Nicolo Tresoldi's International Dilemma: Germany or Italy?

Nicolo Tresoldi’s international future is turning into one of European football’s quieter tug-of-wars.

The Club Brugge forward has already worn the Germany shirt 24 times at U21 level, yet the key decision still hangs in the air: stick with Germany for the senior stage or switch to Italy, the country of his birth.

For now, he is staying where he is.

Germany U21 coach Antonio Di Salvo confirmed that Tresoldi will continue with his team, even if the long-term call remains unresolved.

“This is not a question that needs to be asked of me, but I have spoken to him and he said that he still can't make a decision,” Di Salvo told Kicker.

The uncertainty is real, but so is the commitment in the short term.

“And that is a great sign for us,” the coach added, welcoming at least a temporary victory for Germany in this battle of flags.

Di Salvo framed Tresoldi’s dilemma as a symbol of the modern game rather than a problem to be solved.

“I think the world has changed. 20 or 30 years ago, players didn't have to make these decisions at all,” he said.

The days when nationality and football identity were neatly aligned are gone. Now, the map is blurred, and players like Tresoldi live right in the middle of it.

“The world has become more global, and many players have the opportunity to play for a second or even a third country. If they need time, you have to give them that time.”

Tresoldi’s story explains why the choice is so loaded. Born in Cagliari, he is the son of an Italian father and an Argentine mother of Italian descent. His roots stretch across two football-obsessed nations, but his career was shaped somewhere else entirely.

At 13, he moved with his family to Germany and joined Hannover 96, the club that gave him his platform and, eventually, the pathway into the German youth setup. He later acquired German citizenship, deepening his ties to the country that developed him.

Now at Club Brugge and rising, Tresoldi stands at the crossroads between the Azzurri and the Mannschaft. For the moment, Germany’s U21s still have his goals, his energy, his presence in the dressing room.

The real question is who will have him when the senior call finally comes.