Ryan Naderi's International Future: Czech Republic or Germany?
Ryan Naderi has barely settled into life at Rangers, yet his next big decision may not be about club football at all. It could be about his international future.
According to Bild, the 23-year-old is on the brink of a call-up to the Czech national team, with sporting director Pavel Nedved already making contact. The message is clear: they want him, and they want him now.
Naderi’s story is anything but straightforward. Born in Dresden to a Czech mother and a Bulgarian father, he sits at the crossroads of three footballing nations. Bulgaria’s federation has already tried to lure him once, but he turned that approach down. The report claims he is far more receptive to the idea of representing the Czech Republic.
Germany also lurks in the background. With Jürgen Klopp now in charge of the national team and preparing to overhaul the squad, any hint of potential is being tracked. If Klopp sees a long-term option for the DFB, he would have to act quickly. The window to convince Naderi is narrowing.
There is a catch for the Czechs. Before he can pull on their shirt, Naderi must first secure a Czech passport. Only then can he be registered and cleared to play. It remains uncertain whether that process can be completed in time for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Croatia, England (twice) and Spain. The schedule is unforgiving; the bureaucracy might be too.
From Dresden prospect to Old Firm stage
Naderi’s route to this point has been steady rather than spectacular, but the numbers keep nudging him upwards.
He came through the academy at Dynamo Dresden before moving to Borussia Mönchengladbach at 17, a switch that underlined his promise but did not immediately translate into a senior breakthrough. That step finally arrived in 2024 with Hansa Rostock in the 3. Liga.
There, he started to look like a real centre-forward. In 45 league appearances he scored 13 goals and supplied nine assists, a strong return for a young striker learning the professional game. Standing 1.94 metres tall, he fits the classic No. 9 profile: a target man who can occupy defenders, link play and still finish.
Rangers liked what they saw. In the winter they moved decisively, paying a 3. Liga record fee of €5.5 million to bring him to Glasgow. It was a bold figure for a player without top-flight experience, but his adaptation has been quick.
Since arriving, Naderi has produced six goals and six assists in 21 appearances. Those are not just empty numbers either. Last weekend, on the white-hot stage of the Old Firm derby, he showed exactly why national teams are circling. He set up one goal in Rangers’ 3-0 win over Celtic and played a key role in the build-up to another, imposing himself in a fixture that often exposes newcomers.
Performances like that travel fast. So do phone calls from federations.
Klopp watches on as the clock ticks
While the Czech Republic push to secure his allegiance, Germany’s new era under Klopp is beginning to take shape. The national team face the Netherlands, Serbia and Greece (twice) in the upcoming international window, and Klopp is expected to name an unusually large squad to look at a wide range of players.
Surprises are anticipated. That naturally places someone like Naderi in the conversation, even if only as a longer-term option. A tall, mobile centre-forward with Bundesliga schooling and a rising profile at Rangers fits the type of project Klopp might explore.
But international football is about timing as much as talent. The Czechs are already at the door, Bulgaria have tried once, and Germany are still weighing up their options.
Naderi’s next goal might not just change a game. It could help decide which anthem he stands for in the years to come.
