This was a night when Mittelstadt needed a good start. He got one — and then played excellently from then on, making another stride in this most unlikely international career.

Mittelstadt’s decisions were extremely good against Scotland. Germany depend on him not just for precious width, but also to pick his moments to underlap or overlap in a way that creates space for the band of attacking midfielders ahead of him. Wirtz and Musiala were the stars of the night, but Mittelstadt was part of their performance, too.

And what a story. This time last year, Mittelstadt was about to be relegated with Hertha Berlin. He was an unremarkable full-back who was sold to Stuttgart for €500,000 (£423,000; $536,000) without anyone batting an eyelid.

What has followed has been remarkable. Part of his success is his team’s story — Stuttgart have been reinvented as a possession team by Sebastian Hoeness and have ridden that new style all the way to the Champions League. Mittelstadt has been one of the main beneficiaries, becoming part of a potent and stylish left hand side.

Credit Nagelsmann for this. Had someone mentioned Mittelstadt as a potential international as recently as October 2023, they would have been laughed at. Ahead of RB Leizpig’s David Raum? No chance, surely. But Nagelsmann had a conviction that Mittelstadt would fit his system and help it to function. So far, he has been proven absolutely right.