European Football Championship 2024: Maximilian Beier plays the pushy upstart

When Maximilian Beier talked about his successful debut in the German national soccer team, there wasn’t much of a damper on the European Championship euphoria. At least not with the 21-year-old attacker from TSG Hoffenheim. Beaming with joy, Beier, with a mixture of youthful bravado and a bit of shyness, reported on his 30-minute effort, which was only missing a goal to top it off. “I’m proud of my performance, but also a little disappointed that it wasn’t enough to win,” said Beier after the 0-0 draw against Ukraine in the penultimate test for the European Championship on Monday evening.

The young Beier clearly took center stage in Nuremberg. Some additional players were able to draw attention to themselves in the predominantly good and promising test run against Ukraine. This applied to a certain extent to Antonio Rüdiger’s representative Waldemar Anton in central defense and a little more to Toni Kroos’ short-term replacement Pascal Groß in the German midfield center. Substitute winger Chris Führich also provided several good attacking actions on the left side in the second half in conjunction with his Stuttgart club colleague Maximilian Mittelstädt. But the nimble Beier particularly stood out.

In just over half an hour on the pitch, the Hoffenheim player earned the top mark of all players, which was also because he came closest to scoring the opening goal. Immediately after coming on, Beier showed a remarkable presence. His first shot with his right bounced off the inside post. Shortly afterwards, he didn’t miss much when he shot low with his left, but the Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatolij Trubin reacted strongly. There was also another opportunity and a lot of momentum that the young striker brought. He wasn’t above doing some defensive work either.

It’s not a given to have such opportunities on your debut, said Beier and later beamed from ear to ear. Whether he is now closer to the final European Championship squad, for which national coach Julian Nagelsmann has to cut a player immediately after the test against Greece on Friday in Mönchengladbach. “Yes, that’s how it feels now,” said Beier with the self-confidence of an upstart who scored 16 goals in 33 appearances in his first Bundesliga season.

Beier’s trademark had already been shown again and again in the league: If there is a player for whom the football phrase “he doesn’t hesitate for long” was invented, it was for him. However, this is another one of his flaws: he sometimes still lacks the necessary calm and precision when finishing. Nevertheless, a striker like Beier could be a valuable alternative in the squad, especially in tight games. Especially since he almost ideally played the joker role against Ukraine that would have been intended for him in the tournament. “When I come in, I’m supposed to really stress out again,” said Beier, describing his task and, as a precaution, pointed out his versatility: “I can play as a striker, I can play on the left, I can play on the right.” That sounded like a confident interview.

From Nagelsmann’s point of view, Beier had played “a very, very good game” with “two great finishes.” About a final European Championship nomination, the national coach said: “He has definitely made it more likely.” At the same time, Nagelsmann reminded that the others would also comply with his wishes: “So far there is no one who deserves to go home. « Nagelsmann would like to wait and see the impressions of the coming days and from the dress rehearsal against Greece. Only then does he have to make his decision. Maximilian Beier definitely wants to stay, he feels very comfortable in the national team.

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