Paris Brunner: The young Dortmund striker with a better youth record than Youssoufa Moukoko
It was the final moments of the UEFA Youth League clash between Copenhagen and Borussia Dortmund. The score was 0-0 and the Black and Yellows wanted to go for a win. Julian Rijkhoff played a long ball from the half-way line towards the box, where Paris Brunner was waiting, making the most of a defender slipping at just the wrong moment. Brunner’s header looped over the keeper for a 1-0 winner, paving the way for Dortmund to reach the knockout stage of the UEFA Youth League. An early highlight in Brunner’s still young career.
Only 16, Brunner could still play in the club's U17 but was promoted in October to keep up with his speedy development. The striker delivered 16 arguments to play at a higher level. Brunner started the season in the U17 Bundesliga West with a hattrick and has since scored 16 goals overall (plus one assist). Scoring 3.2 goals per game, his output was greater than that of Youssoufa Moukoko, who managed 46 goals in 25 games or 1.8 goals per game.
Not surprisingly, Brunner has been compared with the most valuable U18 player on the planet. And it is also not unrealistic to see Brunner crack the first team. “Going by his potential, he could be interesting for the first team in the medium-term,” Niklas Kuhr and Klaus Pablo Torgau from the Twitter account BVBJugend said to Transfermarkt.
“He is a complete package, has good speed, good technique, is physically strong and good in the air,” added the Dortmund bloggers about the 185cm tall striker. Brunner can also play on the wing, but Kuhr and Torgau see his future as a centre forward. “He is a very agile player, who knows how to use his body and can keep hold of the ball. His biggest strength is his finishing ability; even when under pressure, he is also outstanding when it comes to creating chances out of nowhere.” Playing for Dortmund’s U19, Brunner has scored six goals in 14 games, including the goal against Copenhagen. Brunner celebrated that goal by displaying his shirt to the crowd in the same way as Cristiano Ronaldo, or Lionel Messi have done in the past. An indication that he is a confident player.
“Because he has been successful anywhere he has played, he has a natural confidence,” Germany’s U17 head coach Christian Wück recently said to Spox and Goal. That confidence has helped him make a big step forward in his development. “He takes on responsibilities among the team, has strong opinions, and can lead a team.” Brunner has certainly displayed his potential playing for Germany’s youth teams. Brunner has played 11 games under Wück in the U16 and U17 and scored seven goals and one assist. “Paris is a very self-reflective player,“ Wück added. “He knows what he wants and what it takes to get it. That is an important attribute and the main reason he has developed so quickly over the last year.”
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Kuhr and Torgau from the BVBJugend believe that Brunner will stick with the U19 in the new year. “But there is a chance that he could play for the reserves if there is a shortage of players there.” With Bradley Fink joining FC Basel last summer, Dortmund II require a new striker. Kuhr and Torgau believe that Brunner is more athletic and technically gifted than Fink. Dortmund are slowly but surely turning out more and more strikers, and Brunner just seems to be the latest product.
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2005. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
- Date of birth/Age:
- Feb 15, 2006 (18)
-
Nat.:
- Current club:
- Borussia Dortmund U19
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2025
- Position:
- Centre-Forward
- Market Value:
- -
- Date of birth/Age:
- Nov 20, 2004 (19)
-
Nat.:
- Current club:
- Borussia Dortmund
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2026
- Position:
- Centre-Forward
- Market Value:
- €25.00m
- Total Market Value:
- €463.70m
- Competition:
- Bundesliga
- Position:
- 5.
- Manager:
- Edin Terzic
- Squad size:
- 28
- Latest Transfer:
- Ian Maatsen
