Why Dortmund wonderkid Moukoko could be heading for disaster
Robin Bairner
- 2 Dec 2021 07:07 CST
- 3 min read
Borussia Dortmund have many of the hottest young properties in world football, including 17-year-old striker Youssoufa Moukoko – but could the promising teenager’s career already be at an important crossroads.
Moukoko made headlines in 2020 when he became the Bundesliga’s youngest ever player, debuting for Dortmund just a day after his 16th birthday. A matter of four weeks later, he became the youngest scorer in competition history when he netted against Union Berlin.
The prodigious rise of the Germany U21 international, though, already appears to be coming at a cost – which could spell disaster for his future prospects of following in the footsteps of Erling Haaland to become one of the greatest in the world.
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Moukoko worries
Moukoko suffered a muscular injury playing for Dortmund’s U23 side last Saturday in a scoreless third division draw against Kaiserslautern.
It’s the latest in a worrying number of setbacks the youngster has already had this season and continues a trend that dates back to the spring, when he first picked up a problem with the national team.
This caused him to miss an important chunk of pre-season training and Moukoko has never really gained genuine fitness since.
A further muscular injury followed in October, which denied him the opportunity to stand in for Erling Haaland, while he also missed time in November. This will, therefore, be his third spell out injured.
This trend points to a young body that has been stressed beyond what it perhaps should have in his young career to date. After all, he has constantly played against opponents far older than him, for example turning out at U17 level when just 13.
And there are a worrying number of wonderkids who have similarly stepped up impressively early only to succumb to constant injuries when they hit maturity.
Pietro Pellegri is perhaps the best example of a youngster who has similarly suffered. The Italian looked unstoppable as a 16-year-old in Serie A with Genoa, though he has barely kicked a ball in four years since moving to Monaco in January 2018.
Similarly, former BVB winger Ousmane Dembele has suffered repeated physical breakdowns at Barcelona after a career that showed much early promise.
If Moukoko is not to go the same way, Dortmund will have to manage him smartly.
