Ryan Naderi's International Future: Czech Republic, Bulgaria, or Germany?
Ryan Naderi is 23, leading the line for Rangers, and suddenly finds three national teams circling.
According to Bild, the Glasgow forward is close to a call-up from the Czech national team, with sporting director Pavel Nedved already making contact. It is a serious move, not a casual inquiry. The Czechs see a 1.94-metre centre-forward in form and do not want to watch him slip away.
Naderi’s story is complicated, and that is exactly why this race has started.
Born in Dresden to a Czech mother and a Bulgarian father, he has long been on the radar of more than one association. Bulgaria have already tried to convince him in the past, but he turned those advances down. The report now suggests he is more receptive to the idea of representing the Czech Republic.
Germany, though, still lurk in the background.
With Jürgen Klopp taking charge of the national team and preparing for his first international window, any forward with Naderi’s profile and trajectory is hard to ignore. If Klopp sees genuine potential for a DFB future, he would have to act quickly. The window for a player with multiple options rarely stays open for long.
Passport, paperwork and a ticking clock
If Naderi chooses the Czech Republic, the next step is bureaucratic rather than tactical. He would need to apply for a Czech passport before anything else. Only then comes the question that matters to the coaches: when would he actually be eligible to play?
Right now, that remains unclear. Time is tight. The Czech Republic face a demanding Nations League programme against Croatia, England (twice) and Spain. Whether Naderi can be registered and cleared in time for those fixtures is still an open question, but the intent from Prague is obvious. They want him in their colours, not anyone else’s.
While his international future hangs in the balance, his club journey explains why these conversations are happening at all.
From Dresden prospect to 3. Liga record sale
Naderi came through the academy at Dynamo Dresden, a familiar launchpad for talented youngsters in eastern Germany. At 17, he left for Borussia Mönchengladbach, a step that underlined how highly he was rated. The real breakthrough, though, arrived in 2024 with Hansa Rostock.
There, in the grind of the 3. Liga, he turned promise into numbers. Across 45 league appearances he scored 13 goals and added nine assists, an output that marked him out as more than just a tall target man. Clubs took notice. One in particular moved decisively.
Rangers paid €5.5 million for him last winter, a record fee for a player from Germany’s third tier. That figure raised eyebrows at the time. It looks less bold now.
Since arriving in Glasgow, Naderi has produced six goals and six assists in 21 games. Those are solid numbers for a mid-season signing adapting to a new league, a new country and the intensity of Rangers’ expectations. He has not just survived that pressure. He has thrived in it.
Making his mark in the Old Firm
If there was any doubt about his ability to handle big occasions, last weekend’s Old Firm stripped it away.
Rangers beat Celtic 3-0, and Naderi left fingerprints all over the win. He set up one of the goals and played a key role in the build-up to another, using his frame, touch and awareness to drag defenders out of position and open space for teammates. In a fixture where some players shrink, he imposed himself.
Performances like that echo beyond Glasgow. National-team scouts watch those games. Sporting directors talk. In Prague, in Sofia and in Frankfurt, his name now sits higher up the list.
Klopp’s wide net – and a looming decision
Germany’s upcoming international window only sharpens the focus. Klopp’s side face the Netherlands, Serbia and Greece (twice), and the new national coach is expected to name an unusually large squad. The plan is to look at a broad range of players, to test new options, to spring a few surprises.
Naderi fits that brief. Young, tall, productive, still developing. A modern No 9 who can both finish and create.
But he is also a player who can choose.
The Czech Republic, led at executive level by Nedved, have made the first overt move. Bulgaria have already tried once. Germany have the allure of a giant rebuilding under a charismatic coach. Somewhere in that triangle, Naderi must decide where his international future lies.
For now, Rangers enjoy the benefits. A record signing growing into his role, a centre-forward whose form has dragged him onto the radar of three nations.
The next time he pulls on a shirt with a crest over his heart, the choice he makes could shape the rest of his career.
