Pascal Groß: From International Omission to Premier League Star
Pascal Groß watched the decisive moments from the sidelines.
Julian Nagelsmann never called his name. Germany’s head coach left the midfielder out of the penalty shoot-out as the DFB team crashed out on spot-kicks after 120 tense minutes had finished 1-1. On the pitch, the chaos was visible: TV cameras caught Joshua Kimmich desperately searching for volunteers once it became clear that more than the originally agreed five takers would be needed.
Leon Goretzka declined. So Jonathan Tah, not exactly a natural choice from twelve yards, stepped up as Germany’s sixth taker. He smashed his effort over – the first missed penalty of his professional career, and a brutal way to acquire that statistic.
Groß had been ready for this kind of moment. He said as much to kicker, but refused to dwell on the what-ifs of that shoot-out. “I was prepared for this scenario, but I don't want to rake it over now,” he explained, drawing a line under the debate over whether he should have been involved from the spot.
Once the dust settled, the subject never resurfaced between player and coach. “No, there was no conversation. It hurt him enormously too, of course, everyone was devastated,” Groß said of Nagelsmann, underlining just how hard the exit hit the dressing room.
His international story took another twist at the World Cup in North America. Groß played just 17 minutes, coming off the bench in the group game against Ecuador. That was it. No further role, no late surge into the starting XI. When Jürgen Klopp later took over as national coach, Groß was left out of the new squad.
Given his age – now 35 – that omission surprised nobody inside the game, even if Groß himself had never formally announced his retirement from the DFB team. The decision, though, had already been made in his own mind.
“After the World Cup, with a bit of distance, I had already decided that the matter was over for me,” he admitted. There was no showdown talk, no emotional farewell meeting. “I did not have a conversation with the head coach. For me, not being nominated is not a problem.”
If that sounds like a quiet international exit, his club form tells a very different story.
Brighton’s metronome in top gear
Groß has 19 caps and one goal for Germany. On paper, that is a modest return. On current form for Brighton, it looks almost absurdly low.
He has started the new Premier League season in outstanding shape. The Seagulls hit the international break sitting third in the table, and Groß is right at the heart of it. Three goals and four assists in just five league matches – elite numbers for any midfielder, let alone one supposedly drifting towards the twilight of his career.
He is not playing like a man who has closed a chapter. He is playing like one who has freed himself from it.
