Youssoufa Moukoko: Bundesliga's Youngest Ever Debutant?
Remember the name…
Youssoufa Moukoko.
Borussia Dortmund have long known about an emerging young talent who could soon send shockwaves across Europe.
Youssoffa Moukoko has just turned 16 and whilst usually that would mean having to wait another half a year before being able to play senior football in Germany, that rule was changed for the young prodigy.
That is how frighteningly good Moukoko is.
Moukoko’s stats are frightening…
His record at youth level is astronomical and he could be about to embark on a strike partnership (with Erling Haaland) to put fear into the hearts of the rest of the Bundesliga.
He has scored 141 goals in just 88 youth appearances, averaging a goal every 40 minutes.
The stats are off the charts and unrivalled at youth level, so no wonder there is so much hype surrounding Moukoko.
He has consistently played in age groups a few years older than him and that has been taken to the next level now as he has spent the last few months training with the first team.
That is how highly Dortmund regard him, getting him prepared for senior football months before he’s even allowed to play for the first team.
His junior days are behind him and he now looks set to start making a name for himself on the main stage.
It could come as early as this evening as Dortmund face Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga, the day after his 16th birthday.
Could it be the start of something special for both player and club as Moukoko becomes the next young talent to come through the ranks at Dortmund?
He will play in a team full of youngsters, with Sancho, Haaland, Reyna and Bellingham already establishing themselves as first team regulars.
It could be Haaland who Moukoko is competing with for a place if manager Lucien Favre sticks to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation. However, it was Haaland himself who said that Moukoko is better than he was at the same age.
It could be a case that Favre finds a way to start both prolific young strikers but if that’s not in his plans, then it will be a fascinating battle between the two to see who becomes Dortmund’s starting striker.
You would have to say if it becomes Moukoko, then Haaland won’t stick around long, he has too much ambition and talent to be wasted on the bench.
20th November 2004, remember the date because in 5 year’s time when Moukoko has just scored the winning goal in a Champions League final or won the Ballon d’Or, you’ll be able to refer back to the day it all began, the day a goal machine was born.