Can reflects on late Germany call-up

Emre Can has spoken about how it felt to go from being left out of the Euro squad to being called up as a replacement for Aleksandar Pavlovic and scoring in the opening game.

After being left out of Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad for Euro 2008, Emre Can thought he was going to have a quiet summer.

But when Aleksandar Pavlovic was forced to withdraw from the squad with tonsilitis, Can was brought in as his replacement.

And things got even better for the Borussia Dortmund captain when he scored in Germany’s 5-1 opening win over Scotland after coming on as a second-half substitute.

“I can’t really describe it. On Wednesday I was in Dortmund with my wife and we were having breakfast. Then I got a call from Julian. I immediately said yes, I was ready. I hadn’t done anything for ten days, but I was ready,” Can said at a press conference on Sunday.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to come on in the game on Friday. It’s a great story – and then I scored a goal. That doesn’t happen very often. It’s indescribable.

“My wife was very happy – even though it was her birthday on Saturday. We were supposed to be in Spain, but things turned out differently. The support of my family and friends means everything to me. I would be nothing without them.”