Stand: 20.11.2020 | Reading time: 3 minutes
Youssoufa Moukoko? “Age is absolutely irrelevant”
Dortmund’s super talent Youssoufa Moukoko could play his first Bundesliga game against Hertha BSC – at just 16 years and one day. Berlin coach Bruno Labbadia sees a debut at this age as unproblematic and knows what ultimately matters.
Youssoufa Moukoko turned 16 on Friday. The BVB striker could make his Bundesliga debut on Saturday. You should take your foot off the accelerator, says manager Zorc.
Joachim Löw is not known for throwing himself around with superlatives. When asked about what is probably the greatest talent in German football, the national coach dropped all restraint. The 60-year-old is enthusiastic about Dortmund’s young striker Youssoufa Moukoko. “Moukoko has a talent that you don’t come across very often. It’s a grenade, ”said Loew.
And on Friday the “grenade” turned 16 years old. It’s a very special birthday for the BVB striker. Not because he can now officially buy beer in the supermarket or get his A1 driver’s license. Moukoko is now eligible to play for the Borussia professionals.
He can play for Dortmund in both the Champions League and the Bundesliga. And he could have his first appearance on Saturday in the game (8.30 p.m., DAZN *) in Berlin. One day before the game, coach Lucien Favre did not want to reveal whether Moukoko was allowed to travel to Berlin.
“He has fantastic potential”
“It’s his birthday today and can now play with us. After the training we will decide whether he will go to Berlin with us. He has fantastic potential and is great fun to work with, ”said Favre.
By late Friday afternoon, it should be clear whether the 16-year-old will be nominated for the squad. And: According to “Bild” information, he is actually in the squad for the game at Hertha. He got on the bus at 5:19 p.m. on Friday that took the team to Dortmund airport.
Should Moukoko actually make his Bundesliga debut, that should further fuel the hype about the super talent. This is not exactly what Dortmund’s sports director Michael Zorc is. “He is eligible to play as of today. We have seen him in training since the summer. I would like to admit that the media hype about him goes a little too far. We should all take our foot off the accelerator a bit now and let things develop, ”said Zorc.
Lucien Favre (left) in conversation with Moukoko. The teenager was already at the training camp with the professionals in the summer
Source: pa / dpa / Revierfoto
Should Moukoko be substituted on in Berlin, he would be the youngest player in the history of the Bundesliga. The record is still held by the former Dortmund Nuri Sahin, who made his debut in the Bundesliga at the age of 16 and 335 days.
The jump to the professionals is logical. Moukoko has not been challenged in the youth teams for years. The German-Cameroonian scored an unbelievable 127 goals in 73 games with the U17 and U19. Hertha’s trainer Bruno Labbadia would also welcome Moukoko. “I would have 0.0 problems with that. Everything you hear about him, he has an extremely extraordinary talent – plus that he just knows where the goal is. Age doesn’t matter whether it’s 16 or 35, ”said Labbadia.
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