Is it time to call up Freiburg’s record goalkeeper Noah Atubolu?

Noah Atubolu hasn't conceded a goal in almost 600 minutes and has been outstanding for Freiburg. With that in mind, is it time for Atubolu to be called up by Germany?

It felt like a record for all eternity. In the 2000/01 season, Freiburg goalkeeper Richard Golz kept a clean sheet for 510 consecutive Bundesliga minutes. On Saturday, Noah Atubolu not only equalized the record, but the 0-0 draw against RB Leipzig also means the new Freiburg record now stands at 577 Bundesliga minutes without conceding.

Of course, the 22-year-old was proud about setting a new benchmark. “Everything else would be a lie,” Atubolu said. “It wasn’t easy to focus on the record but instead on playing a good game.” In fairness, Leipzig once again were toothless, and Atubolu didn’t have to make a big save until injury time.

The record is an excellent story for Atubolu and Freiburg. Die Breisgauer adopted a risky strategy when they decided to hand the no.1 shirt to academy product Atubolu rather than buying a new goalkeeper to replace Mark Flekken in 2023. Furthermore, the club opted to stick with Atubolu even though the then 21-year-old had a shaky start to his Bundesliga career.