Germany legend Lothar Matthäus has urged fans to give Woltemade time, as he is not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. He is unsure if the Newcastle United star is ready to lead the attack at the FIFA World Cup next year.
Speaking to the media, Matthäus said that he wants to see Woltemade doing well, but does not think he has the experience to lead the attack right now. He added that the 23-year-old needs time to develop, as he is not on the level of Messi and Ronaldo, and said:
"Woltemade is a very young player, and I don't think he can make a difference [for Germany]. He can score, but he's 23 years old. He's played one year in the first team in the Bundesliga before he was playing in the second division or he was a substitute for Werder Bremen, when he was 18-19 years old."
"I think to tell if he will make the difference for Germany, especially at the World Cup, I think this is a lot for a player who is only 23. He's not Messi, he's not Ronaldo, he's Woltemade. I wish him only the best and I hope and I think he is smart enough to know what he has to do in the future to help the German team, to help his team in Newcastle and be a star in German football."
Woltemade moved to Newcastle United in the summer for £69 million despite interest from Bayern Munich. He has scored three goals in four Premier League matches for the Magpies.
Lothar Matthäus criticized Cristiano Ronaldo with Lionel Messi comparison
Lothar Matthäus criticized Cristiano Ronaldo after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, describing him as a big failure of the tournament. He claimed that Lionel Messi was a winner and said (via GOAL):
"Ronaldo is of course a big failure of the World Cup, the opposite of Messi. [The Argentine is] the absolute winner. He deserves it because he has given me and all football fans great joy with his qualities and the way he plays over 17-18 years. For me, he is the player of the millennium."
Portugal were knocked out of the tournament in the quarterfinals by Morocco, while Argentina went on to win the tournament. The defending champions have qualified for the 2026 edition, while the UEFA Nations League winners have three wins from as many games in their qualifiers.