Paul Nebel
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Paul Nebel with Mainz 05 in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 10 October 2002 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bad Nauheim, Germany | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Mainz 05 | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| –2012 | SC Germania Nieder-Mockstadt | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | KSV Klein-Karben | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Kickers Offenbach | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2020 | Mainz 05 | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Mainz 05 II | 34 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020– | Mainz 05 | 75 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | → Karlsruher SC (loan) | 65 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Germany U15 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Germany U16 | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Germany U17 | 10 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Germany U19 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Germany U20 | 14 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Germany U21 | 14 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:28, 16 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:15, 29 June 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Paul Nebel (German pronunciation: [paʊ̯l ˈneːbl̩]; born 10 October 2002) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Bundesliga club Mainz 05.[1]
Club career
Professional debut
Nebel made his debut for Mainz 05 in the first round of the 2020–21 DFB-Pokal on 11 September 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 60th minute for Levin Öztunalı against fourth-division side TSV Havelse. He assisted Jean-Philippe Mateta's 90th minute goal helping to complete a hat-trick, with the match finishing as a 5–1 win.[2] He made his Bundesliga debut the following week on 20 September, coming on as a substitute for Mateta in the 90+1st minute of Mainz's away match against RB Leipzig, which finished as a 3–1 loss.[3]
Loan and breakthrough
After a successful two-year-long loan spell at Karlsruher SC in the German second division, Nebel became a key-player for Mainz, registering ten goals and six assists in the 2024–25 season. He finished sixth with Mainz, qualifying for the UEFA Conference League play-offs.[4]
2025–26
On 20 September 2025, he'd score his first goal of the 2025–26 Bundesliga season in a 4–1 win over FC Augsburg.[5] After a five month long goal and assist drought, he'd register his first assist of the season in a 1–1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen, on 28 February 2026.[6] His assist opened the door to a run of strong performances, scoring a goal against Werder Bremen,[7] a brace against Eintracht Frankfurt a week later,[8] and assisting in the Conference League round of 16 and quarter-final against Sigma Olomouc[9] and RC Strasbourg[10] in two 2–0 victories. On 25 April, Nebel scored in a 3–4 loss to Bayern Munich.[11]
International career
Nebel is a youth international for Germany[12] and is eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland under FIFA's grandparent rule through his maternal grandmother.[13]
He made his debut for the Germany under-21 side in 2023 and would take part at the under-21 Euros in 2025, finishing runner-up. Scoring two goals in the tournament, he assisted his fellow Mainz teammate Nelson Weiper in the final and scored a longe range goal himself, carrying his team to extra-time against England, in a 2–3 loss.[14][15]
Two months later, in August 2025, Nebel earned his first call-up to the German senior national team, with coach Julian Nagelsmann selecting him for the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, though he remained unused.[16]
Playing style
Technically gifted, Nebel is two-footed and primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, able to play centrally and wide.[17] His strengths are his dribbling, speed, crosses, volleys and powerful shots, which also enables him to play as a winger.[18] Referred to as 'Der Wirbelwind' (whirlwind in English)[19] by some due to his short physique, he is known for his high workrate, also helping his team defensively, which has, on the other hand, also led to three red cards in 2025, setting a record.[20][21]
Personal life
Nebel was born in Bad Nauheim in the state of Hesse. His father Marco Nebel is a football coach himself, having been his first coach.[22] His mother Gitti Nebel is half Irish.[23][24] Nebel's maternal grandmother is from Galway, Ireland.[25]
Career statistics
- As of match played 16 May 2026[26]
| Club | Season | League | DFB-Pokal | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Mainz 05 II | 2020–21 | Regionalliga Südwest | 21 | 4 | — | — | 21 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Regionalliga Südwest | 13 | 3 | — | — | 13 | 3 | |||
| Total | 34 | 7 | — | — | 34 | 7 | ||||
| Mainz 05 | 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 31 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 10 | ||
| 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 30 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10[a] | 0 | 42 | 5 | |
| Total | 75 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 91 | 15 | ||
| Karlsruher SC (loan) | 2022–23 | 2. Bundesliga | 32 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 34 | 4 | |
| 2023–24 | 2. Bundesliga | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 5 | ||
| Total | 65 | 9 | 3 | 0 | — | 68 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 174 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 193 | 31 | ||
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
Honours
Germany U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2025[27]
References
- ^ Paul Nebel at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Germany » DFB-Pokal 2020/2021 » 1. Round » TSV Havelse – 1. FSV Mainz 05 1:5". WorldFootball.net. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Germany » Bundesliga 2020/2021 » 1. Round » RB Leipzig – 1. FSV Mainz 05 3:1". WorldFootball.net. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Paul Nebel | Statistiken | Bundesliga 2025/26". kicker (in German). Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ sportschau.de. "Tor nach Rückkehr: Mainzer Nebel - "Habe große Lust gehabt, wieder auf dem Platz zu stehen"". sportschau.de (in German). Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ^ "Leverkusen 1-1 Mainz (Feb 28, 2026) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ^ "Bremen 0-2 Mainz (Mar 15, 2026) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ^ "Mainz 2-1 Frankfurt (Mar 22, 2026) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ^ "Mainz 2-0 Sigma Olomouc (Mar 19, 2026) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ^ "Mainz 2-0 Strasbourg (Apr 9, 2026) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ^ "Mainz 3-4 Bayern (Apr 25, 2026) Game Analysis". ESPN. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ^ Dempsey, Andrew (10 May 2022). "Bundesliga starlet still on Ireland U21 radar despite Germany call-up". Pundit Arena.
- ^ "Irish eligible Paul Nebel speaks on commitment to Germany: "I love my home and national anthem."". Get Football News Germany. 21 March 2025.
- ^ "England 3-2 Germany (Jun 28, 2025) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ "Under-21 Euro top scorers". UEFA. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Julian Nagelsmann selects three fresh faces for September's FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers". Bundesliga. 27 August 2025.
- ^ "So funktioniert der Urs-Fischer-Fußball bei Mainz 05". Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 17 March 2026. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ "Mainz 05: Das ist das Erfolgsgeheimnis von Mittelfeld-Juwel Paul Nebel". bild.de (in German). 26 November 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ "Die Sonne scheint über U21-Nationalspieler Paul Nebel von Mainz 05". www.fr.de (in German). 20 March 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ kicker. "Paul Nebel (Spielerdaten)". kicker.de. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ kicker (1 December 2025). "Dritter Platzverweis 2025: DFB sperrt Nebel erneut". kicker.de. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Dieser Wetterauer ist eines der größten deutschen Talente im Fußball". www.wetterauer-zeitung.de (in German). 14 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ "Paul Nebel | Steckbrief, Bilder und News". WEB.DE News (in German). 10 October 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ "Dieser Wetterauer ist eines der größten deutschen Talente im Fußball". www.wetterauer-zeitung.de (in German). 14 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ "Paul Nebel: Fast schon ein Riese". www.fr.de (in German). 1 July 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
- ^ Paul Nebel at Soccerway
- ^ "England 3-2 Germany (aet) highlights: Rowe header ensures Young Lions retain title". uefa.com. 28 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
External links
- Paul Nebel at DFB (also available in German)
- Paul Nebel at kicker (in German)
- Paul Nebel at Soccerway