At some point 25 or 30 goals
Youngest Bundesliga professional, youngest Bundesliga goalscorer, youngest German World Cup participant and recently youngest player with 50 Bundesliga appearances: The list of records that Youssoufa Moukoko has broken is getting longer and longer. The beginnings in professional football were by no means as easy for the storm talent as some fans might have thought. “The way from youth to the professionals was difficult and it still is,” the 18-year-old summed up in an interview with the “Ruhr news“.
The hype surrounding his person weighed on him. “The expectations were way too high. In the junior years people always read that Moukoko scored three or four goals again. But today that doesn’t count for anything anymore!” he looked back. “This transition into the professional field was very difficult. In terms of football, I think I was ready. But physically, at the age of 16, I wasn’t ready for professional football.”
Moukoko new at the top: youngest player with 50 Bundesliga appearances
Moukoko initially underestimated the difference in level. “I first had to learn how to play successfully in the Bundesliga. I could no longer run, dribble and shoot from the center line. I have to be able to assert myself in all game situations and be there in the penalty area when the boys create chances,” explained the attacker, who also had to assert himself among the BVB pros.
“I had to earn the respect of my team-mates first. That’s what Edin Terzic said to me when I cried after the first few sessions that I wasn’t getting any balls passed. Good actions in training have increased the boys’ trust in me. Now everyone knows what I can do. And everyone also knows what I can’t do,” says Moukoko, who has learned a lot after three years in the Bundesliga.
BVB talent Moukoko convinces: score 25 or 30 goals at some point
“In the Bundesliga you only meet opponents who are among the best in their positions. You have to assert yourself. A few young players make it straight away, others need two or three years. And many very good junior players don’t make it at all in the end. I tell myself it’s not how fast you get to the top, it’s how far you get,” he explained. “I’m not putting myself under any pressure. A lot of players would like to be in my place. I’m doing everything to get better, I’m also working on my fitness at home to be able to keep up in the duels against these massive defenders. Physically, I won’t be a type like Sébastien Haller or Erling Haaland, I’m smaller. But the smaller players can also score goals if they do it skillfully.”
In the current season there are seven goals and six assists in 34 appearances. “I didn’t play my best season, I know that. But I say: it will come. I’m young, I’m hungry and I’m convinced that one day I’ll score 25 or 30 goals. I believe in my qualities,” Moukoko made clear. “I’m quick and agile in front of goal, I have that certain instinct for scoring goals and a good finish.” Of course, he was “not satisfied with always being substituted on,” added the striker, who gave coach Terzic a headache when choosing the first eleven want to prepare. “We also talk openly about where I still need to improve.”
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Moukoko’s season was also shaped by the “theater about my contract extension”. “Of course it does something to a player, of course you think about it,” said Moukoko, who signed a new contract until 2026 in January. “I was amazed at how negatively I was reported. Some lies have been spread about me in the media. I’ve been thinking about how the club will plan with me, what parts of the game I’ll have in the future if we continue to play with just one striker and Sébastien Haller is fit again. Of course, other clubs that play with two strikers and where I would have had a better chance of getting a regular spot were also interested. But my decision was actually clear from the start: I want to stay here in Dortmund. I’m far from done here. I have a coach who trusts me and who is honest with me.”
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In the last two games of the season, Moukoko is fighting for his first championship title in a long-distance duel with FC Bayern – the deficit is one point. “Dortmund hasn’t celebrated a German championship since 2012. It’s about time, everyone’s hungry. But it will be difficult,” said Moukoko, who is certain if he succeeds: “I think everyone will go crazy, then all of Dortmund will be black and yellow.” And the personal goals? “I always want to break new and more records, that’s what records are for. That motivates me. I want to be the best that I can be.”
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