Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Füllkrug was on Tuesday named into Germany's Euro 2024 squad as the ruling body DFB continued to leak some players in an unconventional way.
Füllkrug, 31, learnt of his nomination in a radio show of broadcasters WDR.
"I am having goosebumps thinking about it. It makes me so proud," Füllkrug said via phone on the show.
He added that coach Julian Nagelsmann had signalled to him after the last games against France and the Netherlands that he would be part of the squad for the June 14-July 14 home tournament.
"We spoke at length in private during the last training course. If he holds talks like that and you are no fool you should understand that he's planning with you."
Füllkrug, who has 15 caps and 11 goals, is the fifth player named into the squad over the past days and ahead of the official nomination on Thursday.
Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck was unveiled in the main evening news of public broadcasters ARD, uncapped Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic during a show by private broadcasters RTL, and Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Bayer Leverkusen centre back Jonathan Tah via social media videos.
The DFB is releasing the names of several players in advance to generate excitement for the tournament, and in various ways such as via celebrities, influencers, fans and the media.
Nagelsmann will gather his squad in late May for pre-Euros training and tune-up games against Ukraine on June 3 and Greece on June 7.
Real Madrid's Germany players Antonio Rüdiger and Toni Kroos as well as Dortmund's Schlotterbeck and Füllkrug will miss the first week of training, and probably the Ukraine game, because their clubs contest the Champions League final on June 1.
Nagelsmann must submit his final squad list of a maximum 26 players on June 7, a week before Germany open the Euros against Scotland. Hungary and Switzerland are the other group stage opponents.
