Bo Henriksen praises all four of Mainz’s German call-ups: “Recognition for the whole team.” | OneFootball

Mainz 05 head coach Bo Henriksen received a chance to comment on the nomination of two of his players to the German national team on Friday. The respective stories of Jonathan Burkardt and Nadiem Amiri make for quite the inspiring tales. Henriksen congratulated both professionals at a Friday press conference, also taking care to emphasise Nelson Weiper and Paul Nebel’s Germany U21 call-ups.

Amiri’s rise with the club he joined in January 2024 constitutes one of the greatest comeback stories in German football in recent years. For former Germany U21 captain Burkardt, the comeback trail also began in the same month of the same year.

Many thought Burkardt’s career to be finished after a knee injury and setbacks sidelined him for a full calendar year between November 2022 and November 2023. Lifted a contract extension signed in January 2024, however, the 24-year-old began picking up pace again.

Burkardt scored eight goals and registered two assists in the 2023/24 Rückrunde. This season, he’s netted 15 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions. He earned his first senior cap under Julian Nagelsmann in October.

Amiri returns to the German national team for the first time in five years. He earned the last of his five international caps under Joachim Löw in 2020.

“These not only two good players, but very important figures in the team leadership council,” Henriksen said on Friday. “They’ve both played an incredible season and it’s important that they get this recognition.

“But it also owes a lot to the rest of the players on the team,” Henriksen continued. “If we had lost 10-15 games in a row, Nadiem and Johnny wouldn’t be there. It’s recognition for the whole team.“

“And we also have Nelly [Nelson Weiper] and Paul [Nebel] in the Germany U21s,” Henriksen also emphasised. “It keeps getting better and better for these players and the whole team.“

GGFN | Peter Weis