Younes Ebnoutalib: Eintracht Frankfurt's Rising Star

All eyes will be on Younes Ebnoutalib as Eintracht Frankfurt hosts Borussia Dortmund this Friday.

The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the breakout stars in German football this season, netting 12 goals in 17 matches for second-tier club Elversberg before the Christmas break.

This impressive performance secured him a £6.9 million transfer to his hometown club Eintracht in late December, marking a remarkable ascent from the lower leagues to the pinnacle of German football.

Just a year ago, Ebnoutalib was competing in the fourth tier with FC Giessen, following a setback in Italy that jeopardized his professional aspirations.

Now, he is regarded as one of the most promising young talents in Germany and a potential successor to former Eintracht stars Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike.

During his official unveiling last Tuesday, the Frankfurt native expressed that playing for Eintracht is "a dream come true."

"To play in my hometown, and at such a prestigious club… it was hard to turn that down," said the striker, who has moved back in with his family.

In addition to the comforts of home, Frankfurt provides Ebnoutalib with an opportunity to establish himself among the world’s elite players.

In recent years, Eintracht has developed a reputation as a breeding ground for some of the best strikers globally.

Players like Randal Kolo Muani of Tottenham, Marmoush from Manchester City, and Liverpool's Ekitike all made their breakthroughs at the German club.

This pipeline of talent has become a vital aspect of Frankfurt’s successful business model, with the club earning £128 million from the sales of Marmoush and Ekitike last year.

Frankfurt may ultimately hope to achieve similar profits from Ebnoutalib, who has already been assigned the number 11 shirt previously worn by Ekitike.

On Tuesday, the young forward downplayed comparisons to the Liverpool striker, stating, "I’m just trying to do my best and learn as much as I can, and then we’ll see what happens."

However, those familiar with him are confident in Ebnoutalib’s potential.

Daniyel Cimen, a former Frankfurt player and Ebnoutalib’s coach at Giessen, believes the sky is the limit for him.

"Younes is tall, athletic, and possesses a great finishing ability with both feet," Cimen told BBC Sport. "If he improves just a few aspects of his game, I don’t see any limits to his potential. He is also very mentally resilient, having worked hard to reach this point. He didn’t come through a top club’s academy, and nothing has been handed to him on a platter."

Ebnoutalib hails from a sporting family; his father, Faissal, won a silver medal in taekwondo for Germany at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

"My father took me to taekwondo training for ten years, and I believe that has also helped me in football," he said on Tuesday. "Practicing taekwondo made me more flexible, which has helped me avoid muscular injuries."

However, the young striker's path to success was not without challenges. After progressing through the ranks at amateur club Rot-Weiss Frankfurt, he faced a difficult period at Italian club AC Perugia from 2022 to 2023.

Ebnoutalib recalled being "shouted off the training pitch" by a coach during his first session with the senior team as an 18-year-old in a foreign country.

He managed just one league appearance for Perugia in Serie C before departing in late 2023.

"In footballing terms, going to Italy was the wrong decision for me, but without that experience, I don’t think I would be where I am today," he reflected.

Upon returning to Germany, Ebnoutalib's career seemed to stall until Cimen provided him with another opportunity at Giessen in July 2024.

This move reignited his career, propelling him from the fourth tier to the Bundesliga within a year.

After signing with Elversberg in January 2025, he narrowly missed out on Bundesliga promotion last May but showcased exceptional form in the autumn.

Now, the 22-year-old is eager for Champions League football with Eintracht and a Bundesliga debut against Karim Adeyemi, Emre Can, and Serhou Guirassy on Friday.

"To make such a leap in just a year and suddenly be playing against world-class players is quite surreal," he admitted.

With Frankfurt currently short on options in the forward line, Ebnoutalib may find himself thrust into action on Friday.

First-choice striker Jonathan Burkardt is sidelined with a calf injury, and French forward Elye Wahi has been loaned to Nice.

Cimen believes Ebnoutalib is ready to make an impact in the top tier.

"With his abilities, we always knew he would reach the top divisions," he stated, adding that it would be "no surprise" to see Ebnoutalib eventually join a Premier League club.

"The Premier League is a physically demanding league, and Younes possesses all the right attributes for that. For now, though, he is living his dream with Eintracht Frankfurt."

Younes Ebnoutalib: Eintracht Frankfurt's Rising Star

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