Mainz midfielder with Afghan roots has become a key member of Germany's 2026 World Cup squad. Coach Julian Nagelsmann said Amiri can provide the team a spark when it's most needed.

Fourteen years after Amiri joined Hoffenheim's youth teams under a young coach named Julian Nagelsmann, the pair are together at the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. "If you have a youth coach and you know each other early and for a long time, then it's always a special relationship," said Amiri.

In just the second game of the tournament, Amiri delivered a perfectly placed cross that set up Deniz Undav for Germany's equalizer in Toronto. "I knew my moment would come," said Amiri, who has met Nagelsmann's expectation of being an instant-impact substitute.

Nagelsmann told ARD in late May that Amiri's emotional energy played a role in his squad inclusion. "Especially in the heat, when a game is petering out after the 70th minute, Amiri can still spark something with his positive tenacity."

The turning point in his recent career was a surprise move to Mainz in January 2024. "The move to Mainz was the best move of my life. I just wanted to be happy again and play. I never would have thought I'd be sitting here two years later," Amiri said.

After helping Mainz avoid relegation, Amiri drove them to European qualification and the Conference League quarterfinals. He scored all 10 penalties he took in the just-finished season, including two in one Bundesliga game.

Amiri returned to Germany's squad in March 2025 after a five-year absence. "In the tough times, I realized that for me, it's the family that is always there. A slump like that was good for me at the time," he said.

Amiri's parents fled war-torn Afghanistan in the 1980s, settling in Ludwigshafen. His father ran a trucking business, his mother worked at a care home for 20 years. Amiri was born in 1996 and started playing football on the streets with his older brother.

In September 2025, Amiri scored a goal off the bench that turned the tide for Germany against Northern Ireland. Now at the World Cup, his cross did the same. Deniz Undav may be Germany's supersub, but Amiri is also capable of a game-changing impact.

Source: www.dw.com