Pascal Groß: From Germany's Euro Heartbreak to Brighton's Premier League Success

Pascal Groß stood on the touchline and watched the drama unfold.

Germany’s Euro campaign ended in the most brutal way football knows: a penalty shoot-out defeat after 120 tense minutes had finished 1-1. As the pressure cranked up and the list of designated takers ran out, TV cameras caught Joshua Kimmich desperately searching for volunteers. One thing became clear in those chaotic seconds: this was not going to plan.

Julian Nagelsmann never turned to Groß.

Leon Goretzka declined to take a spot-kick, so Jonathan Tah stepped forward as Germany’s sixth taker. He had never taken a penalty in his professional career. His effort flew over. In that moment, the entire shoot-out – and Germany’s fate – swung away.

Groß had been ready for exactly this scenario. He is one of the most reliable technicians in German football, a set-piece specialist, a player built for high-pressure dead balls. But his name was never called.

“I was prepared for this scenario, but I don't want to rake it over now,” he told kicker when asked about his potential role in the shoot-out. The subject never resurfaced in the dressing room or in talks with Nagelsmann. “No, there was no conversation. It hurt him enormously too, of course, everyone was devastated,” Groß said.

The moment passed. The tournament went on without him as a central figure. And then, so did Germany.

At the World Cup in North America, Groß’s role shrank even further. He played just 17 minutes, coming off the bench in the group match against Ecuador. That brief cameo was his only action at the tournament.

When Jürgen Klopp took over as national team coach, Groß’s name disappeared from the squad list altogether. At 35, it was hardly a shock, even if he had never formally announced his retirement from the DFB setup. The decision, he reveals, had already been made in his own mind.

“After the World Cup, with a bit of distance, I had already decided that the matter was over for me,” he admitted. There was no dramatic showdown, no emotional farewell call. “I did not have a conversation with the head coach. For me, not being nominated is not a problem.”

So where does that leave Pascal Groß now?

On the club stage, right at the heart of things. He has 19 caps and one goal for Germany, but for Brighton he has opened the new season with the authority of a player nowhere near finished.

The Seagulls go into the international break sitting third in the Premier League table, driven by Groß’s form. In just five league matches, he has produced three goals and four assists – elite numbers from midfield, the output of a player dictating games rather than merely surviving them.

For Germany, the Groß chapter appears to be closed. For Brighton, it might just be entering its peak.