Germany has had a striker problem for a long time. But a U17 national player could be the solution in the future: Max Moerstedt. The TSG Hoffenheim striker is an elementary part of the World Cup fairytale that the German U17 is currently writing.
The attacker was in the starting eleven for the DFB team in five of six games. He has already scored four goals – in the semi-finals on Tuesday when the score was 2:2 he scored to give Germany a 3-2 lead.
The 17-year-old from Mannheim did not take part in the subsequent penalty shootout, but Germany still won the game 7-5. Next Saturday, Moerstedt could even shoot his team to the World Cup title with more goals in the final against France.
Germany is looking for a new super striker
The longing for a goal-getter like Miroslav Klose or Mario Gómez is great in a country where storm legends like Gerd Müller, Jürgen Klinsmann and Rudi Völler hunted for goals. It is the difficult search for a new super striker.
Before his move from Werder Bremen to Borussia Dortmund, Niclas Füllkrug undoubtedly performed at a very decent level and was also a surprise at the World Cup in Qatar. However, the beefy striker is 30 years old and therefore not a promising solution.
Hopeful Jonathan Burkardt (23) experienced an epidemic year after his knee injury in 2022 – he only returned to the pitch last weekend after a total of 378 days of suffering.
Youssoufa Moukoko was on the right track for a long time, but his performance was too inconsistent and he was mostly a substitute at BVB. Although Timo Werner has executioner qualities, he is not a typical penalty area striker and is also in a performance hole at RB Leipzig.
They are not a dime a dozen, the German nine at a high level.
Moerstedt plays in the Hoffenheim talent shed
The focus is therefore on the U area.
Moerstedt stood out in TSG Hoffenheim’s U17 with 22 goals and ten assists in 28 games. The attacker has now scored ten goals in 22 games for the U17 national team.
The Kraichgauer team has already promoted the 17-year-old to the U19 team – and he is also shining with his performances there. In 20 games he scored 20 goals and prepared five more goals.
Moerstedt was born on January 15, 2006 in Mannheim. He initially played for Karlsruher SC for five years, where he temporarily played as an eighth player and developed a high level of understanding of the game.
In the U13, Moerstedt stood out as a striker and celebrated 64 times! Against Borussia Dortmund he even managed a “goal of the month” feat, scoring from the halfway line.
Klose convinces Moerstedt to move to Munich
Anyone who stands out early will logically end up on FC Bayern Munich’s list.
At the time, Max Legath was a scout on the campus of the German record champions. Legath recognized the great potential that lies dormant in Moerstedt. World champion Klose was at the table and convinced him to move to Munich.
At first everything went as hoped, but then spring 2020 came. The corona pandemic broke out and changed the (football) world in one fell swoop.
While the professional sector was allowed to continue after a break of around two months and operations were no longer interrupted, the youth football players were hit hard. No games, hardly any team training, a lot of isolation, little grass – further development was not possible.
Corona slows down development – return to home
Moerstedt felt comfortable at FC Bayern; at the boarding school he lived on the same floor as other great talents such as Paul Wanner and Arijon Ibrahimovic (made his Bundesliga debut in February).
In the seemingly endless lockdown, however, things became increasingly difficult for Moerstedt, who was 15 years old at the time and had no family in Munich.
Together with FC Bayern, both sides worked closely together to find a good solution. Moerstedt moved to Hoffenheim, back to his region – and thus much closer to his home and family.
Can he now solve the storm problem in Germany?
Tip from “Tiger” Gerland: Use Klose as a role model
Hermann Gerland honed many talents and promoted careers at FC Bayern Munich. Since 2021, the “Tiger” has been jointly responsible for youth at the DFB. Gerland also grabbed Moerstedt for an individual training session.
Klose is a role model, his header game was the measure of all things for years. According to the “Tiger’s” tip, Moerstedt should work regularly on the header pendulum so that he can make optimal use of his height of 1.94 meters.
However, he not only brings length, but also speed. If Moerstedt picks up the pace, he will achieve a speed of 3.95 seconds over 30 meters – a strong figure.
His speed helps him in the penalty area, good acceleration coupled with a powerful body are valuable qualities for the dream of professional football.
Gomez and Klose were extremely successful with their heads
And: Moerstedt knew early on where his path would lead. While on vacation in Italy with his parents, eight-year-old Moerstedt happened to meet Mario Gómez in the hotel before an away game with Florence.
He took a photo together with the former national striker. Gómez asked Moerstedt what he wanted to be when he grew up. His answer was short and sweet: “Striker!”
With your head at the top? Moerstedt received tips from Gerland on how to do it. In any case, Klose and Gómez were very successful when the cross sailed into the middle and it was important to assert themselves. Gómez nodded off 50 times, Klose 59 times.
Moerstedt may satisfy Germany’s longing for a super striker in the future…
2023-11-28 20:23:24
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