BVB's Moukoko could debut early under new age proposal
January 23, 2020
Dortmund youth prospect Youssoufa Moukoko could be one of the beneficiaries of a proposal to lower the age limit for footballers to play professionally in Germany. Clubs from the top two divisions will vote in March.
Germany's top divisions could soon move in to line with the majority of their European counterparts with regards to the lower age limit for players. All 36 clubs from the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga will meet in March to vote on whether players under the age of 17 should be allowed to play for their club's first team in the future.
Former Dortmund and Germany midfielder Nuri Sahin currently holds the record as the Bundesliga's youngest ever player. He was given special dispensation to make his debut at the age of 16 years and 335 days back in 2005 and is still playing in the top flight with Werder Bremen.
That could become a more common sight soon, with 15-year-old Moukoko, who has made global headlines with his record-breaking goalscoring feats for BVB's under-19s, likely to be one candidate to make the step up at a club notable for their promotion of youth. American talent Gio Reyna made his debut at 17 for the Yellow and Blacks last weekend.
Players under 17 making their debuts is relatively commonplace in other European leagues with much looser regulations. Wayne Rooney made his Everton debut at 16 and, more recently, Barcelona's Ansu Fati made his bow at the same age.
Bareclona's Ansu Fati recently debuted at 16Image: Getty Images/A. Caparros
Speaking to German outlet Sport1, Borussia Mönchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl was positive about the potential change.
"Times have changed. A 16-year-old is further along today than he was before," he said. "If the boys are good enough at football that they can play in the first division, why not?"
"There are other countries with that. We've been stricter in that respect so far but it's clear that we as a club have a duty and responsibility and have to be even more sensitive to this issue than we do with a 20-year-old. There are exceptional talents. I think it's good when you can give them the opportunity."
Moukoko appears to be one such exceptional talent but other German clubs may well have their own prospects. Some also believe a relaxation of the lower age limit would allow smaller clubs to hold on to youngsters with the promise of first team football at an early stage in their development. However, others have expressed concerns about the physical and mental impacts of playing at such a high level at such a young age.
10 youngest players of all-time in Bundesliga
After Martin Odegaard became the youngest player to feature in a European qualifier at 15 years and 297 days, here are the 10 youngest to feature in the Bundesliga. You'll certainly recognize some faces.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Franz-Peter Tschauner
Mario Götze
In 10th place is a familar name: Mario Götze, now of Bayern Munich. But the fresh-faced teenager made his debut for Borussia Dortmund at 17 years and 171 days against Mainz in November 2009. The attacking-midfielder became an instant star - and five years on, scored the winning goal in the World Cup final.
Image: picture alliance / dpa
Dirk Drescher
Drescher only made one appearance in the Bundesliga, but he'd write himself into league history. Just a school student at 17 years and 163 days old, he stepped on to the pitch for VfL Bochum away at 1.FC Nürnberg with his side down to ten men. He retired after long injury problems. Today he works as a police officer.
Image: picture-alliance/Sven Simon
Marc-André Kruska
Marc-André Kruska enjoyed some bright moments at Borussia Dortmund, in particular his debut for the club at 17 years and 137 days in November 2004. He played at Signal Iduna Park for over four years, before making stops at Club Brugge and Energie Cottbus and currently, FSV Frankfurt in the second division.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/Martin Rose
Lennart Hartmann
After a debut in European competition, Hartmann made his Bundesliga bow at 17 years and 107 days to become Hertha Berlin's youngest ever player. Things didn't pan out too well for the midfielder who has since taken on a journeyman-like career, stopping at Alemannia Aachen, Babelsberg, Berliner AK and Tennis Borussia Berlin.
Image: Thomas Niedermueller/Bongarts/Getty Images
Christian Wück
Christian Wück can pass his experiences on to the next crop of German stars who he coaches at U-17 level. As a player, he debuted for 1.FC Nürnberg in 1990 at 17 years and 133 days. He'd go on to play 100 games for the club, before moving on to Karlsruhe, Wolfsburg and Arminia Bielefeld. He became a German U-21 international and featured in the 1996 German Cup final.
Defender Christian Wörns was a stalwart at Borussia Dortmund for nine seasons after returning from a stint in Paris. Wörns debuted for Waldhof Mannheim in 1989 at 17 years and 122 days, earning a move to Bayer Leverkusen where he played over 200 times. He was capped 66 times for the national team during his successful career. He is now a youth coach at Schalke.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Bernd Thissen
Julian Draxler
Sometimes it's easy to forget about Draxler's rapid rise to stardom - he's already a World Cup winner at the tender age of 21. But the midfielder has been on our radar for a while now. He made his debut at 17 years and 117 days, then the following weekend became the second youngest player to start a match. He's played over 100 times for the Royal Blues and remains a key player.
Image: picture alliance/augenklick
Ibrahim Tanko
Born in Kumasi, Ghana, Tanko signed for Borussia Dortmund aged 17 and quickly made his debut for the club with 17 years and 61 days. He didn't hit the ground running in Dortmund and ended up at SC Freiburg. Now, he is a coach and was the assistant to German Volker Finke for Cameroon at the 2014 World Cup.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/dpa
Jürgen Friedl
"Fuzzy" Friedl was the youngest player in Bundesliga history for nearly three decades. The goalkeeper played at Eintracht Frankfurt for the first time, aged 17 years and 26 days in March 1976. He would only make three appearances for the Eagles and then dropped down the divisions to play with several amateur clubs.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Nuri Sahin
The youngest player in Bundesliga history still plies his trade in the top-flight with Borussia Dortmund. Nuri Sahin made his debut for the club in 2005 at the age of 16 years and 335 days. A few months later, he became the youngest player to score in a league match. The 26-year-old has spent time at Liverpool, Feyenoord and Real Madrid.
