Klopp’s Bold Call: Felix Keidel’s Rise to Germany’s Right-Back Hope
When Jürgen Klopp walked into his first press conference as Germany head coach, he didn’t bother with sentiment. The era of automatic call-ups was over. Reputation would not save anyone. Only performance, form and sheer work rate would decide who wore the eagle on their chest.
He also dropped one striking number: 57. That was the size of his initial shortlist for his first games in charge. Almost five full squads, packed with established internationals, fringe players and, crucially, names the DFB had never called before. After three failed World Cup campaigns on the spin, Klopp wanted a clean break from the old scars.
Out of that long list, one name has now cut through the noise: Felix Keidel.
The 23-year-old from SV Elversberg has received an invitation from the new Bundestrainer. Bild broke the story late on Tuesday, kicker backed it up a day later with its own information. No one is pretending this is anything but a shock. Keidel has only three Bundesliga appearances to his name and barely a taste of top-level football. Yet he is suddenly standing at the door of the national team.
From Ingolstadt Youth to Bundesliga in a Hurry
Keidel’s climb has not been glamorous, but it has been relentless.
He joined FC Ingolstadt’s U19s back in 2012 and quietly moved through every youth side in the club. No big headlines, no wonderkid tag. Just steady progress until he finally made the step into the professional squad in the summer of 2022.
Once there, he didn’t just make up the numbers. At 20, he nailed down a regular place in the 3. Liga side, playing 37 league matches, scoring once and adding four assists. For a young defender, that was a strong opening statement.
Then came the real jump.
In 2025, Elversberg – licking their wounds after narrowly missing out on promotion against 1. FC Heidenheim – decided Keidel was worth a calculated risk. They bought him out of his Ingolstadt contract for around €400,000. Modest money, but a significant move for a player coming from the third tier.
He barely needed a settling-in period. Under coach Vincent Wagner, Keidel quickly played his way into the team, making 25 league appearances, 13 of them from the start. He became a key piece of a side that stunned the country by clinching promotion to the Bundesliga. From 3. Liga to the top flight in just over two years – the kind of rise that usually belongs to forwards, not full-backs.
This season, he has taken the next step again. Three Bundesliga games so far, against Leverkusen, Gladbach and Bayern. One goal. On top of that, a DFB Cup outing against MSV Duisburg, where he provided two assists. A tiny sample size, but clearly enough to catch Klopp’s eye.
The Swiss Army Knife Defender
Why Keidel? Why now?
Because he can do almost everything on a pitch.
At Ingolstadt, he became the coach’s solution to almost any problem. Sabrina Wittmann, his biggest advocate there, used him all over the place: both full-back positions, his natural role at right-back in a back four, central midfield, even attacking midfield as a playmaker operating in the half-spaces. Wherever there was a gap, Keidel filled it.
Elversberg tightened his role a little. During the promotion campaign, he mainly played at right-back, offering energy up and down the flank. This season, Wagner has started to pull him further inside, often deploying him as a defensive midfielder alongside Lukasz Poreba. Different league, different demands, same answer: Keidel adapts.
For Klopp, that flexibility is gold. In tournament football, in injury crises, in tactical reshuffles mid-game, players who can slide between roles without fuss are invaluable.
Germany’s Problem Position
Yet behind the talk of versatility, one issue stands out: right-back.
Since Philipp Lahm retired and Joshua Kimmich moved permanently into central midfield, Germany have never truly solved that position. It has been a revolving door rather than a role.
Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann both searched for an answer. They tried Benjamin Henrichs and Ridle Baku from Leipzig, Josha Vagnoman from Stuttgart, even shifted Kimmich back there again at the 2026 World Cup. Each option had its moments. None convinced enough to become the long-term solution. Most experiments ended almost as quickly as they began.
Klopp knows this. He has watched the same games everyone else has. So while Keidel can operate in multiple roles, the national team picture points clearly towards one: right-back in a back four. That is where Germany’s need is greatest, and where his profile fits best.
Is a 23-year-old with three Bundesliga matches really ready to close a wound that has been open since Lahm walked away? That’s the risk. That’s also the opportunity.
A Bold Call in a New Era
Keidel’s nomination does not mean he will walk straight into the starting XI. It does not even guarantee he will play meaningful minutes in the early games. What it does show is how far Klopp is willing to go to break with old patterns.
He said from day one that no place was safe. Now he is proving it with one of the most surprising call-ups Germany has seen in years.
From Ingolstadt’s youth ranks to Elversberg’s promotion party and now to the brink of the DFB team, Keidel has taken every step faster than expected. The question now is simple and brutal:
In a position Germany have failed to fix for nearly a decade, can Felix Keidel really be the one who finally makes it his own?
