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After Jurgen Klopp took over Borussia Dortmund, the club's philosophy has been to identify young players and develop them so that they are able to play in the first team. This system has worked incredibly well for Borussia Dortmund over the last ten years or so, with several players making their names at the club and then being sold off for significant amounts to other clubs.
Players like Robert Lewandowski, Matts Hummels, Mario Gotze, Jadon Sancho, Ousmane Dembele, Christian Pulisic, Marco Reus, Shinji Kagawa, Ilkay Gundogan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are just a few names who have made it big at Borussia Dortmund.
While a number of the players mentioned above and many more have been sold for huge transfer fees, Borussia Dortmund continues to develop players rather than spend huge amounts to replace them. Although they have not won the Bundesliga title in eight years, this philosophy has kept them in the mix.
On that note, here is a look at five future stars currently being groomed at Borussia Dortmund.
Five future stars at Borussia Dortmund:
#1: Mateu Morey
Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona fans apart, not a lot of other fans might know about Mateu Morey; the young Spaniard is expected to be the next big player to come out of Borussia Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund signed Morey from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy at the start of this season but the youngster suffered a shoulder injury that disrupted his progress. Since his recovery, Morey has been primarily involved with the Borussia Dortmund U23 team and has also featured five times for the first team towards the end of this season.
If his injury problems are hopefully behind him, Morey could make an impact with the Borussia Dortmund first team next season; being a right-back presents him with the perfect opportunity in this regard.
With Achraf Hakimi joining Inter Milan and Lukas Pizcheck approaching the end of his career, Morey has the perfect opportunity to make his mark and cement his place at Borussia Dortmund.
#2: Giovanni Reyna
Following in the footsteps of compatriot and former Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna could very well be the next American football star to breakthrough at Borussia Dortmund.
The 17-year-old American started his career in his home town club of New York City FC before moving to Borusssia Dortmund at the start of this season.
Mostly expected to feature with Borussia Dortmund’s U19 squad, Reyna's impressive performances forced Lucien Favre to give him a chance with the first team this season where he has not disappointed.
The American ended his first season with 18 appearances, one goal and two assists. Borussia Dortmund's Sporting Director Michael Zorc predicted the American to be at the top of his game for years to come when he said:
“Our coach, Lucien Favre, and I agree that he has a big future ahead of him. I believe that Gio is aware of the development he has taken here. First in the academy, and then under Lucien. It’s an absolute success story, and we want to continue writing it. He is still a minor, but we’re in very positive talks to keep him at the club for as long as possible once he turns 18.”
#3: Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham joined Borussia Dortmund only recently but it is certainly worth mentioning him in this list of future stars.
Over the years several young Englishmen have chosen to move to German clubs to further their development. Jadon Sancho, Reiss Nelson, Reece Oxford, Oliver Burke, Ademola Lookman, and Rabbi Matondo and Bellingham are a few of the examples in this regard.
The 17-year-old Englishman was highly sought after this summer, with Manchester United and Bayern Munich also reportedly after him. Bellingham has had an excellent breakthrough season with Birmingham City, scoring four goals and assisting three from 43 appearances that saw him become the club's youngest player and goal-scorer.
Michael Zorc, Dortmund’s Sporting Director, says about Bellingham:
“He has enormous potential, which we will continue to develop together with him over the coming years. He already boasts astonishing quality with and without the ball, and has a strong mentality to boot. Jude will immediately strengthen our first team squad, but we will certainly give him all the time he needs to adapt to the higher level of play.”
#4: Youssoufa Moukoko
At a young age, Youssoufa Moukoko has set the benchmark for youngsters.
If he continues to progress this way, the sky appears to be the limit for the prodigy. He has played in the Under-13 team of FC St. Pauli from 2014 to 2016 where he scored 23 goals in 13 games before moving to Borussia Dortmund.
After joining the German club, he was quickly promoted to the Under-19 team aged just 14 where he scored six goals in his first match in the Under-19 Bundesliga.
In his first match in the UEFA Youth League against Barcelona, Moukoko became the youngest player to play in the competition. He scored his first goal of the tournament against Inter Milan to become the youngest goal-scorer in the Youth League.
Overall for the Borussia Dortmund youth teams, Moukoko has played 56 times for the U17, scoring 90 goals and assisting 16 while he has played 21 times for the U19 team, scoring 34 goals and assisting nine.
As of January 2020, the 15-year-old has been training with the Borussia Dortmund first team, where the first-team coach has been keeping a close eye on him.
If he continues his development, Moukoko could soon make his Borussia Dortmund first-team debut sometime next season. Should he feature for the first team at the start of the 2021/22 season, he would break Nuri Sahin's record and become the youngest player to play in the Bundesliga.
#5. Dan-Axel Zagadou
Dan-Axel Zagadou joined Borussia Dortmund in 2017 from PSG and has since been a key part of the German club's defence.
The Frenchman was thrown into the Borussia Dortmund first-team despite having no previous first-team experience. But the German club has had no reason to look back ever since as Zagadou has not disappointed with his performances.
However, injuries have hindered Zagadou's development. He always seems to get injured when he finds his best form, which halts his progress.
The centre-back managed to make just 22 appearances this season. Although he returned to action towards the end of the season, Borussia Dortmund needs to be more careful with him.
Zagadou stands at 6 ft 5 inches and is a commanding figure in defence. His huge frame is very intimidating to attackers. He likes to take command of the ball, loves to dribble and is not a player who succumbs to pressure when he is one-on-one with an attacker.
At 21, Dan-Axel Zagadou still has time on his side and has the potential to become one of the best defenders in the world, but another season with injuries could see his time at Borussia Dortmund draw to a close.
