Emre Can: Scoring at the Euros two days after being on vacation a surreal feeling

Emre Can was delighted to get the late call to represent Germany at Euro 2024, and he marked his return to the national team with a goal against Scotland on Friday.

Unsurprisingly left out of the original Germany squad for Euro 2024, Emre Can received the shock call-up to join the team on Wednesday after Aleksandar Pavlović was forced to withdraw from the squad due to tonsillitis.

Can linked up with the Germany squad on the eve of their European Championship opener against Scotland. On Friday, Can came off the bench and scored a well taken goal to help Germany cruise to a 5-1 win over Scotland.

It was Can’s first appearance for Germany since September 2023, and he said after the game that he was grateful to Julian Nagelsmann for the opportunity. “It's a great feeling and a crazy story. This is why we love football” Can told ZDF. “Two days ago I was on vacation. I got the call on Wednesday, trained once, came on and scored. I’m very happy and grateful to Julian and his staff for putting their trust in me.”

“We have to keep our foot on the gas pedal and continue like this. This was only the first step. But it was a very, very good first step.”

Can endured a difficult season on a personal level, but did captain Borussia Dortmund to the UEFA Champions League final, where they lost to Real Madrid. He will now hope to help Germany make a deep run at the European Championship, before returning to BVB and leading the way under new head coach Nuri Sahin.