Youssoufa Moukoko turns 18 on the day the World Cup opens. There is a serenade and a “low-calorie” cake. Flick asks for patience with the coveted BVB striker talent, which two Bavarians are taking care of.
Thomas Müller briefly gave Youssoufa Moukoko a piggyback ride on the training ground. Manuel Neuer put his arm around the Dortmund World Cup youngster in a fatherly manner and strolled with him from the press podium. Everyone takes care of “Mouki”.
Youssoufa is celebrating his 18th birthday today with the national soccer team in Qatar; with a serenade and the obligatory cake. Naturally “low in calories” prepared by team chef Anton Schmaus, as DFB director Oliver Bierhoff humorously remarked.
“Mouki is welcome to come and express wishes,” said captain Neuer, twice his age, to the young attacker, who complied with this request in the best team spirit: “Three points against Japan,” Moukoko said modestly as a wish: “The first game is very important .”
The BVB attacker had already received a big gift from Hansi Flick. The national coach called Moukoko into his 26-strong World Cup squad. And in the 1-0 friendly against Oman on November 16, the small, beefy striker was allowed to play his first international match at the age of 17, becoming the youngest DFB debutant since Uwe Seeler.
Flick likes Moukoko’s development
The fact that Moukoko missed his first international goal by a hair’s breadth with a shot at the post in Muscat was quickly dismissed with youthful insouciance. “I don’t mourn much. The game is over,” he said three days later in Al-Shamal. Moukoko knows there will be more chances to score, possibly at the tournament in Qatar or in his wider career, which has only just begun with the national team.
Flick likes the development that the precocious striker has made at BVB. “He gives a lot to a team. He’s fast, he’s lively, he finishes well.” After the first 45 minutes of international play, the national coach also asked for patience with the talent in Germany’s problem position in the center of the attack: “Just give him the time he needs,” Flick asked the German reporters. He will give them to Moukoko. “We want to support him. He simply has very good abilities. We want to encourage that.”
Confident and cheeky
Moukoko is confident, also cheeky on the pitch. But he also sees himself in the role of a learner at his first major tournament. “I’m happy about tips, I can learn from the best here.” In training you could see how the experienced Müller (33) exchanged ideas intensively with Moukoko. “I’m looking forward to fighting for the title with the boys,” said the inquisitive youngster.
The fact that Bayern leaders Neuer and Müller are looking after him inspires special fantasies. Moukoko’s contract with Borussia Dortmund expires at the end of the season. The BVB bosses definitely want to extend the contract with the homegrown child born in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé. In the DFB press conference on Saturday, Moukoko was asked whether he had talked to the national coach about his future. “I didn’t even talk to Hansi about it. We’re not with BVB here, we’re with the national team, at a World Cup. I’ll decide in the end anyway, no matter how,” was the answer.
Moukoko at least indicated a tendency: “I feel very comfortable in Dortmund. I can feel the confidence of the coach. In the end, you’ll find out whether I’m staying or not,” he told the journalists. Bayern captain Neuer then leaned over to his neighbor and whispered: “Come to Bayern.” The sentence could only be heard on television, not in the large media center on site. a spell? Or more? BVB fans will not like to hear Neuer’s whispered message – and certainly not the BVB bosses.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
