Freiburg Goalkeeper Noah Atubolu Not Considering Playing For Nigeria

Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu has clarified his international future, expressing a strong desire to receive a call-up from the German national team rather than Nigeria.

Noah Atubolu, 22, has been outstanding in the Bundesliga this season, recently setting a new club record for consecutive games without conceding a goal during Freiburg’s 0-0 draw against RB Leipzig.

With 576 minutes without conceding, Atubolu now holds the fifth-longest clean sheet streak in Bundesliga history, achieving ten clean sheets in just 25 matches this season. He surpassed Richard Golz’s previous record of 510 minutes, set in the 2000/2001 season.

The last time Atubolu conceded a goal was against Bayern Munich on January 25, and he is steadily approaching Timo Hildebrand’s record of 885 minutes without conceding in the German top flight.

Following his commendable performance against Leipzig—where he made three crucial saves to help maintain his team’s Champions League aspirations—Atubolu is optimistic that he will catch the attention of German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann.

“Of course, I really want to get the chance to play for the senior national team,” Atubolu shared via Football5Star. “Having represented Germany at various youth levels, I would be lying if I said I didn’t aspire to contribute to the senior team.”

Born to a German mother and a Nigerian father, Atubolu has the option to represent either country. However, the Nigeria Football Federation did not include him in coach Eric Chelle’s 39-man provisional squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

This opens a promising path for Atubolu as the German national team seeks a new goalkeeper following Manuel Neuer’s retirement. Additionally, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen sidelined due to a serious knee injury, Atubolu’s chances of earning a spot in the senior squad appear quite favourable. Ter Stegen is expected to be unavailable until August or September 2025.

Atubolu is not alone in vying for the goalkeeper position; other contenders such as Kevin Trapp, Finn Dahmen, and Oliver Baumann are also under consideration by Nagelsmann.

Germany are set to play two UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches this month, starting with a match against Italy at the San Siro on March 21, followed by the second leg at Signal Iduna Park three days later.