It was a struggle before and during last season when it came to Eintracht Frankfurt’s strikers. First, it seemed as though Paris St. Germain had been interested in Randal Kolo Muani for the entire transfer period, then the transfer only went through on the last day, after the end of the transfer window in Germany. In the meantime, Eintracht Frankfurt wanted Hugo Ekitiké in return, then it was said that the Frenchman did not want to go to Frankfurt, then PSG only wanted to sell him for a higher price. The rest of the story is well known: SGE was left without a replacement for Kolo Muani and Ekitiké came to Frankfurt in the summer, completely out of form, after not being able to train with the PSG team for weeks.
But now, after a long period of development, the right-footer has become a real star in Frankfurt, is an indispensable part of the team and makes opposing defenders fear him. For him, the move to Frankfurt was a real stroke of luck, as he revealed in an interview with “Sky”: “I dreamed of being here. I have a long-term mission here. My contract runs until 2029 – so I can commit 100% to my task here, both mentally and physically.” It is clear that he feels at home in Frankfurt, because you can often see that he is having fun on the pitch – and that is also because of his teammates: “We are all still young and come from different cultures. But we all pull together; that makes it easier to achieve our goals. The atmosphere is very good because we fight for each other and want to succeed together.” But not only Frankfurt is his new home, but also the Bundesliga. He is very fond of the league: “The Bundesliga is special. The teams play very differently – that makes it exciting for a striker. You play at a high pace, but the defenders never shy away from a one-on-one duel.”
Difficult time in Paris with world-class teammates
Before his time in Frankfurt, the Frenchman was long considered one of the greatest attacking talents in European football. In 2022, he moved from Reims to Paris for 28 million, where he was not really able to establish himself, but played alongside some of the best footballers on the planet. Even at the beginning of his time in Paris, when he was not used, he did not lose his self-confidence: “I’ve always been a confident guy. Of course you worry when you don’t get playing time. But I trust myself. I’ve also always felt the trust of my teammates and the coach. I try to give something back every day by doing my best.” He still strives for a certain style of play: “I love beautiful football. I like to watch the creativity of players. I always try to be elegant. I want the spectators to enjoy my games.” He remembers one particular former teammate from his time in Paris: “When it comes to elegance, my favorite player is Neymar. I could spend hours watching videos of him on YouTube. I like to get inspiration from them. What he does on the pitch is incredible.” But he is also impressed by the other superstars who played in Paris during his time, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi: “I’ve always been impressed when I’ve played with them. They’re on another level. They always try to do their best. I work hard to be like that too.”
