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After last season’s all German Champions League final, the world has sat up to take notice of the Bundesliga. Regular followers will know that it has always been one of the best run leagues in the world and has a reputation for producing some of the finest talents in football. Here, we take a look at some of the emerging prospects from this amazing league. Efforts have been made to avoid some of the obvious choices (like Draxler, or Gotze), as such players will be “watched-out for” without our recommendation. Focus has been on players 21 or younger (i.e. them being 21 and below prior to August 31st, 2013). So here is a list of the Top 10 young Bundesliga players to watch out for.
10. Amin Younes
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Age: 20 years old
Club: Borussia Monchengladbach
Nationality: German
Position: Winger
The man with Lebanese roots initially broke into the Gladbach team last season and has already been ear-marked as someone with a lot of potential. His dribbling ability has impressed fans and pundits alike, and he will surely get many more chances to impress this season.
9. Pierre-Michel Lasogga
Age: 21 years old
Club: Hertha BSC
Nationality: German
Position: Striker
For a guy who’s still only 21, Lasogga seems to have been around forever. He burst onto the scene in 2010-11, helping Hertha win promotion to the Bundesliga. The next season ended in relegation, and Lasogga suffered an ACL injury that kept him out for most of last season. However, he soon returned to make seven appearances towards the end of the season, scoring one, and assisting two. He found a place in the German side that played at the U21 Euro’s, and put in a good shift.
8. Mathias Ginter
Age: 19 years old
Club: SC Freiburg
Nationality: German
Position: Defender / Midfielder.
Ginter is a young man with an old head on his shoulders. Born in 1994, he first broke into the Freiburg team in January 2012 as a matter of circumstance, and has never looked back. The versatile talent is capable of playing as a centre back, and in central midfield, and is one of the stars of this high flying Freiburg side. He’s also won the prestigious Fritz Walter Gold Medal at the U18 level (previous winners include Kroos and Gotze), and is a permanent fixture in the U21 national side as well.
7. Andre Hoffmann
Age: 20 years old
Club: Hannover 96
Nationality: German
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Hoffmann moved into the Bundesliga in January last year, after he signed for Hannover from second division side, Duisburg. The youngster immediately made an impression, shoring up the midfield, and helping Hannover to a comfortable mid-table finish. This season, the combative midfielder will look to take his game to the next level, and help his team challenge for the European spots.
6) Marco Rojas
Age: 21 years old
Club: VfB Stuttgart
Nationality: New Zealander
Position: Winger
The Kiwi Messi was heavily linked with Liverpool after he announced that he will be leaving the A-League for Europe, but ended up at Stuttgart. Rojas scored 15 times for Melbourne Victory FC in the A-League, and also won the award for the best player in the league by a huge margin. Injury has blighted his start at Stuttgart, but it should be very interesting to see how he gets on when he does recover.
5. Bernd Leno
Age: 21 years old
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Nationality: German
Position: Goalkeeper
Despite his tender years, Leno has already established himself as one of the top keepers in the Bundesliga. After impressing in the lower leagues, the big German earned a first team spot at Leverkusen and made 41 appearances in the 2011-12 season, and was a key player in their charge to third place last season. Leno will be hoping to impress Joachim Low, and earn a spot in the squad that will head to Brazil in 2014.
4. Granit Xhaka
Age: 20 years old
Club: Borussia Monchengladbach
Nationality: Swiss
Position: Central Midfielder
When Otmar Hitzfield calls you the “young Schweinsteiger”, you know you’re a pretty good player. Granit Xhaka is a similar sort of player to the German hero, sitting deep and directing play. Having made his debut for the Swiss side in 2011, he is now an established international, with 17 appearances to his name. The coming season is crucial for him, as he will be important to the hopes of club and country, both of whom are aiming to qualify for prestigious international competitions.
3. Leon Goretzka
Age: 18 years old
Club: Schalke 04
Nationality: German
Position: Midfielder
Leon Goretzka is a new signing for Schalke, and is one that has a lot of their fans excited. The talented young midfielder earned his stripes in the second division last season, scoring 4 times in 32 appearances for Vfl Bochum. His performances earned him a call up to the national U19 side, and a prestigious Fritz Walter Gold medal is the U17 division back in 2012. The player has a penchant for headed goals; all four of his strikes last season were headers, and he uses his height to good effect.
2. Moritz Leitner
Age: 20 years old
Club: VfB Stuttgart (on loan from Dortmund)
Nationality: German
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Another talent that has been around at the top level for a while now, Leitner seems to be getting closer to a starting spot at Dortmund. The midfielder made a number of appearances off the bench last season, and 8 starts in the league. He had a fantastic match against City in the Champions League at home, and that was his highlight for the season. This season, Leitner finds himself on loan at Stuttgart, and will be looking to prove himself to Klopp and Co., in order to earn a shot at Dortmund.
Click here to read a detailed Scout Report on Moritz Leitner
1. Kevin Volland
Age: 21 years old
Club: TSG Hoffenheim
Nationality: German
Position: Striker
The young striker turned 21 this summer but already has a lot of experience up his sleeve. Having been a regular at 1860 Munich as a teenager, he got his big break with a move to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga last campaign. He helped the club steer just clear of relegation. Now into his 4th full-season at professional level, it could be the season Kevin Volland finally has a breakthrough campaign. Irrespective of Hoffenheim’s overall season, all eyes will be on Kevin Volland as the German U-21 International looks to break into the senior side, making him the No. 1 Bundesliga talent to watch out for.
Special Mentions
The Bundesliga has always been a hub for developing talent. Narrowing down the list to just 10 was no easy task. Many talented individuals didn’t make the cut, so it’s only fair they receive a special mention on our end.
Max Meyer has made just six appearances and is a month shy of his 18th birthday, but experts already consider him to be the brightest talent coming through from the Bundesliga. Midfielder Emre Can was turning heads at Bayern Munich, a move to Leverkusen for regular football could prove to be the opportunity he deserved. Wolfsburg’s Maximilian Arnold already has a great return of 3 goals in 8 games, he’ll be hoping for more regular action; his team-mate, Ricardo Rodriguez, has already established himself in the Swiss national team, despite his young age. Leonardo Bittencourt is one player who just missed out on our list, the new Hannover signing is one of the most exciting Bundesliga prospects.
