Youssoufa Moukoko - Who is Borussia Dortmund young prodigy?

The 17-year-old is the youngest player to record 10 goals in Bundesliga history

Youssoufa Moukoko has become the youngest UEFA Champions League player in history, just days after breaking the same record in the Bundesliga, but what else do we know about Borussia Dortmund's prolific youthful striker?

Youssoufa MoukokoAge: 17Club: Borussia DortmundPosition: StrikerCountry: Germany (U20 cap)/Cameroon

Moukoko was born in Yaoundé in November 2004 and spent the first ten years of his life with his grandparents until joining his father, a German citizen since the 1990s, in Hamburg in the summer of 2014.

The young Youssoufa quickly began playing in the youth programme of the local Kult team St Pauli and wasted no time in demonstrating his remarkable goalscoring ability. Moukoko scored 23 goals in 13 games for die Kiezkicker's minor teams over the course of two seasons, and it wasn't long before Dortmund came knocking.

In the nearly four years after that, his rise with Die Schwarzgelben has been meteoric. Moukoko began his career with BVB's U17s at the age of 13 and their U19s at the age of 14, and after a total of 127 goals and 26 assists in just 84 games for BVB at the minor level, he was promoted to first-team training in January 2020, 11 months before his 16th birthday. While waiting to make his full debut, he scored 13 goals in four U19 games (s).

When he replaced four-goal Erling Haaland in BVB's Matchday 8, 5-2 thrashing of Hertha Berlin just a day after turning 16, he became the Bundesliga's youngest-ever debutant. Moukoko's appearance against Zenit Saint Petersburg made him the Champions League's youngest player at 16 years and 19 days.

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Moukoko represents which country?

Moukoko has already earned two U20 caps for Germany after scoring three goals in four outings for Michael Feichtenbeiner's U16s. Meanwhile, in European competition, he previously became the youngest player ever to compete in the UEFA Youth League when he appeared in Dortmund's 2-1 win against Barcelona in September 2019 at the age of 14 years, nine months, and 29 days.

Moukoko was bound to break more records once the DFL decreased the age at which a player may legally make his Bundesliga debut without special permission to 16 in April of last year. When he scored against Union Berlin on Matchday 13 in December 2020, he became the league's youngest-ever scorer, nearly a year younger than previous occupant Florian Wirtz on his debut goal.

The youngster is also expected to be named in German's squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Which player's playing style does he reminds of?

Bundesliga.com wants to advise against equating any player with Messi, a six-time Ballon d'Or winner who has revolutionised the sport, yet there are some similarities that are hard to ignore.

Players that play up an age group or four are frequently physical specimens who were lucky to reach adulthood before the majority of their contemporaries. While Moukoko is certainly not lacking in strength or speed, focusing only on those qualities to explain his remarkable goal haul would be at best sloppy journalism.

Since Moukoko has only recently reached 5'10", the bulk of the defenders he has lined up against have been much taller than him. Instead, Moukoko takes risks by using his low centre of gravity, precise handling, and an outstanding sense of the game. Along with being frigid in front of the goal, he also boasts a deft touch with his preferred left foot.

A player scores 141 goals in 88 youth games maybe once or twice in a generation, and maybe no one other than Cristiano Ronaldo will ever come close to Messi, but Moukoko's early signals are quite encouraging.

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Fun fact

There are several footballers in the family besides Youssoufa. The 20-year-old left-back Borel was most recently on trial with Schwarz-Weiß Essen of the fifth division after playing twice for them before suffering a groin injury earlier this year.

In an interview with Essen sports magazine RevierSport, coach Ralf von Dorp said, "If the potential runs in the family, he should become an interesting footballer." Being challenged by a young Youssoufa while growing up in Hamburg can't have been an easy ride for Borel, but he might be up for it!

The older sibling smiled and said, "He's the wonder everyone believes he is.

What are Moukoko's goals in life?

"I want to become a professional with Dortmund, win the UEFA Champions League with the club, and win the Ballon d'Or." Moukoko on his game objectives

"He's so young and already so good. The boy will one day become a professional, that's as sure as a prayer in the church. Only injuries can stop him. He's got very good technique, speed, and finishes well. These are three strong qualities that come together." - BVB U19 coach Michael Skibbe.

"We're very happy. It immediately helps the clubs, and also the young players in their development. Most clubs now want to give young, exceptionally talented players the chance to take the next step in absolutely exceptional cases." - Dortmund youth coordinator Lars Ricken following the DFL's ruling in April.

"Moukoko's much better than I was at his age. I've never seen such a good 15-year-old in my life. The advantage for him is that he's already playing for Dortmund at the age of 15. At his age, I was still playing for my home town of Bryne." - Haaland, at Dortmund's pre-season camp in Switzerland