Germany is one of the favorites to win Euro 2024 as the host nation and as a team with a great mix of veteran and up-and-coming stars like Toni Kroos, Jamal Musiala, and Florian Wirtz.
While the big names on the German national team will dominate the headlines this summer, there are a number of underrated standouts who could ultimately make the difference for Die Mannschaft at Euro 2024.
Here are the five most underrated German national team players you need to know.
Stuttgart LW Chris Fuhrich
Chris Fuhrich was the best left winger in the Bundesliga last season, combining with Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav to fire Stuttgart into the Champions League.
A silky winger who can score goals and create chances, Fuhrich filled up the stat sheet for Die Schwaben to the tune of 8 goals, 7 assists, and 2.1 dribbles completed per game.
Germany are so loaded with young talent in the attack that Fuhrich won’t be able to start many – if any – games, but he is the perfect player to come off the bench and provide a speedy spark with a goal-scoring touch.
With a strong tournament, Fuhrich could learn even more looks from Premier League sides in the summer 2024 transfer window.
Brighton CM Pascal Groß
Pascal Groß is honestly one of the biggest icons of German football over the last decade, establishing himself as a cult hero for teams in the Bundesliga and an even bigger one for Brighton.
Finally getting the recognition he deserves as legitimately one of the best playmakers in the world, Groß belongs on an international stage like Euro 2024.
The versatile 33-year-old maestro bagged 4 goals and 10 assists for the Seagulls in what was a difficult 2023/24 season for the organization, and he is something of a super-sub for Germany.
Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gundogan are the ones running the show for Germany in this tournament, but if something were to happen to them, Julian Nagelsmann can still feel confident with the former Hoffenheim and Ingolstadt man in the lineup.
Hoffenheim CF Maximilian Beier
One of the big breakout stars of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season, Maximilian Beier formed a potent attacking partnership with Hoffenheim legend Andrej Kramaric and was even better than the Croatian international.
Beier scored 16 goals for Hoffenheim last season, and now the 21-year-old is being linked to big clubs in the Premier League. If he can score a goal or two as a sub in this tournament, Beier could earn a notable transfer this summer himself.
Stuttgart LB Maximilian Mittlestadt
Maximilian Mittlestadt has been around the block for years in the Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin, but it wasn’t until he moved to VfB Stuttgart where he started receiving more recognition as one of the top left backs in German football.
A quality progressor of the ball, where Mittlestadt has truly made his claim at the left back position, though, is in defense, as he is one of the best defensive left backs in all of European football.
Last season, the 27-year-old was the second-best player at the position in the league behind only Bayer Leverkusen sensation Alex Grimaldo, recording two goals and four assists with 2.2 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game.
Defensively, Mittlestadt was a menace with 2.9 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game, providing center back-level defending on the left flank.
Mittlestadt is the unquestioned starting left back for the German national team at Euro 2024 and could make a name for himself on a global stage.
Bundesliga fans know that Mittlestadt is a solid player and was vital to Stuttgart’s Champions League qualification efforts. He is the left back Germany have spent years looking for.
Dortmund ST Niclas Fullkrug
More football fans around the world are starting to know the name Niclas Fullkrug, but they really should have been wise to the striker in the 2022/23 season when he was forming one of Europe’s best one-two punches with ex-Dortmund winger Marvin Ducksch.
That season, Fullkrug established himself as the best German striker and the No. 9 the country had spent years looking for, as they haven’t had a truly good out-and-out striker since Miroslav Klose retired.
Fullkrug, another Werder Bremen icon, moved to Dortmund this past season under some controversy, but Edin Terzic and the club were proved vindicated with their transfer in the end; they would not have reached the Champions League Final without him.
The 31-year-old had 20 goal contributions in the Bundesliga and 6 more in the Champions League, becoming an even more well-rounded striker to suit the Dortmund playing style much better than Sebastien Haller.
Fullkrug already scored for the German national team in a 27-minute cameo appearance off the bench against Scotland, creating an additional chance in a performance that had fans around the world buzzing.
Kai Havertz starts up top for Germany, but Fullkrug is a great, more physical option to have off the bench who can provide a different dynamic as a scorer while still proving to be effective in a creative capacity.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.