Only three German sixes are more valuable
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At the end of the year, we look back at some of our interview highlights from 2025. In December we published the article about our conversation with Hertha sports director Benjamin Weber.
According to the market value update of the 2nd Bundesliga on Tuesday, Kennet Eichhorn, who is only 16 years old, will become the most valuable professional who has ever played for a club from the lower house. Hertha’s sporting director Benjamin Weber speaks exclusively at Transfermarkt about the jump in market value and the development of the homegrown team and explains Berlin’s development plan for the future.
Eichhorn’s market value climbs from 6 million to 20 million euros. Only ex-Nuremberg professional Stefanos Tzimas was more valuable in the 2nd Bundesliga in March 2025, but with this rating he was not used due to injury. Eichhorn will most likely set another record with his new market value next Friday (6:30 p.m.) against Arminia Bielefeld. In his first six months with the professionals he has already collected a few of them: Youngest professional in the history of the second division, youngest debutant in the starting eleven and, most recently, youngest goalscorer in the DFB Cup after the Second World War.
“For Kennet Eichhorn – as with all of our talents – the focus is not on a number, but on his continuous sporting development. We are pleased that he consciously chose Hertha BSC and the path we showed last summer. He has made great development in the last few months and has taken important first steps in professional football because he has worked and trained in a very focused manner. As a result, he has earned and earned a lot of playing time,” Weber told Transfermarkt with regard to his protégé.
After his second division debut in August, just 14 days after his 16th birthday, Eichhorn received his first valuation of 3 million euros. In the October update, his market value doubled to 6 million euros, making him the most valuable footballer in the 2nd Bundesliga. Eichhorn is now cementing this status. According to the update, Hertha has a squad value of 62.3 million euros – almost a third of which can be attributed to Eichhorn. With Eintracht Braunschweig (19.4 million), Preußen Münster (18.7 million), Arminia Bielefeld (17.1 million) and SG Dynamo Dresden (14.9 million), he is more valuable than four second division squads.
This is what Hertha BSC is planning with top talent Eichhorn
Numbers and statistics that can make the viewer dizzy for a moment. It’s all the more important that the youngster stays focused on what’s important and down to earth despite all the hype surrounding him. “It will be crucial that we continue to work on his development together with calm and a sense of proportion. We have a clear, realistic development plan for him, which was developed in close coordination with the player and those around him. This also applies to Kennet: playing practice at a high level is the central factor in taking the next step sustainably. We know about his potential, but we also know that development is not linear. Our aim is to accompany him in the best possible way and to give him the time and platform that he needs for his next steps – regardless of external valuations or market values,” emphasizes Weber.
His teammate and colleague in the Berlin midfield center Michaël Cuisance also believes that the Hertha talent moves in the right circles within the club and beyond in order to remain focused. “What Kenny achieves in terms of play is impressive for his young age, and everyone was able to see that for themselves in this first half of the season. In order to be able to consistently deliver such performances, especially in the early stages, young players need a lot of freedom and a protective environment that takes pressure off so that their further development can continue in the best possible way. I think Kenny has that and that’s why he should just keep going, work on himself every day and trust in his qualities,” said the Frenchman in the TM interview at the beginning of the week.
In the TM rumor mill, Eichhorn is associated with Bundesliga teams such as FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, but also with top international clubs such as FC Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Eichhorn: Only three German sixes are more valuable
Eichhorn is the youngest graduate of the Hertha Academy, which has produced exciting talents such as Ibrahim Maza and Bence Dárdai. His professional experience includes eleven second division appearances, nine of which were in the starting line-up and two games in the DFB Cup. With Mattéo Guendouzi (32 million), Matheus Cunha (32 million), Krzysztof Piatek (32 million), Arne Maier (24 million) and Dodi Lukébakio (21 million), only five professionals in the history of the Old Lady were more valuable – all in the Bundesliga between 2019 and 2020. Eichhorn is now on a market value level with the legendary Hertha playmaker Marcelinho, who was valued at 20 million euros in 2004.
In terms of market value, Eichhorn is the measure of all things worldwide in the 2009 vintage. Previously, Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga was number one among the most valuable players born in 2009 with 10 million euros. There is still a long way to go to the top of the most valuable German players in his position; before the Bundesliga update, Aleksandar Pavlovic (55 million), Joshua Kimmich and Angelo Stiller (both 45 million) are there. Eichhorn is in the top 10 of the most valuable six players worldwide up to the age of 21. Should he leave the capital in the summer, he will be among the most expensive departures in the club’s history.
Text: Jannek Ringen and Thomas Deterding