Let us discover a young German player who is already generating interest from all the great European clubs at the age of just 19.
Bio
Kai Havertz was born on June 11, 1999 in Aachen. The German footballer plays as an attacking midfielder for the German club Bayer Leverkusen. He began his career with various experiences in a couple of German clubs before joining Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 2010.
In the 2015-2016 season, Kai won the B-Juniors-Bundesliga with his team and scored 20 goals in 29 games throughout the season. Kai would join the team for good in the 2016-2017 season, when he was expected to continue to play for the club’s U19. Due to a squad decimated by long injuries and recurring physical problems among the professional team’s senior players, he became the youngest player ever to start for the senior team at 17 years and 126 days. Since then, Kai Havertz has made 52 appearances with Bayer Leverkusen’s senior side in the league, scoring 11 goals and 15 assists.
He also holds the precocity record of having reached the 50-match mark in the Bundesliga at the age of 18 years and 307 days. He has also been called up to the German national team in the youth categories since 2014. He played 6 games with the Nationalmannschaft in U16 in 2014-2015 and 16 games with U17, scoring two goals.
Since 2018, the young German prodigy has already been called twice with the Mannschaft.
Profile
Normally a winger, Kai has an incredible pass quality and is often playing as a number 10. His left foot is compared to that of a certain Mezut Ozil. He can put the ball anywhere he wants. He is an excellent footballer, with good technique, very strong in one-on-ones, with good speed despite his height (1m88) and he is also good in aerial duels. He does not hesitate to vary short and long game and is also able to eliminate his opponent.
Rudi Völler, Bayer’s sports director, is delighted with his new gem: « Havertz’s left foot is a gift. His ball control is worthy of Mesut Ozil’s. It’s sensational. Everything seems so easy for him. »
This season, he already has reached satisfying numbers for his young age, scoring 4 goals and 2 assists in 15 league matches, but also 3 goals and 3 assists in just 3 Europa League matches this season. Which is obviously very promising.
Outlook
After having a more than convincing 2017-2018 season, both in terms of playing time and numbers, as Kai had 30 apps in the league for 3 goals and 8 assists, his objective was to keep up this momentum in the new season despite the competition in the forward sector. And he succeeded since he has started every league match for his team (15 games). His aim is now to become an undisputed starter for the German club and to play more regularly in the European Cup.
PSG, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Manchester City are reported to be watching the young German prodigy quite attentively. There is no doubt that by continuing with this kind of performance, the biggest European clubs will soon be sending offers to the German club. To be continued…
Translated by Geoffrey Chausset
Sources : SoFoot – WhoScored
