Brajan Gruda could make his Germany debut in Belgrade on Friday

Germany could have another debutant on Friday. Brajan Gruda, a 22-year-old attacker at RB Leipzig, may start in the Nations League game against Serbia in Belgrade (kick-off 8:45 pm local time). Coach Jürgen Klopp has already given him a nickname.

What happened?

"He's a great gambler," Klopp says of Gruda, using the German word "Zocker" for a fearless risk-taker. He also praised the player's "street footballer qualities". On the right wing, Klopp said, he doesn't have "forty alternatives".

Gruda will get a special shirt too: the number 10. It is vacant because regular number 10 Jamal Musiala is injured. Günter Netzer, Lothar Matthäus, Mesut Özil and Lukas Podolski all wore it before.

Gruda is competing with Bayern's Lennart Karl for the right-wing spot. On the left, Freiburg's Derry Scherhant is likely to play. That would give Klopp two very fast dribblers to feed centre-forwards Kai Havertz or Niclas Füllkrug.

Why is everyone talking about it?

Because Gruda's dribbling is hard to ignore. Against Augsburg he completed ten successful dribbles in one game, the best single-game figure in this Bundesliga season. Two of them led to superb assists.

Over the season he has 36 successful dribbles. Only Barcelona's Lamine Yamal (49) and Real Madrid's Yan Diomande and Kylian Mbappé (37 each) have more in Europe's top five leagues.

He was born in Speyer and also holds an Albanian passport. His father Bujar, an Albanian, was a pro too and played in the UEFA Cup in 1991/92 with KS Vllaznia Shkodra.

Klopp will leave out 17-year-old Wael Mohya of Borussia Mönchengladbach. He travels with the squad but is not in the matchday squad.

What's next?

It would be Gruda's third attempt at the national team. Before Euro 2024, then-coach Julian Nagelsmann brought him in as an extra training player. He made the squad for a friendly against Ukraine but didn't play. In September, Klopp invited him, but he had to pull out with an abdominal strain.

Gruda joined Leipzig in February 2026 on loan from Premier League club Brighton. Leipzig have an obligation to buy him for 25 million euros in the second half of the Bundesliga season.

Now he just needs the call on Friday night.