Niclas Füllkrug abruptly ended a television interview with ZDF following Werder Bremen’s 1-0 defeat to VfB Stuttgart after being questioned about his recent return to the German national team.

The Werder Bremen striker expressed frustration when ZDF reporter Florian Zschiedrich asked about the significance of his recall to the DFB squad. Füllkrug, who was recently named to the national team by manager Jürgen Klopp for an upcoming match against Serbia on November 13, requested respect for his focus on the club’s recent loss.

Das werde ich nach einem mit 1:0 verlorenen Spiel nicht tun.

Füllkrug rejects national team questions after Stuttgart loss

The tension increased when Zschiedrich pressed the striker further, noting that his return to the national team after more than a year was a special event and asking if there was any sense of anticipation for the upcoming fixtures. Füllkrug maintained that his immediate priority remained the Bundesliga match result.

He reiterated he was not thinking about the Nations League matches scheduled for Friday against Serbia and the subsequent game against the Netherlands. Ich will nicht unhöflich sein. Wir haben gerade ein Spiel 1:0 gegen Stuttgart verloren, auch wenn wir ein gutes Spiel gemacht haben.

When Zschiedrich attempted to bring in a quote from Jürgen Klopp to continue the discussion, Füllkrug cut the interaction short. Thank you, Niclas.”

Statistical context of Füllkrug’s season and international status

The incident occurred as Füllkrug has been in high scoring form for Werder Bremen. Data cited by n-tv shows the 33-year-old has scored 12 goals in 10 competitive matches this season. Prior to the loss in Stuttgart, he had scored in seven consecutive Bundesliga matches. However, the match against Stuttgart marked his first game without a goal in seven appearances.

His return to the national setup follows a period away from the DFB squad. n-tv reported that Füllkrug last appeared for Germany in June 2025 during the Nations League Final Four, playing in a 0-2 loss against France in the third-place play-off. He was also part of the squad in September 2025 under former manager Julian Nagelsmann. His last goal for the national team was recorded in September 2024 during a 5-0 victory over Hungary.

Previous instances of interrupted interviews

This is not the first time Füllkrug has declined to complete a media appearance. A similar incident occurred on August 18, 2023, following a 4-0 loss to FC Bayern Munich at the start of the Bundesliga season. During that encounter, Füllkrug dismissed questions regarding his future with Werder Bremen.

In that instance, he rejected inquiries from DAZN’s Marco Hagemann, stating the topic was “completely uninteresting.” He also declined to speak with Sat.1 Matthias Killing, telling him that the subject was “quite uninteresting today” and that he was not required to answer.

Questions about Füllkrug's national team return and interview

Why was Niclas Füllkrug called up to the German national team?
German national team manager Jürgen Klopp announced Füllkrug’s inclusion in the squad for the upcoming match against Serbia on November 13. This marks his return to the national team after more than a year.

What was the reason for the interview being cut short?
Füllkrug ended the ZDF interview because the reporter continued to ask about his national team selection and upcoming international matches immediately following a 1-0 loss to VfB Stuttgart. The striker stated he wanted to focus on the club match result instead.

How many goals has Füllkrug scored this season?
According to statistics reported by n-tv, Füllkrug has scored 12 goals in 10 competitive appearances for Werder Bremen this season.

The German national team is scheduled to face Serbia on November 13.