Since Celtic trounced RB Leipzig 3-1 in the Champions League, Nicolas Kühn has been getting a vastly increased amount of attention in the German media.
That the 24-year-old scored two of those goals is obviously a big reason for that, however, that he’s got 10 goals and 11 assists for Celtic so far this season tells an even bigger story.
Kühn has made some interesting career choices, and there’s now a belief in Germany that the move to Celtic could turn out to be an inspired decision and lead the player to the German national side.
This week’s edition of SportBild has had a chat with the man of the moment, and he spoke about his dream to represent Germany at the 2026 World Cup.
Asked if manager Julian Nagelsmann has contacted him yet, the Celtic player said: “Unfortunately not yet. Every boy who plays football dreams of playing for the national team at some point. I have often said that the DFB team is a huge goal of mine.
“I know that I have the quality for the national team and make no secret of the fact that I dream of the 2026 World Cup in the USA. But there is no other way than to keep working hard, scoring goals and preparing. Then the rest will follow by itself.”
Asked about claims Barcelona have been interested in his development, Kühn said: “Yes, that’s true. Even before I moved to RB Leipzig’s boarding school at the age of 14, there was contact between Barça and my agent. And even before my time at Ajax Amsterdam (from 2018), they wanted to sign me. But I saw a better chance of making the breakthrough at Ajax.”
That was another good decision from Kühn, who will again be attracting interest from clubs if he continues the sparkling start to the season he’s had.
Should he achieve his goal of making it to the 2026 World Cup then Celtic will have a fight on their hands to keep him ahead of and beyond that tournament.
