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As we all know, there is no shortage of talent in Germany. The pool of talent that Joachim Loew can choose from is so deep. Even though their 2018 World Cup showing was nothing short of a disaster, there are plenty of things that the fans can be optimistic about. They have the likes of Timo Werner, Leroy Sane, Jonathan Tah, Julian Brandt and many other youngsters who are yet to hit the peak. If these are not enough for you, Bundesliga is pumping out immense talents year after year.
This is about a player who has taken the Bundesliga by storm. No, this is not about Jadon Sancho. It is true that the major share of the limelight in the Bundesliga has been stolen by the Englishman Sancho but the man we are going to talk about deserves a major chunk of appreciation. Kai Havertz is the youngest ever Bayer Leverkusen player to score in the Bundesliga. From a team that has produced the likes of Michael Ballack, Toni Kroos and Arturo Vidal, that certainly deserves praise.
At just 19, he has three full professional seasons under his belt. This season, he has been instrumental in Bayer Leverkusen’s fourth-place finish. This time around, he scored 17 goals and assisted 3 in the 34 matches he played.
17 goals from the midfield is indeed a staggering number, but there is much more than that in his game.
Versatility
The correct term to coin for Havertz is versatile. He can play anywhere in the middle of the park. The young German is a significant goal threat and is an excellent creator. Couple that with his excellent awareness and passing ability, it makes him a threat anywhere in the middle of the park.
There have been instances where he has been deployed as number 10, number 8 and even as a number 6.
Despite being versatile, it is at the number 10 position he excels. He is excellent with his long through balls and short passing. Apart from his passing ability, he finds spaces easily and creates chances for the strikers and wingers to get on with their stride. His intelligence and ability to read the game is what makes him more special.
Kai Havertz has that eye of the goal that makes him extremely difficult to defend against. He is an excellent crosser of the ball and at 6 ft 2 inches, he can excellently get at the end of the crosses and score goals. He can make that unmarked runs into the box and can catch the opposition defense by surprise.
The Havertz story in numbers
This season, Havertz has scored a staggering amount of goals, just one short of Paco Alcacer. From the midfield, to make it to the third spot in the top scorers' list, is nothing short of extraordinary. He has three assists to his name and has a 100% penalty conversion rate.
He attempted 1720 passes and had a superb pass success rate of 89.8%. He is excellent with his chance creation as well. There are many occasions in which balls rebounded off a defender's block or a goalkeeper's save, and Havertz's instinct meant he was in the right position to win the second ball.
What does the future hold?
At just 19, Havertz has shown what Bayer Leverkusen can expect out of him. He is the type of player, you can build the team around him just as Barcelona has done with Messi (Yes, we know that’s too early to compare). What more can you ask from a midfielder?
If he keeps on performing at this level, there will come a time in which he will outgrow Bayer Leverkusen. He won’t have any shortage of potential suitors. The big guns will all be behind his signature and in the end, he might end up joining Bayern Munich. That’s how things work in Germany, right?
In short: Germany have found in Havertz, an unbelievable young player capable of playing in multiple positions across the midfield, and one capable of consistently producing end-product from midfield, which has become so important in the modern era.
So, for German fans, there is nothing to worry. The new era of exciting football is yet to come. With the likes of talents like Kai Havertz, there is optimism in the air.
