Atubolu: "Becoming the 1st black goalkeeper for Germany would be something special!" | OneFootball

Germany's current U21-team goalkeeper Noah Atubolu has reiterated his dream of one day becoming Germany's number 1 in an interview with BILD:

“Becoming the first black goalkeeper in Germany's senior team would be something special; it's never happened before. But it doesn't really matter to me what colour someone's skin is. In the end, performance should always be the deciding factor.”

As one of the best young goalkeepers in Germany right now, Noah Atubolu is in a very good position to one day follow in the footsteps of legends like Sepp Maier, Oliver Kahn and Manuel Neuer.

Germany's current selection of goalkeepers includes three players who are already over the age of 30: Marc-André ter Stegen (33), Oliver Baumann (35) and Stefan Ortega (32). Alexander Nübel is the only goalkeeper under 30 (28).

“I'd say that now is a good time for me, because Manuel Neuer is no longer here and Marc-André ter Stegen probably won't be playing for the national team for a very long time either. Back then, Neuer was the best in the world - but now we no longer have just one best goalkeeper, but several who are in the running. I think this could be an advantage for me”, said Atubolu about his chances in the future.

The 23-year-old Atubolu is the only young German goalkeeper with a starting spot in a team in the top 5 leagues in Europe. Bayern's Jonas Urbig (21) has shown great potential, but won't get past Manuel Neuer anytime soon. Atubolu on the other hand already has the experience of 75 games for Freiburg in a top division.

Looking at the market values of goalkeepers aged 23 and younger worldwide, Atubolu ranks 6th with €18 million (according to Transfermarkt), just behind Toulouse's Restes (€20m), Burnley's Trafford (€22m), Benfica's Trubin (€28m), Lille's Chevalier (€30m) and Brighton's Verbruggen (€30m).

For now, ter Stegen has cemented his place between the sticks for Germany with good performances against Portugal and France in the Nations League. But the future in Germany's goal is seemingly more open than ever!