Who will be the first Germany player to score at the 2022 Men’s World Cup?

Game day is already here for Germany at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Here’s a pre-game exercise for the reader: who do you think will be the first of Hansi Flick’s men to score for Germany at the World Cup? (Please don’t say nobody — that would be unfathomable!)

We’ve checked in last minute with a few of our famously prescient BFW staffers — such as yours truly, whose prediction for Argentina to win it all this year looks excellent right now. But everyone else is pretty sharp, honest!

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Who should YOU root for?

Well, the age old question NOW has an answer. SB Nation has developed a very scientific system to help YOU figure out who should get your rooting allegiances during the World Cup. Test the system here...if YOU dare.

Let’s see what they said. And see you all in the Game Thread!

Chuck: Joshua Kimmich

First up we’ve got the main man himself, and he’s selected Bayern Munich’s main man, the machine that never sleeps nor rests. Here’s what he had to say.

Joshua Kimmich will score on a pass from Jamal Musiala after the youngster slices his way through a couple of Japanese defenders.

Alco1: Jamal Musiala

Next we’ve got editor and writer alco1, who’s also got Bambi in the thick of it:

Musiala will score before the 20th minute. Without Muller, the attack will go through him, and the German offense and pressure will overwhelm the Japanese side.

He runs the ball in zone 14 and finds a shot outside the box to the corner.

RIPLT: Niclas Füllkrug

Next, we have RIPLT who wants to start with something different!

Why not make Germany’s first World Cup goal a first in more ways than one? In the case of Werder Bremen striker Niclas Füllkrug, it will be a dream come true. Musiala squeezes through the middle before releasing Serge Gnabry, who beats Yuto Nagatomo to the ball in the space behind the full back, before crossing it first time for Füllkrug to head home after 27 minutes of play.

zippy: Julian Brandt

Now we’ve got me. I’ll be on my usual broomstick:

After ending the first half 0-1 down, Flick throws on the subs. The almost super-sub in 2018 on so many occasions, Borussia Dortmund’s Brandt wastes little time — and within the opening 5’ after the break smacks a rocket from outside the box. It’s an audacious shot that chips the post and unlike all those shots he took in 2018, bounces in this time behind the keeper. Christian Günter, another halftime sub, picks up the assist.

Muller_Era: Thomas Müller

We’ll conclude with the most shocking pick of the night.

The first player to score for Germany will be Thomas Müller. Given that Müller is the closest to breaking Miro Klose’s all-time top goalscorer record, he will certainly take this WC as seriously as possible and aim to score as many as possible. But there’s a possibility he may go into altruistic mode and look to assist the likes of Niclas Fülkrug or Jamal Musiala...

Alright, those are our picks. Please let us know yours in the comments below!

It’s almost time to see whether our vibe checks on Germany’s World Cup credentials will prove accurate or risible. Check out the latest episode of our podcast where we talked about why Germany could be in trouble this World Cup... and that was BEFORE Sané’s injury. Listen to it below or on Spotify.