WThe reason why Frankfurt soccer striker Randal Kolo Muani falls into the category of high-flyers, Christian Streich got to the point after the final day of the Bundesliga match: “It feels like he jumps off a second earlier and is then two seconds longer in the air,” said the Freiburg coach full of appreciation for Kolo Muani’s flight. In Eintracht’s 2-1 home win, the 1.87 meter tall professional headed the ball into the SC goal to make it 1-1.
It was the France international’s 15th goal of the season, plus 16 assists, propelling him into the league’s top scorer after 34 games. Overall, Kolo Muani managed an impressive 40 goals in 45 competitive games. Behind him lies a rocket-like rise in his first spectacular year in the first division. Now the 24-year-old, who embodies Frankfurter Lebensversicherung on the pitch, is one of the best attackers in Europe.
Sky striker, exceptional striker, “King Kolo”, a “monster” who strikes fear into the opponents – Kolo Muani has been given these praises at the highest level. When it comes to the movement artist, one can only speak of “superlatives” every week, enthuses Frankfurt captain Sebastian Rode. Trainer Oliver Glasner prophesies Kolo Muani with his one-a-plants a “world career”. The top scorer, who is the first French international for Eintracht and is being courted by the top clubs Bayern Munich, Paris St. Germain and Manchester United, all doors across Europe seem to be open for the next step in his career.
Duel of French national strikers
Frankfurt – the club would like to keep Kolo Muani – has called up up to 120 million euros as a transfer fee for their figurehead. It would be a very profitable deal for Eintracht, who got the attacker from FC Nantes on a free transfer. Kolo Muani, who has no exit clause in his contract until mid-2027 and makes no precise statements about his future, is considered the best zero-euro transfer in the Bundesliga since Robert Lewandowski.
This Saturday (8 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the DFB Cup and on ZDF, as well as on Sky), in the DFB Cup final between Eintracht and defending champion Leipzig, there will also be a duel between the French national strikers in Berlin. Kolo Muani had been nominated for the World Cup in Qatar to replace Christopher Nkunku from Leipzig, who had injured his knee at the time and scored 16 goals in the past round.
Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku during the final training before the final
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Image: dpa
There, the striker could have risen to the Olympus of football in no time at all if he had beaten Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez in extra time in the final and shot France to world champions. However, his momentous miss did not pull the high-flyer down too much. “The missed opportunity was something I had to deal with on my own.” That is “part of the job. It’s important to put that aside and move forward,” Kolo Muani said this week.
He slept well in the days leading up to the cup final. “We know how important the game is and that there is a certain amount of pressure at stake.” But the match cannot be compared to the pressure before a World Cup final. Frankfurt’s parade striker hopes that his fellow defenders will have Nkunku under control on Saturday, as they did in the 4-0 win over Leipzig in the first half of the season. “You don’t play a final, you win it,” said Kolo Muani.
The breakthrough was clear to Krösche
On a “personal level”, Kolo Muani, who grew up in the Paris suburb of Villepinte as the youngest of five children of Congolese parents, classified his first year in Germany as a “complete season” even before the cup final. “Of course I hadn’t imagined it that way before the season, I wanted to find my way in the Bundesliga first,” he said.
It was clear to Markus Krösche that the Frenchman would prevail. To his delight, however, the sports director was surprised at how quickly Kolo Muani got used to the intensity and speed of the game. In the second half of the season, the Frankfurt front man improved again. Kolo Muani became more efficient. He scored ten of his 15 goals this season.
The zig-zag striker with his fine ball handling can hardly be stopped by his opponents. The lightning-fast and creative Frenchman is good at dribbling, technically complete and full of energy. He often manages to overrun his opponents with his sprints. His national team-mate Kylian Mbappé would like to see Kolo Muani at his side more. “He gives our team different player perspectives,” said the Paris St. Germain star.
Kolo Muani, who encountered many opponents with increasing physical toughness, mastered the challenge in Germany with giant strides. Frankfurt’s personified goal guarantee, who is a late starter in terms of her career. At the age of 16, Kolo Muani was rejected from the national youth academy after a trial as a right-back. In 2015 he thought about quitting. Today, Kolo Muani stands above many others on the football field with his exceptional skills.
