"Would have loved to do it": Bundesliga star not nominated for the Olympics - Now he's unpacking

He won Olympic silver for Germany in 2016.

He was also on the list for the tournament in Tokyo.

Now Nils Petersen explains why he is not there.

Tokyo - “The clipper from Rio de Janeiro”: This is how you could also call Nils Petersen.

At the 2016 Olympic football tournament, he scored the German team with six goals for the silver medal.

He is still accurate in the Bundesliga *.

So why is he not at the Olympics in Tokyo *, even though coach Stefan Kuntz complains about a lack of staff?

In a detailed interview with the online medium

, he

light on the darkness.

Olympia 2021: Nils Petersen talks about non-nomination - "I heard nothing more"

According to his own statements, Kuntz phoned a list of 100 players, of which 18 remained in the end.

Petersen was also on the shortlist.

“We had brief contact in January when he told me that I was on the list.

After that I didn't hear from him, ”reveals Petersen.

He makes no secret of the fact that he would have liked to have been there this time too.

“I was euphoric for a moment.

Maybe a little too euphoric, because the path from the list to participation is of course very long.

But I would have loved to do it, ”he admits.

Instead of Petersen, Kuntz has opted for another experienced striker: Max Kruse should enrich the DFB team in Tokyo with his playful class and experience.

Recently, however, his collar burst.

Video: Olympia 2021: These are the German flag bearers

Olympia 2021: DFB team wants to repeat gold in 2016 - "Was incredibly emotional"

Petersen is not there - after all, Keven Schlotterbeck is a team-mate and Florian Müller is an ex-colleague of the striker in the Olympic selection. “I told them about 2016, but actually the guys weren't that interested,” jokes Petersen, who is still raving about the experience. “It's been four incredibly emotional weeks. An unbelievable feeling of togetherness has developed. Only in retrospect do you realize how special it all was. "

For him it was one of the great highlights of his career. “In terms of sport, the Olympics are one of the four best weeks I've experienced.” In the final against Brazil, it was Petersen, of all people, who took the decisive penalty. Still, there was silver. Is there a similar success story this year? The first opponent on Thursday (1.30 p.m.) is Brazil * - the perfect chance for a rematch.