20 August 2008 in a friendly match against Belgium in Nuremberg, which they won 2–0. The debut came exactly two years after his Bundesliga debut. He was called up to the Germany squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa by coach Löw, being the second player of Turkish extraction in the squad, along with Mesut Özil. Tasci made his World Cup debut as a substitute in Germany's third place match against Uruguay, coming on in the 91st minute for Özil. He struggled to touch the ball in his 125 seconds on the pitch, prompting VfB Stuttgart sporting director Jochen Schneider to say, "But for Serdar Tasci[,] the World Cup from a purely personal point of view was certainly not satisfactory." Tasci had hoped to return to the national side one day, but never played for Germany again. Personal life While playing for Stuttgart, Tasci left school in February 2007, four months before he was due to leave. Although he said he intended eventually to study sports management, the decision apparently upset his mother, herself a teacher, as she wanted him to finish school. His father, an excavator, was apparently less distressed at the decision. Tasci later revealed that his mother had indeed wanted Tasci to pay more attention to school, but that his father wanted him to be a footballer, since he had given him his first football boots. In the end, he did not disappoint either his mother or father, as he studied well. Because of this, he decided to become a footballer after making a decision to continue his studies or become a footballer. Tasci also revealed that his father is now his agent. Tasci is a devout Muslim. In addition speaking German, Tasci speaks Turkish and currently learning Russian. He has one sister. In August 2013, the owner of a website faced legal action when he used Tasci's name on his social network page. In June 2007, Tasci visited his parents' hometown, Artvin, where he received a plaque at Yusufeli Sports Club in honour of his memory. Career statistics Club 1.Includes DFB-Pokal and Russian Cup. 2.Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup/Europa League. International Honours VfB Stuttgart Bundesliga: 2006–07 Bayern Munich Bundesliga: 2015–16 DFB-Pokal: 2015–16 Spartak Moscow Russian Premier League: 2016–17 Russian Super Cup: 2017 References External links 1987 births Living people People from Esslingen am Neckar Sportspeople from Stuttgart (region) Footballers from Baden-Württemberg German