5 young superstars who could break into the Germany national team
Germany have been one of the most consistent and ruthless sides in international football since the turn of the millennium. Between 2002 and 2016, Germany reached at least the semi-finals of every edition of the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euros. However, they have faced a slump in recent years as their 'Golden Generation' of players grew older.
Players such as Phillip Lahm, Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Ballack were among the core group of stars that oversaw their highly-successful phase. Recently, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller were among the few who carried out that German domination.
The Germans have played in eight World Cup Finals, winning half of them. They have played in six Euro Finals, winning half of those as well.
For most of the 2000s though, Germany were managed by Joachim Low. He took Die Mannschaft to great heights, winning the World Cup in 2014. He stepped down as manager following Euro 2020 and Hansi Flick took over the manager role.
🇩🇪 Joachim Löw will be stepping down as manager of the German national team after this year’s Euros! ⚽️
▸ 189 games
▸ 120 wins
▸ 38 draws
▸ 31 defeats
▸ 63% win rate
▸ World Cup winner in 2014 🏆
End of an era! 😥 https://t.co/lnd92KAR8S
As Hansi Flick takes over, the first thing he must do is determine the identity and style of play for Germany. Under the tutelage of Low, they were quick out of the blocks, hit hard on the counter and were solid defensively. This, however, won't be possible without incorporating fresh, young blood into the national set-up.
On that note, here are five young superstars who could break in and establish themselves with the Germany's national team:
#5. Ridle Baku (VfL Wolfsburg)
Bote Nzuzi Baku was born in Mainz, Germany, in 1998 and started his youth career with local club Mainz 05 in 2007. He was given the nickname 'Ridle' by his father who was a fan of German footballer Karl-Heinz Riedle. Baku officially added it to his name in 2018.
Ridle Baku made his senior professional debut for Mainz 05 in a 3-1 home win against VfB Stuttgart in the 2017-18 DFB-Pokal. He made his Bundesliga debut in 2018 in a 3-0 home win against RB Leipzig. He secured the win for his side by scoring the third goal in the last minute.
In 2020, Baku moved across Germany to fellow Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg and signed a five-year contract. He has made 56 appearances for Wolfsburg, scoring 10 and assisting nine goals. You can catch a glimpse of the German's elite mentality in the clip below, where despite scoring, he seems dissatisfied as his side did not win.
3 points > _______
A first goal for Wolfsburg still doesn't satisfy Ridle Baku 🎙️ https://t.co/dV7Us6EfCp
Ridle Baku made 37 appearances for Germany across youth levels, scoring six goals. He made his senior international debut for Germany against Czech Republic in 2020. Baku also assisted in the solitary goal Germany scored as they beat Portugal at the UEFA Under-21 Euro 2021.
His rise to the national side is imminent, with Hansi Flick preferring wing-backs.
#4. Youssoufa Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund)
Youssoufa Moukoko was born in Yaounde, Cameroon, in 2004 and grew up with his grandparents in the capital city. In 2014, he was brought to Germany by his father who lived in Hamburg as a German citizen since 1990s.
Moukoko joined FC St. Pauli's youth set-up until 2016, before switching to Borussia Dortmund's academy. He set the youth leagues ablaze with his astounding 141 goals in 88 games for Dortmund's u-17 and u-19 sides. In 2020, he was brought to train with the first team by former Black and Yellow coach Lucien Favre.
In November 2020, Moukoko made his debut aged 16 years and one day old. He became the youngest ever player to appear in the Bundesliga.
👶 - Zidan Sertdemir🇩🇰 (16-276) and Iker Bravo🇪🇸 (16-298) enter the top 3⃣ of youngest players in @Bundesliga_DE history.
Record holder is Youssoufa Moukoko🇩🇪, who was 16 years and 1 day old when he made his BL debut for Dortmund on 21 November 2020.
#BSCB04 #Bundesliga https://t.co/p1kilRtsdR
Having chosen to represent Germany at youth level instead of Cameroon, Moukoko has scored six goals in eight games across different age groups. Considering he is still only 17, the ceiling is extremely high for this talented youngster.