Page 63 - Soccer360 Issue 104

NEW FACES
FLORIAN WIRTZ IS NOT
THE ONLY YOUNG TALENT GENERATING PLENTY OF BUZZ IN THE BUNDESLIGA, WHICH HAS PROVEN TO BE
A GREAT ARENA FOR YOUNG STARS TO MAKE NAMES FOR THEMSELVES. MICHELLE OSEI BONSU TAKES A QUICK LOOK AT FIVE OTHER PLAYERS WHO HAVE BEEN IMPRESSIVE FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE CLUBS IN GERMANY’S TOP-FLIGHT.
PAXTEN AARONSON - EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
The Bundesliga has proven to be a great arena for American players seeking to get a taste
of European football, and Paxten Aaronson naturally will also be looking to make his
own mark. Signed by Eintracht Frankfurt last season, there are high hopes for the New Jersey-born youngster, who began his career in MLS and followed in the footsteps of elder brother Brenden in making a switch to Europe.
JAMIE BYNOE-GITTENS - BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Jude Bellingham made a huge splash in
the Bundesliga, which earned the English international a big-money move to Real Madrid where he continues to show why he’s regarded as one of the best young players in the game. Could another English youngster, Jamie Bynoe- Gittens, follow in his footsteps? Dortmund have indeed proven that they do have a knack for scouting some of the game’s future stars, and in the case of Bynoe-Gittens, they just may have uncovered another one. Last season saw the 19-year-old make 20 appearances for die Schwarzgelben, while scoring three goals, and certainly, there will be bigger expectations of him in his sophomore term as a senior player at Signal Iduna Park.
YOUSSOUFA MOUKOKO - BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Given how long he’s been on the footballing scene, it is sometimes hard to believe that Youssoufa Moukoko is not even 20 years old. The Cameroonian-born German international only recently celebrated his 19th birthday in November, and yet, it feels like he has been playing in the top-flight for ages. Back in
2020, he became the youngest ever debutant in Bundesliga history when he appeared for Dortmund as a 16-year-old, and while injuries have hampered his progress somewhat, the fact that die Schwarzgelben felt it wise to extend his contract until 2026 clearly shows that the club still do have faith in the promising youngster to reach his full potential.
BIG WINTER MATCHES
DECEMBER 17
Leverkusen v Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayern Munich v VFB Stuttgart
JANUARY 13
RB Leipzig v Eintracht Frankfurt
JANUARY 20
RB Leipzig v Leverkusen
JANUARY 27
VFB Stuttgart v RB Leipzig
FEBRUARY 10
Dortmund v SC Freiburg
Leverkusen v Bayern Munich
FEBRUARY 24
Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig
MARCH 16
Dortmund vs Eintracht Frankfurt
SC Freiburg v Leverkusen
MARCH 30
Bayern Munich v Dortmund (Der Klassiker)
Key to Leverkusen’s success, of course, are the players, and one player in particular has been receiving plenty of acclaim and admiration: Florian Wirtz. At just 20, he is already a veteran of sorts
in the Bundesliga, having made his debut back on May 18, 2020, being named in the starting line-up for an away game against Werder Bremen just after the league resumed following lockdown. Having just celebrated his 17th birthday about a fortnight prior, this made him the club’s youngest ever Bundesliga player - breaking a record that had been set by another Leverkusen starlet, Kai Havertz.
Less than a month later, on June 6, Wirtz broke another record when he found the back of the
net in the 89th minute against Bayern Munich. Although his goal was in vain as the team would go on to lose 4-2, it still made history as Wirtz then became the youngest-ever player to score in the Bundesliga - until Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko smashed that record in December of the same year.
Born in Pulheim on May 3, 2003, Wirtz began his footballing education with Grün-Weiß Brauweiler,
a club affiliated with his family as his father, Hans-Joachim - who also works as his agent - has served as chairman. Interestingly, he is not the only footballer in his family, with his older sister, Juliane,
Below: Florian Wirtz has supplied many of Victor Boniface’s goals this season for Leverkusen
Wirtz’s key contributions have seen him both serve as goalscorer and assister
“WIRTZ HAS FORMED A GREAT UNDERSTANDING WITH STRIKER VICTOR BONIFACE”
SOCCER360 61
Paxten Aaronson
is the latest
in a crop of American young players looking to make a name for themselves in the Bundesliga