The last time Nadiem Amiri was called up to the Germany squad he was the one who actually had to do the calling — because former head coach Joachim Löw didn't have Amiri's phone number. This time, head coach Julian Nagelsmann had no trouble getting ahold of him, although Amiri missed the call because he was at training. When they did speak, the Mainz man admitted he had tears in his eyes during the call.

Few return to international football after years away but Amiri has beaten the odds. Nearly five years after his last Germany appearance in November 2020, Amiri has returned.

Nagelsmann's hand was forced by a raft of injuries but Amiri's form merited inclusion regardless. The Mainz midfielder joins club teammate Jonathan Burkardt in the squad, meaning that for the first time in 15 years two Mainz players are in Germany colors (the last pair was Andre Schürrle and Lewis Holtby). Amiri's return marks the latest milestone in an inspiring story of migration and football fortune.

Amiri's parents fled war-torn Afghanistan in the 1980s, settling in the West German city of Ludwigshafen. His father had a trucking........

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