Arsenal star hits back at Gary Lineker after brutal World Cup prediction

Arsenal star Kai Havertz was left less than impressed after Gary Lineker said he was part of ‘one of the weakest Germany sides I’ve ever seen’.

The knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup has begun, with all of the major nations like France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil and England still in contention.

Germany are also in the mix after topping Group E, with a favourable round of 32 tie against Paraguay in Boston on Monday night.

Havertz started all three group games and got off to the perfect start, bagging a brace in the 7-1 thrashing of debutants Curacao.

But he and Die Mannschaft struggled in a narrow win over the Ivory Coast before a shock 2-1 defeat to Ecuador, with head coach Julian Nagelsmann and veteran goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer coming under fierce criticism.

Moreover, there are rumours of discontent in the Germany camp, with increasing friction between Nagelsmann and the players, while there have been growing calls for Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp to take over.

Should Germany beat Paraguay, it is expected they will face tournament favourites France in the round of 16, and Lineker believes there is not a chance they will advance further.

‘I think that this is one of the weakest Germany sides I’ve ever seen,’ the ex-England captain and former Match of the Day host told French outlet L’Equipe.

‘France should reach the quarter-finals without any trouble. Germany are living off their past.

‘Just remember that they didn’t even make it out of the group stage at the last two World Cups. So I think you can all sleep easy.’

Ahead of the Paraguay match, those comments were put to Havertz but the Gunners centre-forward couldn’t have cared less.

‘Everyone can have their own opinion. I have no problem with that,’ the 27-year-old said.

‘I didn’t even read what he said. At a tournament like this, a lot of people start talking about you. I don’t think anyone is really listening to that.

‘We already have many pundits in our country. And if people from other countries start talking as well, then that’s enough at some point.

‘It’s easy for people to criticise from outside. I’m not interested in that at all.’

It is true that Germany have largely struggled since lifting the World Cup in 2014 and few have predicted that they will reach the quarter-finals.

There have also been some calls for Havertz to be dropped in light of the last two group games, especially with Deniz Undav, who has three goals and two assists in two sub appearances, and Nick Woltemade on the bench.

‘We talk a lot about what can work better and what we need to improve,’ Havertz added.

‘The three of us [himself, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala] know ourselves that we haven’t fully shown what we’re capable of up front yet. We have to take responsibility for that.

‘It takes a bit of time because everyone comes from their clubs to the national team and you have to get used to your teammates. When you are in a major tournament, people talk [but] I don’t care what people say, we are focused on ourselves.’

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