According to the leadership of Galatasaray Istanbul, national coach Julian Nagelsmann should always field Leroy Sane at the World Cup.
Vice-President Abdullah Kavukcu emphatically supported the national player in an interview. He also took a stance on discussions surrounding Sane’s perceived lack of consistency and body language, re-emphasizing Sane’s importance to his club and the team.
«Since Leroy has been with us, he only talks about the World Cup. He must be a regular starter at the World Cup,» Kavukcu said, adding: «I wish Germany great success at the World Cup. I dream of a World Cup final between Germany and Turkey.»
However, Sane himself is not currently an undisputed starter at Turkey’s top club. For example, he only played one half in the Champions League Round of 16 exit against FC Liverpool. Nevertheless, before his red card suspension – following a harsh foul in the Istanbul derby against Besiktas – he had recently started three consecutive Süper Lig matches.
Sane Hasn’t Fully Met Nagelsmann’s Expectations — But World Cup Spot Is Almost Certain
Kavukcu emphasized that Sane «settled in well from day one.» «He is a part of the family, he has a good relationship with the coach and gets involved. Sometimes he recommends players like a scout. That shows how intensely he feels at home here.»
After 35 appearances for the Lions, Sane currently has six goals and eight assists. He has not yet fulfilled Nagelsmann’s directive to achieve significantly more scorer points in the Süper Lig than he did for FC Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Nevertheless, the national coach recently nominated him for his squad twice – a decision that met with great incomprehension among experts.
Sane even started in the 4-3 friendly victory in Switzerland but failed to convince. After his substitution against Ghana, he assisted Deniz Undav’s winning goal for a 2-1. Sane is almost certainly assured of a squad place at the World Cup, but Nagelsmann recently reiterated: «Leroy knows what is demanded. He has to show it.»
Securing a starting spot at the World Cup this summer will certainly not be an easy task. Florian Wirtz and Kai Havertz are considered fixed starters under Nagelsmann. The two remaining positions during the March training camp were occupied by Nick Woltemade and Serge Gnabry, in addition to Sane. If Jamal Musiala reaches his top form in time, he will definitely be in the starting eleven.
Galatasaray Created Special Jersey for Sane — And Achieved Great Success
Furthermore, Kavukcu addressed the accusations that had already accompanied Sane in Munich, alleging that he displayed questionable body language. «We cannot confirm these prejudices at all. The Leroy we experience here is a completely different person,» he clarified: «He has a good relationship with everyone, makes jokes, helps young players in training, but also as a person. We basically just laugh with him all the time.»
Furthermore, Gala fans love him, which is why the Istanbul club had launched a special long-sleeve jersey series for Sane in DFB and Galatasaray design. With success! The jerseys were sold out in a very short time. «Leroy is among the top three jersey sales at Galatasaray (with Victor Osimhen and Mauro Icardi),» Kavukcu explained.
Kavukcu also emphasized that the free transfer from FC Bayern Munich to Galatasaray last summer was not a step backward: «We are a big, proud club and can compete with the top teams in Europe. As for away fans at European matches, we are even at the top. Even Bayern cannot keep up there.» The club pursues the vision of becoming «one of the top 10 clubs in the world.» «We are taking our own merchandising company public, and our own cafe franchise chain is also planned. All of this has a lot to do with players like Leroy or Victor Osimhen, who have significantly increased our popularity.»
Sane Convinced Galatasaray of Boey Transfer
Sane even helps to attract other prominent names to the Süper Lig leaders. «We also asked for Leroy’s opinion during the re-acquisition of Sacha Boey. He gave us tips and recommended the player,» Kavukcu said.
The right-back returned to Galatasaray on loan from the German record champion in winter, after having played no role under coach Vincent Kompany. Subsequently, there is a purchase option of a reported 15 to 20 million Euros. The Frenchman had, however, moved to Munich two years earlier for 30 million Euros.
Leroy Sane: Performance Data and Statistics for the German National Team
| International Caps | 74 |
| Goals | 16 |
| Assists | 11 |