Cedric Itten's World Cup dream comes true after all

Cedric Itten is in physiotherapy in Düsseldorf when the name Murat Yakin appears on his cell phone screen. The striker immediately interrupts his treatment and hurries out of the room. He has been eagerly awaiting this call. At last he would get the answer as to whether he would be rewarded for his strong performances this season. When he returns, the therapists don't even need to ask. His face already reveals what he has just been told.

The Swiss national team coach seems to have a certain flair for the dramatic. Yakin first asks the 29-year-old how he is feeling, what his team's starting position is ahead of the final round and what thoughts he has about his future. Only then does the coach come out with the information Itten wants to hear: "You're in the World Cup."

It is a "very, very emotional moment" for Itten. For him, the dream that began 24 years ago is coming true. The then 5-year-old watched his first World Cup, cheered on Brazil and striker Ronaldo and then asked his father to sign him up for a football club. Now he is taking part in the biggest sporting event in the world himself.

At the service of the team

Itten could not necessarily have expected this. While Yakin had already had the majority of his World Cup squad in mind for some time, the position of back-up for Breel Embolo was open until the very end. The fact that Itten now wears the number 26 in the 26-man squad is somewhat symbolic.

Although he has been in constant contact with the national team coaches over the past two and a half years and has been called up a few times, he has hardly made any appearances. Last September, he was substituted in the 85th minute of a 4-0 win against Kosovo: Itten's only minutes in the national team's last 30 games.

Itten is also not involved in the World Cup dress rehearsal in the spring. Instead, Yakin brought on Joël Monteiro, who scored a goal against Germany to promote his own cause. In the end, however, the coach opted for Itten. At the squad presentation, Yakin explained: "Cedric is a player with a big presence in the penalty area. He knows the team, the processes and his role inside out."

For Cedric Itten, the World Cup squad is a dream come true

Keystone

What he means by that: Itten doesn't complain when he's mostly on the substitutes' bench. At the same time, it is valuable to have the 1.90 m tall attacker at the back. Especially after a season like this one, in which Itten was involved in 54% of his team's league goals with 15 goals and 3 assists.

Nevertheless, Itten is aware of his role in the national team and accepts it. "I'm aware that Breel is set and that we have a lot of good attacking players in the squad," says the Basel native, who describes himself as a team player through and through. "I'll train well at all times and be ready for the moment when I'm needed."

Threat of departure despite confidence

Since his national team debut in November 2019, when he scored three goals in his first two appearances, Itten has missed all three major events. Whenever it came to putting together the squad, Itten wasn't in form and wasn't able to make enough of a case for himself.

The fact that it worked out at the fourth attempt is also due to the fact that he took an unusual path last summer: he moved to Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany's second-highest league. He did this expressly with the aim of staying in the national team's picture.

In Düsseldorf, he was trusted right from the start, was a fixture in attack and was immediately appointed to the players' council. "I experienced incredible appreciation from the club, within the team and also from the fans," said Itten. It is all the more bitter for him that his goals could not prevent relegation to the third division. This was confirmed just two days after Itten was called up for the World Cup.

Unsurprisingly, Itten has left his future open. However, it seems unlikely that he will stay at Fortuna, especially as he is available on a free transfer. Among others, Bundesliga promoted Schalke are said to be interested in him. Itten simply says that his advisor has received many reports. "But we haven't discussed anything concrete yet." The focus is now on the World Cup anyway.