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It is a pity that the hype surrounding Timo Werner is beginning only after the former RB Leipzig forward's high-profile move to Chelsea. Werner, who has also represented the German national team 29 times and scored 11 goals, has been a quality number nine right throughout his youth.
While Bundesliga kings Bayern Munich courted Timo Werner a few years back, they never really pitched in with a serious offer. Liverpool were also interested, with the club's German manager Jurgen Klopp reportedly eager to work with his compatriot.
However, Chelsea pipped the would-be Premier League champions to land Timo Werner in their ranks. It is a fact that unless a player moves to a big Premier League club or to one of the La Liga giants, we do not seem to take much note of them, no matter how great their quality may be. But, better late than never.
On that note, let us take a look at five facts about the 24-year-old Timo Werner that you must know:
Five must-know facts about Timo Werner:
1. Records are synonymous with Timo Werner
Timo Werner may be just 24 but he has always been a prolific goal-scorer. It’s no wonder that he holds many Bundesliga records. Timo Werner is the youngest player to score a brace in a Bundesliga match when he did so at the age of 17 years and 249 day for Stuttgart.
The striker became the youngest player to reach 100 Bundesliga appearances by arriving at the landmark when he was 22 years and 5 days old. A year and a half later, Timo Werner played the 200th Bundesliga game of his career.
Timo Werner also holds numerous records for his first club, VfB Stuttgart. He is the club’s youngest player to play in an official and European match at 17 years and 148 days of age. Three days later, Timo Werner became the youngest Stuttgart player to appear in a DFB Pokal match before becoming the club’s youngest ever goal-scorer before turning 18.
2. Timo Werner completed high school while playing professional football
While it comes as no surprise that, given his talents, Timo Werner was snapped up by Stuttgart at an early age, the German nevertheless made it a priority to complete his basic education. In an interview with Andreas Kotter of Bundesliga.com, Timo Werner confessed that it was his mother's desire as well:
“I signed with VfB before the end of high school at 17. I could have focused solely on football but my mother really wanted me to finish school. I never considered not doing it to be honest. That wouldn't have been smart. In hindsight, I'm quite proud that I managed to finish school and kick on with my professional football career,” said Timo Werner.
It was just another example of Timo Werner's incredible persistence and discipline. Whether it be scoring goals for his team with regularity or taking up an entirely different challenge of books and learning, Timo Werner does it all. Given the lucrative world of football and its physical demands, many players often decide not to carry on with their education. But Timo Werner is made of a different mould.
3. Timo Werner won the Confederations Cup leading the German frontline
Timo Werner played a starring role as Germany won the 2017 Confederations Cup held in Russia.
He scored three goals for Die Manschaft, scoring in the semifinal, and was the joint top-scorer at the FIFA tournament alongside teammates Lars Stindl and Leon Goretzka.
While winning a silverware with the national team is something that has eluded even some of the greats of the game, Timo Werner has already achieved this feat at the age of 21.
#4: Timo Werner adored Mario Gomez while growing up
If you want to play as a striker one day, it makes sense to idolise a successful number nine. But who better than Mario Gomez who went on to make the German centre-forward position his own (alongside Miroslav Klose, of course)?
Gomez himself began his football career in the youth ranks of VfB Stuttgart, plying his trade for the club’s second tier from 2003-2005 before making the senior team switch where he enjoyed six fruitful seasons that included winning the Bundesliga in 2007.
For context, Timo Werner was only 11 years old when Gomez won the Bundesliga title. Timo Werner later realised his dream when he played alongside his childhood hero Mario Gomez at the 2018 FIFA World Cup where defending champions Germany suffered an ignominous group-stage exit.
#5: Timo Werner wanted to play for Manchester United
Although London club Chelsea managed to procure Timo Werner’s signature, the forward once cherished a dream to represent Manchester United. In an April 2018 interview with FourFourTwo, Timo Werner had said:
“Playing in the Premier League is a dream for me. I would like to play for two or three clubs, and Manchester United are one of those clubs. But when I have to decide, I’m more Manchester United than Liverpool.”
It seems that the Reds missed out on an opportunity to land the former Leipzig hitman. With his release clause being a reasonable € 60 million, Timo Werner is all set to join Chelsea in the summer.
Bayern Munich and Liverpool will also be licking their wounds after missing out on the talented German striker who will definitely get better with time. Only time will say how Timo Werner fares in the Premier League. For now, the blue flag flies high at Stamford Bridge.
