Rangers Striker Ryan Naderi Faces International Dilemma

Ryan Naderi has barely settled into life at Rangers, and already three national teams are circling.

According to Bild, the 23-year-old striker is close to receiving a call-up from the Czech national team, with sporting director Pavel Nedved already making contact. The move would cap a remarkable rise for a player who only made his professional debut in 2024.

Naderi’s story is as complex as his options. Born in Dresden to a Czech mother and a Bulgarian father, he sits at the crossroads of three footballing nations. Bulgaria’s federation has already tried to lure him in the past. He turned them down. The report now suggests he is far more receptive to representing the Czech Republic.

Germany, though, still lurks in the background.

With Jürgen Klopp beginning his reign as national coach and preparing to overhaul the DFB squad, Naderi’s profile is exactly the sort that can tempt a new manager: young, tall, productive, and still untied internationally. If Klopp sees him as a genuine option for Germany, he may have to move fast.

Because the Czechs are already knocking.

Passport race against the clock

There is a catch. For Naderi to pull on a Czech shirt, he first needs a Czech passport. The process has started, but the clock is ticking.

It remains unclear whether the paperwork can be completed in time for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, a brutal run that pits the Czechs against Croatia, England (twice) and Spain. Those are the kind of games that can define a player’s international career from the very first cap.

If the passport arrives too late, the Czechs may have to wait. If it lands in time, they could steal a march on both Bulgaria and Germany.

From Dresden prospect to Rangers record buy

Naderi’s path to this point has been anything but straightforward.

He came through the youth ranks at Dynamo Dresden before moving to Borussia Mönchengladbach at 17, chasing a bigger stage and tougher competition. The real breakthrough, though, only arrived in 2024 with Hansa Rostock in the 3. Liga.

There, he finally exploded.

Across 45 league appearances, Naderi scored 13 goals and added nine assists. At 1.94 metres, he operates as an old-school centre-forward, a classic No. 9 who thrives on physical duels, aerial battles and penalty-box chaos. Those numbers, and that profile, were enough to convince Rangers to spend big.

Last winter, the Scottish club paid a 3. Liga record fee of €5.5 million to bring him to Glasgow. It was a bold move for a player untested at the very highest level. So far, it looks inspired.

In 21 appearances for Rangers, Naderi has produced six goals and six assists. The raw output tells one story; the Old Firm told another.

Old Firm statement

Against Celtic last weekend, in the white heat of one of football’s fiercest derbies, Naderi showed exactly why national teams are queuing up.

Rangers beat their city rivals 3-0. Naderi set up one of the goals and was heavily involved in the build-up to another, imposing himself in a match where many forwards shrink. It was the kind of performance that gets clipped, shared and replayed in national-team offices across Europe.

For a 23-year-old who only stepped into professional football last year, he suddenly looks very comfortable on the big stage.

Klopp watches on

Germany’s schedule in the upcoming international window is busy: the Netherlands, Serbia and Greece (twice) await. Klopp plans to name an unusually large squad, opening the door to fresh faces and left-field selections.

Surprises are expected. Naderi could easily be one of them.

The dilemma is clear. Commit to the Czech Republic now, where Nedved has already reached out and the pathway seems open, or wait to see whether Klopp’s Germany comes calling. Bulgaria, having been rebuffed before, sits on the fringes of the conversation but is not entirely out of it.

For Rangers, this is all validation. For Naderi, it is a career-defining choice.

Does he bet on immediate opportunity with the Czechs, or hold out for the chance to wear the DFB crest under Klopp?