"I’ll try to get him a Brazilian passport, because that’s the kind of goalkeeper we need in the Brazil national team," Bayern legend Giovane Elber recently said into a Sky microphone. He was talking about Jonas Urbig. And the former Bundesliga top scorer is far from alone in his praise for Bayern’s number two.
In the now almost completed season, Urbig has built a really strong case to perhaps even make Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann’s World Cup squad in the end.
The former Cologne player is expected to succeed Manuel Neuer in the long term at the German record champions. And his standout display against VfL Wolfsburg showed once again that he is very much on the right track.
The relegation-threatened Wolves arguably produced their best game of the season, created an incredible number of chances, but in the end, despite an xG value of 3.88, they simply could not get past Urbig. The 22-year-old showed strong reflexes and kept Bayern in the game during the biggest pressure moments. Not even a painful blow to the head could stop Bayern’s backup keeper. In the end, it was another clean sheet.
No ordinary reserve
Urbig does not play an ordinary reserve role in Munich. He is being specifically prepared to take over Manuel Neuer’s legacy. "For his development, it is of course important that he gets games," Christoph Freund told Eurosport.
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Bayern’s sporting director went on to explain: "That was the plan we discussed before the season, he got those games, and you can see how he is developing at this level. He has played in all competitions – Bundesliga, Champions League and cup. He is playing in goal with a great deal of confidence." So far, to be exact, he has made 18 appearances. Thirteen of them came in the Bundesliga, and he kept six clean sheets.
But it is not only his strong performances for Bayern that make him the perfect candidate for the backup keeper role behind Oliver Baumann. It is above all his profile. And everyone knows: Nagelsmann places huge importance on having the right profile in his supporting players.
On the one hand, because of his role in the shadow of Manuel Neuer, Urbig is very familiar with the situation of having to step in when needed. He knows his time will come, and because of that he is also not setting the highest possible demands for the tournament in the summer.
Fittingly, in his interview with Sky he skillfully avoided questions about a possible participation as well: "The World Cup is still a few weeks away. Before then, we still have a home game against Cologne and the cup final – unfortunately not the Champions League final. Only after that would I start thinking about it."
Familiar with the World Cup environment
On the other hand, despite his age and the fact that he has so far only been a backup keeper, Urbig brings the necessary experience on the international stage. He has already played several matches for Bayern at the highest level, and thanks to his participation in the Club World Cup last summer, he is already familiar with the conditions on site.
He was already called up by Julian Nagelsmann in March, but had to cut the trip short because of a capsule injury. Will he now receive another invitation for the World Cup tournament?
"That’s not our decision," Freund said cautiously, but added: "But everyone can see how the young lad is developing and what he is delivering. He is an absolute top goalkeeper. He would certainly deserve it and he has the quality as well. When you see how he works every day, it’s great. He definitely has the quality for Germany."
If his form curve remains this steep, a DFB nomination on May 21 would certainly not be a surprise. And if Nagelsmann does not call him, maybe Carlo Ancelotti might still pick up the phone. Provided Giovane Elber managed to sort something out with that Brazilian passport. The name Urbinho would certainly have a nice ring to it as well.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
