From the sixth tier to the Nations League: one trial did the trick

From the sixth tier to the Nations League: one trial did the trick At the weekend, Bruno Poitner usually faces teams like TSV Oberensingen, Sportfreunde Schwäbisch Hall or Bietigheim-Bissingen in Germany’s Verbandsliga. During the international break, he travels the world as a national team player. The 19-year-old from sixth-tier club SV Fellbach leads a remarkable double life in football: as an amateur player, he regularly pulls on the jersey of the Liechtenstein national team. Just last Thursday, the youngster spent the full 90 minutes on the bench in the 0-0 draw against Azerbaijan in the Nations League. The fact that he is even eligible to play for the team of the microstate, with a population of just under 50,000, is thanks to his family roots, as Poitner holds Liechtenstein citizenship through his father. Speaking to 'Bild', the player explained how the unusual contact with the association came about: "I spoke to my parents several times about whether this might be possible. One day, we got in touch with the association and sent them some information about me. Then I was invited to a trial training session and was also able to take part in further training sessions afterwards. Two months later, I was already allowed to go with the U19s to the European Championship qualifiers, where I made my debut against France." That U19 debut in November 2024 ended in a heavy 0-7 defeat against the French side, but it still left a lasting impression on Poitner because he came up against future top professionals. "My direct opponent was Joane Gadou, who moved to BVB in the summer for 20 million euros. It’s pretty crazy when you see where those guys have ended up today." Things also moved quickly upward for the Fellbach player himself in the national team setup. Under head coach Konrad Fünfstück – the former head coach of 1. FC Kaiserslautern, who has been in charge of the team since June 2023 – Poitner made his senior international debut in June 2026 in the 2-0 defeat in Andorra. A moment he describes as follows: "Singing the anthem on the pitch for the first time was a great feeling. I thought to myself: it doesn’t get any better than this. No one can take this game away from me now, it’s a really cool thing." The self-confessed VfB Stuttgart fan gives a realistic assessment of the footballing level in the principality when comparing the national team’s quality with that of his hometown club. He told 'Bild': "If I had to compare the national team with SV Fellbach, I’d say the footballing level is very similar. Like Verbandsliga or Oberliga in Germany. But we also have a few players who are clearly better, who have already played in Germany’s Regionalliga. Then there are the professionals from FC Vaduz, who play in the Swiss Super League." Despite his trips onto the international stage, the 19-year-old remains down to earth. After passing his Abitur at the start of the year, he is now beginning his studies in movement science in Stuttgart. From a sporting point of view, he has clear goals for the upcoming internationals, especially since he is deployed up front rather than in his usual midfield role when wearing the national team shirt. "I want to keep getting minutes so I can stay involved and establish myself in the squad. In Liechtenstein I play as a striker, not in midfield like I usually do. So of course my goal there is to score goals at some point." This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.