Mika Baur Receives First Senior Germany Call-Up After Bold Celtic Move

Jurgen Klopp has hailed Mika Baur’s bold decision to swap the Bundesliga for Glasgow as he handed the Celtic midfielder his first senior Germany call-up.

The 22-year-old is one of the standout surprises in Klopp’s maiden squad, with the former Liverpool manager naming a mammoth 44-man pool split across two separate groups. One selection will face the Netherlands and Greece, the other is set to meet Serbia and Greece.

Baur has been drafted into the latter squad and will report for international duty on September 28, a rapid rise for a player who only moved to Celtic in the summer.

Klopp, speaking to STV Sport, made it clear he has already taken a close interest in Baur’s Scottish adventure.

“I consider him really exciting,” he said. “He’s absolutely up for it. We also spoke on the phone about the weather in Glasgow – something I know well from Liverpool. With this move, he’s taken on a very challenging step.”

That step was a £6 million switch from newly-promoted Bundesliga side Paderborn after Baur played a central role in their successful 2025/26 campaign. He barely missed a game, then chose to leave the comfort of home for the intensity of Celtic, the scrutiny of Glasgow and the demands of European expectation.

So far, he has embraced it. Under Martin O’Neill, Baur has quickly nailed down a place in midfield, even edging experienced summer signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out of the starting XI in recent weeks. He announced himself to the Celtic support with a man-of-the-match display and the winning goal against St Johnstone earlier this month, a performance that underlined why Germany’s new boss has moved early.

The test has not all been smooth. Baur played the full 90 minutes in Celtic’s 3-0 Glasgow Derby defeat at Ibrox, a harsh lesson in the city’s unforgiving rivalry but also another sign of O’Neill’s trust in him on the biggest domestic stage.

Germany already knew him well. Baur has represented his country at under-21 level, sharing a dressing room with Said El Mala, Finn Jeltsch and Brajan Gruda. All three have now been elevated alongside him by Klopp, a clear signal that the new national coach is ready to lean on the next wave.

If Baur makes his senior debut in the coming fixtures, he will follow a rare path. Only a handful of German internationals have worn the green and white of Celtic, with Andreas Thom and Andreas Hinkel the notable names on that short list.

Now Baur stands on the brink of joining them, his gamble on Glasgow already starting to pay off.