The last time Nadiem Amiri was called up to the Germany squad, he had to call former head coach Joachim Löw because Löw didn’t have the playmaker’s number. This time, current head coach Julian Nagelsmann had no trouble dialling Amiri’s number, and the Mainz man admitted he had tears in his eyes during the phone call.
Few return to international football after years away, but Amiri has beaten the odds. Nearly five years on since his last Germany appearance in November, 2020, Amiri has returned. Nagelsmann’s hand was forced by a raft of injuries, but Amiri’s form merited inclusion regardless. The Mainz midfielder joins club teammate Jonathan Burkardt in the squad, meaning for the first time in 15 years two Mainz players are in Germany colors (the last pair was Andre Schürrle and Lewis Holtby). His return marks the latest milestone in a story of inspiring migration and football fortune.
Parents fled war-torn homeland
Amiri’s parents fled war-torn Afghanistan in the 1980s, settling in the western German city of Ludwigshafen. His father had a truck business, his mother worked in an old people’s home for 20 years as the pair worked to create safety and opportunity for their children. Amiri was born in 1996 and played on the streets of the city with his older brother. His parents once again sacrificed early to make his dream possible by driving the 60 kilometers (37 miles) between Ludwigshafen and Kaiserslautern, where his football journey began.
It was at Hoffenheim where he established himself, under none other than Julian Nagelsmann. He won the U19 league title at the club, and was also the youngest member of Germany’s U21 European championship winning team in 2017. His form saw him join Leverkusen in 2019, and he made his Germany debut just three months later. The reaction from football fans in Afghanistan was largely positive too.
“So many family members, but also many strangers, have called my parents and congratulated them. That’s very moving,” said Nadiem at the time.
Amiri has never lost his connection to his roots. His cousin Zubayr, who might have been a Bundesliga player, went on to play for Afghanistan and keeps him aware of how football is developing in the country. Even away from the football, Amiri has never lost sight of his parents sacrifice.
At 14, his parents took him to Afghanistan to show him Kabul and their childhood home. It left an impression on the young boy, because years later, Amiri is involved in various refugee projects, including the Red Cross, to help support those who are facing the same challenges as his parents did all those years ago. In 2021, Amiri visited a refugee center in Stuttgart before inviting families to the stadium to watch Germany’s World Cup qualifier.
“As a German with Afghan roots, I am following the recent developments in Afghanistan closely,” Amiri said in 2021.
“It was clear for me that I would like to help these people who have fled to Germany — as my own family did — as best as possible.”
Unconventional path back to the top
The trajectory of his career looked set after joining Bayer Leverkusen and being in the Germany team but football, as it so often does, had other plans.
At the start of 2021, he reportedly suffered racial abuse from an opposing player during a Bundesliga game. Despite this, he kept playing well enough to become a successful part of Germany’s Olympic team in Tokyo, but his career stagnated afterwards. An unsuccessful loan to Genoa in Serie A and a failed transfer to Leeds left him in the football wilderness.
A surprise move to Mainz in January 2024 turned out to be just what he needed. A return to a place closer to home (Mainz is just 80 kilometers north of Ludwigshafen) has seen him become a pivotal player for the club, excelling in the deep-lying playmaker role. He helped save the club from relegation and, this season, has helped them surge up the Bundesliga table as they are on course to cap off a remarkable campaign with a top-four finish.
“I wanted to find the joy in football again and the confidence in myself,” Amiri said this week.
The 28-year-old has certainly done that. Amiri is another example of how careers, particularly in elite sport, are not always linear. It’s about finding the right fit, a place where you belong, a place where joy trumps fear.
With Germany’s World Cup journey now truly in motion, the Mainz man will want to play his way into permanent contention. But right now, his return to the squad is a nod to both the unconventional path and the value of Germany’s diversity.
