The Czech national team wanted him once. Now he’s languishing at a struggling club

Footballer Davie Selke was on the Czech national team’s radar a few years ago. But he decided to wait for an offer from the German national team. He is unlikely to get one anytime soon.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old from Schorndorf near Stuttgart has an Ethiopian father and a Czech mother. It is thanks to her that Selke could consider Czech citizenship and representing the Czech Republic.

Selke was a talented striker in his youth. He passed all age categories of the German youth national teams. For example, he scored fourteen goals in fifteen games for the nineteen team.

Even at 21, he scored nine times in 15 games. In 2017, he was a member of the winning German team at the European Under-21 Championship.

Selke scored two goals at that tournament. He also played in Germany’s opening match against the Czech Republic, which ended 2-0. On the other hand, he did not play in the final then, sitting on the bench for the whole game.

He transferred from Hoffenheim’s youth team to Werder Bremen at the age of 18. In his first full Bundesliga season in 2014-2015, he scored nine times in thirty games.

In the summer of 2015, Selke went to the then still second league Leipzig for €8 million. With ten goals in thirty starts, the tall striker helped the Saxon club to their dream promotion to the top flight.

In RB Leipzig’s first ever season in the Bundesliga, Selke was not as productive. Only four goals in competition with Yussuf Poulsen and Tim Werner meant a transfer to Hertha.

Leipzig paid €8 million for him, just like before. Selke had a successful debut season in Berlin, scoring ten goals and there was talk of a possible call-up to the Czech national team.

Jaroslav Šilhavy discussed the situation with Vladimir Darida, Selke’s teammate from Hertha, but he said he would rather play for Germany and the whole thing fizzled out.

Selke also did well in the Europa League. He only played in three games, but scored four goals in total. However, the preparation for the new 2018-2019 season was marred by injury. The player’s value peaked in December 2018.

Transfermarkt valued him at €20 million back then. Since then, Selke’s price has only gone down. In the 2019-2020 season, he scored just one single goal in the Bundesliga although he started thirty games.

In the middle of the season he went on loan to Bremen, but there he rode the team’s poor form, which only culminated in a save in a barrage against second division side Heidenheim.

The following season, Selke continued on loan at Bremen, but even his three goals did not prevent the traditional Bundesliga club from relegation. Selke returned to Hertha, but rarely played there.

He still can’t get back to his former form, and the competition in Hertha’s attack is quite numerous. According to Transfermarkt, Selke’s current value is €1.8 million, which is almost the same as when he started playing in the Bundesliga at the end of 2013.

Source: Transfermarkt, Youtube, Twitter