s Kane Optimistic About Chances of Winning First Ballon D’Or 

Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 18, 2025 England's Harry Kane and Kyle Walker during training. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 18, 2025 England's Harry Kane and Kyle Walker during training. (Action Images via Reuters)
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England’s Kane Optimistic About Chances of Winning First Ballon D’Or 

Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 18, 2025 England's Harry Kane and Kyle Walker during training. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 18, 2025 England's Harry Kane and Kyle Walker during training. (Action Images via Reuters)

England captain Harry Kane sees a real chance of winning the next Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world, but knows securing silverware with Bayern Munich would be key to fulfilling that dream.

The 31-year-old striker, England's all-time leading goalscorer, has scored 32 goals and provided 11 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions this season for Bayern, helping the German giants top the Bundesliga table and book a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

While no English player has won the Ballon d'Or since former Liverpool striker Michael Owen in 2001, Kane believes his chance of winning soccer's top individual award has been boosted by his August 2023 move from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern.

"Just being at a club like Bayern Munich has helped push me on even more, confidence-wise and responsibility-wise," Kane told reporters ahead of Friday's FIFA World Cup European qualifier against Albania.

"I feel like I've definitely got better, I've improved, and maybe the 'aura' of me as a player is a bit more respected than what it has been in the past, because you're playing in big games, big nights.

"That's probably what I mean in terms of being respected more worldwide, on the bigger stage. For something like that, you have to win enough team trophies to be considered in that and probably score 40-odd goals, but that is a possibility this season."

Kane said his goal-scoring feats are not always appreciated but he remains motivated as ever.

"It's like when (Cristiano) Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi were throwing these crazy numbers out there and the next season they'd score 40 goals instead of 50. It was like they were having a bad season," Kane said.

"People take it for granted and maybe a little bit with England as well. I've scored 69 goals and when you score against Albania or Latvia, or these teams, people just expect it, so it's not spoken about so much.

"If I was 25 now and doing what I'm doing, the excitement around me would maybe be a little bit different to what it is now. That's part of where we are with football ... Maybe people just get a little bit bored of what you do, but I'm certainly not bored. I'm excited for these games and the games ahead."