Mülheim an der Ruhr, May 9, 2006. Germany’s home World Cup begins in a month’s time, with Lukas Podolski, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Philipp Lahm presenting their country with a summer fairy tale.
But on May 9, 2006, four and a half weeks before the opening 4-2 win over Costa Rica, there was another major event in the life of amateur soccer player Alassane Ouédraogo, 25. The birth of his son, Forzan Assan Ouédraogo. In that part of North Rhine-Westphalia that everyone else calls “Pott”.
leap into the future. It’s July 28, 2023. A sunny and muggy Friday evening in Hamburg. Little Assan from Mülheim an der Ruhr is now 1.91 meters tall and, at the age of 17 years and 80 days, surprisingly made an appearance in the starting XI of FC Schalke 04 because the midfield was plagued by a number of injuries.
At the start of the second division in Hamburg, which HSV spectacularly won 5-3, Ouédraogo even scored in the 24th minute to make Schalke 1-1.
Schalke 04 has a new record goalscorer
The youngster pushes Julian Draxler off the top spot of the Schalke Bubi-Knipser podium.
Draxler had previously been the youngest goalscorer in Schalke club history. At least since the start of data collection in the 1926/27 season. Draxler himself ousted Olaf Thon from the throne in 2012.
Thon himself is delighted with Ouédrago’s development. SPORT1 he said the day after the record goal: “Through Martin Max (UEFA Cup Eurofighter 1997, father of Frankfurt’s Philipp Max, currently striker coach of Schalke U23; editor’s note) I was always aware of Assan’s development up to date! He brings everything with him, game intelligence, speed, team spirit, goal threat and he can play the final pass!”
Assan Ouédraogo is considered Schalke’s next super talent
Thon also cautiously assures SPORT1: “Schalke’s managers know about Ouédraogo’s strengths and will support and guide him.”
Like Leroy Sané, Assan Ouédraogo, now 17 years old, comes from the Ruhr area. Like Sané, he has a gifted footballer as a father. Like Sané, Ouédraogo went through the youth national teams of the German Football Association (DFB), with which Ouédraogo became European U17 champion a few weeks ago. And like Sané, who shook up the Bundesliga as a youngster alongside Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in 2015/16, the teenager is currently enchanting Schalke’s long-suffering supporters.
sane 2.0.? Comparisons to Draxler more appropriate
Forzan Assan Ouédraogo, whom everyone just calls Assan, is not Leroy Sané 2.0 at all.
Central midfield, urge to go outside, urge to score, strategic skills. If a comparison to another Schalke alumnus is absolutely necessary, Ouédraogo is much more reminiscent of another former Knappenschmiede boy: Julian Draxler, who is now the second youngest goalscorer in Schalke history.
10 years ago today: World class trick by Draxler! – Farewell game by Raúl
The birth of a darling of the public, whose contract extension message “until 2018” was literally driven through NRW in trucks in the summer of 2013. And who went to Wolfsburg in 2015 because Juventus Turin offered the royal blues a few million euros too little.
Knappenschmiede delivered Neuer, Draxler, Sané
With the 43 million euros that flowed from Wolfsburg to Gelsenkirchen at the time, the now 29-year-old Draxler is still the second most expensive Knappenschmiede graduate in Schalke history. Only Manchester City paid more when Pep Guardiola brought Schalke favorite Sané to the island in 2016 for 50 million euros.
Thilo Kehrer (2018 for 37 million euros to Paris Saint-Germain) and Manuel Neuer (2011 for 30 million euros to FC Bayern) follow in the internal ranking of sales from Schalke talent promotion.
Other protégés of the legendary U19 coach Norbert Elgert – including Sead Kolasinac, Joel Matip and Max Meyer – left Gelsenkirchen on a free transfer.
Those are Ouédraogo’s strengths
In the long run, little Assan from Mülheim could grow into Schalke life insurance.
The British talent scout Jasmine Baba, who has been scouting out talent for various Europa League clubs for years, says of Ouédraogo: “At 1.91m, he has grown tall and shows an athletic, dynamic style of play. He has a very linear vertical range of motion, can dribble balls through midfield and shows that he is very balanced and technically adept, which is special for his size.”
Scout Baba explains at SPORT1: “Ouédraogo’s role is on the high eight, closer to the opposing goal, due to his goal threat and the opportunities to attack the penalty area from this position. He has a good sense of when to speed up the game and is also able to score at any time.”
However, Ouédraogo is currently struggling to get back into the starting line-up on matchday 2 in the home game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
2023-08-05 06:29:04
#Schalkes #prodigy #Leroy #Sané
