Werder Bremen’s Mitchell Weiser indirectly confirmed his desire to play for the Algerian national team in connection with the away game in Wolfsburg.
“I hope I get invited,” said the 30-year-old all-rounder, whose maternal grandfather is Algerian, thus confirming the change of association for the first time himself: ‘There’s still time before the next nomination. I have to play well and want to offer myself up.’
Brief exchange with Amoura
The Algerian Football Association applied to FIFA for the transfer, and the world governing body gave the green light this week. He had already exchanged words with his Algerian opposite number Mohamed Amoura during the 4-2 away win at VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday evening, in which Weiser scored one goal and provided one assist. “We had a brief chat. He knew what was going on and congratulated me,” said Weiser, who, by his own admission, understands French well but speaks it less fluently, despite it being the main language spoken in Algeria.
From the U16s at the DFB, match winner in the U17s in the European Championship final
First of all, however, Weiser, who has regularly played in the DFB’s junior teams from the U16s onwards, has to be nominated by Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic for Algeria’s matches in Equatorial Guinea in mid-November and against Liberia in November.
In 2017, Weiser won the European Championship with the German U21 team, even scoring the winning goal in the final against Spain (1-0). However, he was not selected for the senior team under then-national coach Joachim Löw after that.
“I always had the option in my head because I have the luxury of theoretically being able to play soccer for two countries,” Weiser said a few months ago: ‘For me, it was always a big goal to play a big tournament. And I think I have a better chance of doing that with Algeria. I want to take as much as I can in my career.’
