At the end of the evening Robin Gosens was only on the move in superlatives. When he was named “Man of the Match” after the game between Germany and Portugal, a marketing idea from a Dutch brewery, Gosens said: “I will remember it all my life. This price is simply gigantic.”
It can happen that the standards slip a little after a year like Robin Gosens behind you. In August 2020 he was appointed to the German national team for the first time; he was already 25 years old. This is a middle age footballer; As a rule, the industry has already made its judgment on a player: whether it will be enough for a great career or whether he will disappear in the lowlands of this sport, far from public perception.
Robin Gosens: Long overlooked by top football
The story of Robin Everardus Gosens, born in Emmerich am Rhein in 1994, son of a Dutchman and a German, is therefore an extremely unusual one. According to the self-image of German football, the local youth development system is one of the best in the world. Those who can kick will be discovered and encouraged. No talent slips through the grid.
Robin Gosens has provided evidence to the contrary in these weeks. And what a man: Already in the last test match before the European Championship against Latvia (7-1), Gosens swirled on the left side, he was more of a striker than a defender, as his role description actually implies. But after this game, the experts were unanimous: Only Latvia, number 136 in the world, was not an opponent to be able to judge the true capabilities of a player.
Two assists, one goal – the masterpiece against Portugal
On Saturday evening, in the game against reigning European champions Portugal, Gosens delivered his masterpiece: His assaults over the left wing were decisive for the 4-2 victory of the DFB-Elf. Gosens scored a goal and contributed two assists; with his impetuous game he carried away the entire team. This exciting game could have been the big bang for the German team, which started the European Championship with a 0-1 defeat against world champions France.
When Gosens was asked how he felt after his first international goal, he said: “I really lost one. I’m extremely happy.” When you hear Gosens talk like that, you feel reminded of the sound of the Kreisliga A in Westphalia. So there is cheering on amateur sports fields; feelings are called out loud and direct – there is nothing polished, just get out with it.
Robin Gosens was discovered by accident
In the national team, on the other hand, a more subdued tone is preferred. After great victories, don’t praise yourself, always praise the entire team. This is safer and does not cause bad blood later. Robin Gosens, however, has kept his tongue. That may also be due to the fact that he played on the backstage of football for many years. Rather by chance, he was discovered by a scout for the Dutch first division club Vitesse Arnheim in 2012 in the A-youth team at VfL Rhede. The scout actually wanted to watch another player, but then spontaneously invited Gosens to a trial training session. And then a long journey began: Gosens moved from one club to the next in the Netherlands, and it wasn’t until 2017 that he made the step to a well-known club, to Atalanta Bergamo in Serie A.
And even later the DFB became aware of him. “We have had Robin on our list for about two years,” said national coach Joachim Loew on Saturday evening. “We know about its qualities.”
Now Gosens is a candidate for Europe’s top clubs
But did Löw really know that this Gosens is really that strong? Hardly likely. Gosens was actually planned as a substitute for Marcel Halstenberg (RB Leipzig). He pushed it aside in no time, and now the question arises whether Atalanta Bergamo will not just be another stopover for Gosens. In the Bundesliga, Dortmund and Hertha BSC Berlin are said to be interested in him. FC Schalke 04 were about to make a commitment, but then withdrew, which says a lot about Schalke. “The Bundesliga is my childhood dream, and at some point I’d like to make this dream come true,” the Schalke fan said in April. “I don’t know when that will be. But it’s definitely at the top of my bucket list.”
The fact that after the EM, major European clubs will knock at Gosens’ father, who manages him, can already be considered certain. Robin Gosens himself is currently not concerned with that. He only thinks of the EM, he said: “I want to deliver here – and then we’ll see.”
Gosens knows: For the first time in his career, he no longer has to fight for attention. Since Saturday evening at the latest, he has been one of the most sought-after left-backs on the continent – and no longer the underrated boy from Emmerich.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
