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MAINZ OF HIS OWN
‘I’m a rising Bundesliga star who was born in Germany but am proud of Ireland roots – I cross my fingers for both teams’
Nebel was open in speaking about his family history in Ireland
ON the website of FSV Mainz 05, Paul Nebel’s nationality is listed as both German and Irish.
It is deliberate because Nebel is equally proud of both identities and he himself had previously drawn attention to his eligibility for Ireland in an in-house interview in November 2021.
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And it does not take much to persuade the midfielder to talk about his Irish roots.
Nebel, 22, told SunSport: “My grandmother’s name is Maura, she was born and raised in Dublin and came to Germany in her early 20s.
“Here, she met my grandfather and they had a family. She lives in Germany the majority of the time but still flies to Ireland quite often as she still has relatives there and a house, where we used to vacation when we were kids.
“When I was younger, I was there every year. We went on holiday at my grandmother’s house and visited the Irish side of our family. We always had a marvellous time.
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“The thing that sticks out to me most is the amazingly lush nature. They did not name Ireland the Emerald Isle for nothing.
“I usually spend a lot of time outdoors when I am in Ireland. For me, the beautiful landscapes are the ideal place to relax and get my mind off of things.”
In his childhood, there were occasions when these loyalties were divided — but they sat by side rather than coming into conflict with one country and then the other having bragging rights.
In the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Germany inflicted a humiliating 6-1 defeat on Ireland in Dublin and won the return game in Stuttgart 3-0. Joachim Loew’s side went on to become world champions.
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But, in the Euro 2016 campaign, they were humbled with John O’Shea marking his 100th cap with a late equaliser in Gelsenkirchen before Shane Long sealed a historic win at the Aviva Stadium which helped Ireland reach the play-offs and, ultimately, the finals.
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Nebel recalled: “I remember both well because we watched them together with the whole family. We were wearing both Ireland jerseys and Germany jerseys.
“So in that sense, it was kind of a win-win situation for me — I am keeping my fingers crossed for both national teams.”
If one grandparent provides the Irish link, another donated the football gene with Nebel uninterested in any other sport as a kid.
He said: “It has always been football, it stole my heart immediately.
“Our whole family is crazy about football. Actually, my grandfather was a pretty well-known goalkeeper in the regional lower leagues of my home county Wetterau.
“When I was at youth tournaments back in the day, I was regularly asked whether I was the grandson of Wolfgang Nebel.”
SMALL MARGINS
At 5ft 7in, Nebel is markedly smaller than most professional footballers but he insisted nobody told him his lack of height would prevent him from making it.
He said: “Never. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages. I might not be the player to out-jump all the central defenders for a header.
“But I am quicker and more agile than some of the taller players. This is quite the asset, especially in the half-spaces where I am positioned.
“When I was younger and playing for the youth teams it was more of an issue.
“But it only made me work even harder on my techniques in order to be able to beat my bigger opponents. This helped me tremendously, both skill-wise as well as mentality-wise.
“I think I only realised that there might be a chance to become a professional football player after my transfer to Mainz at 14.
“The Mainz youth academy is renowned in Germany for generating talent and bringing young players into their professional team.
“I worked hard on myself and tried to use my chance to show the coaches that I have the potential to one day become a professional in the Bundesliga.”
On choosing the club made famous by bosses Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, he said: “Mainz 05 is known to have one of the best youth academies in Germany. The club is on the smaller side, but at the same time offers a very tight-knit, family-style atmosphere, which sets it apart from other clubs and makes it ideal for young players to flourish.
“Another factor was Stefan Hirschberg, who I have known from playing in Offenbach. He became one of the heads of youth development at Mainz and convinced me to come to Mainz, too.”
When Nebel first publicised his Irish roots, the then 19-year-old had made six league appearances — five off the bench — over that and the preceding campaign, and he was filed away under ‘ones to watch’.
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The next two seasons were spent on loan to Karlsruher SC.
Dropping to the second tier might have seen him slip off Irish football’s consciousness but it was the making of him. He returned with a record of nine goals and 17 assists from 68 appearances with the club.
It has provided him the springboard to become a regular at Mainz, for whom he has scored five times and provided two assists.
After his first five outings were off the bench, he has started the last eight matches.
He said: “I was only 17 years old for my Bundesliga debut. I felt ready, as I had performed well in pre-season.
“But I now know that I was not quite at 100 per cent — and that is actually totally normal for young players who are transitioning from the youth teams. It will be up and down for a while.
“I switched back and forth between the Bundesliga team and the Under-23 team, which was not easy, but definitely good for my development. Now I feel 100 per cent ready for the Bundesliga — and it shows on the pitch.
“The two years in Karlsruhe were incredibly important for me.
“To get minutes in on the pitch is crucial for a young player, especially in a robust league like the Second Bundesliga.
“With more play time comes more self-confidence, experience and skill. And I was able to profit from the feedback of experienced players in my position like Lars Stindl, Jerome Gondorf and Marvin Wanitzek.
“I will always hold Karlsruhe in my heart and am extremely, extremely grateful for the time there. It shaped me and prepared me perfectly for the Bundesliga.
“When I came back after my time in Karlsruhe, I knew I was not going to be in the starting XI right away but I wanted to fight for my spot there and never stopped believing in myself. I want to become an established Bundesliga player and continue to help my team — I can’t wait to tear up the pitch in the second half of the season for our fans!”
EXCITING TIMES
Mainz’s highest finish in the Bundesliga is fifth, the position they sat in over Christmas as the German top tier took a winter break until last night.
Flying high and in a position to challenge for a place in any of the three European competitions, it is an exciting time — but Nebel is not getting carried away.
Ahead of their season’s resumption at home to Bochum today, he said: “I think it is more important to put in the work on the pitch than to talk about possible goals for the season.
“We are only thinking about the next game and how we are going to win it. This is our approach, and we have been quite successful with it. I believe if we continue to work hard and keep supporting each other, we can beat any opponent.
“Time will tell what our effort will amount to.”
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