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The men's national team of Germany are a footballing powerhouse with few peers in modern sport. Their continuous success has been facilitated by a steady stream of young players rising up to fill the boots of ageing stalwarts.Lets take a look at five young stars poised to help the reigning world champions continue their winning ways for many more years.
#5 Niklas Sule
Age: 22, Position: Centre-Back, Club: Bayern Munich
The story so far:
As a fearsome young striker at TSG Hoffenheim's youth academy, Niklas Sule was large for his age and quick for his size. Lacking a good centre-back and estimating that the position would be a good fit for his physical gifts, the academy coaches began to play Sule at the heart of the team's defense. He flourished in the new role going on to make his Bundesliga debut months before his eighteenth birthday.
Over the next two years he established himself as Hoffenheim's defensive mainstay before a cruciate ligament injury forced him out of action for almost seven months. Not one to be bogged down easily he returned as an improved player helping Hoffenheim to a fourth place finish in the 2016-17 season. He was also an integral part of the German side that secured a silver at the 2016 Olympics.
In 2017 he snubbed interest from multiple English clubs to secure a move to Bayern Munich for an undisclosed fee. With Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels intermittently injured, Sule has put in solid performances to make an immediate impact for the Bavarian giants.
Why he is special:
Standing at 6'4'' and weighing 200 pounds with surprising pace and fearsome aerial ability he truly is a man mountain at defense. But it is his consistent passing, acute positional awareness and the composure of a more experienced defender that sets him apart as an "almost perfect centre back". With his recent move to Bayern Munich and his performances for the national side in the Confederations Cup, Sule looks primed to be Jerome Boateng's long term successor for club and country.
Trivia:
Sule once scored 100 goals in a season as an U-10 striker for his boyhood club Rot-Weiss Walldorf.
#4 Leroy Sane
Age: 21, Position: Winger, Club: Manchester City
The story so far:
The son of a Senegalese international football player and a German olympic gymnast, Leroy Sane rose through the ranks at Shalke 04 to make his Bundesliga debut in 2014. Never one to be daunted by a big occasion, Sane burst into the limelight in a UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With his side trailing 3-2, he curled in a shot past Iker Casillas from 20 yards out to level the scores. He followed this up with a splendid solo goal against Wolfsburg where he sprinted 75 yards from his own half to put the ball past Diego Benaglio.
He made his U-21 debut for Germany in August 2015 and earned a call up to the senior team two months later. He was also part of the German squad for Euro 2016.
In August 2016 Sane moved to Manchester City for £37 million. After being used sparingly in his first season and losing his manager's confidence at the start of his second season, Sane fought back to earn his place in the starting lineup. Since then he has lit up the Premier League racking up 6 goals and 6 six assists in 14 appearances.
Why he is special:
A traditional winger capable of playing on both sides of the field, Sane is lightning fast with excellent dribbling skills and intelligent movement making him almost impossible to mark. He is capable of holding the ball against suffocating defences and can put in devastating crosses into the penalty area. He can also cut into the centre and unleash lethal shots with his favoured left foot at the slightest hint of space.
Sane is proving that he can be a system player with his performances under Pep Guardiola, something that German coach Joachim Low will definitely appreciate. He is already one of the most exciting players to watch in world football and the only thing brighter than his dazzling displays for City this season is his own enormous potential.
Trivia:
Leroy Sane is the English Premier League's fastest player after clocking 35.48 kmph, the highest speed in the competition since they started recording in 2014.
#3 Leon Goretzka
Age: 22, Position: Midfielder, Club: Schalke 04
The story so far:
Leon Goretzka was a stellar youth player for Germany and captained the U-17 squad to the finals of the European Championship. After making his senior club debut for Vfl Bochum as a seventeen year old, he moved to Schalke 04 the following year.
Widely regarded as the best young player in Germany and a future captain of the national side, Goretzka's career was derailed by consistent injuries and he ended up missing a third of all matches for the Royal Blues over the next three years. It seemed like the lanky midfielder would never live up to the immense promise of his youth.
But Leon Goretzka overhauled his diet and came back strongly in 2016, playing in 30 out of 34 league matches and scoring 5 goals. He made the German squad for the Confederations Cup and was joint top scorer with three goals. His performances earned him high praise from Joachim Low. He has continued his great form into the 2017/18 season having already scored 4 goals from 9 appearances.
Why he is special:
Goretzka is a full blown two way player who can protect the defense by breaking up plays with timely tackles and interceptions and can also surge forward and launch powerful shots at goal.
He is a fine passer who can be relied upon to pick out passes for his team mates to start attacks from the defensive half. Standing at 6'2'' he is lethal in the air and often scores goals with his head.
Goretzka's versatility is such that he can defend, hold the ball, make runs, create chances and score with equal ease. Not since Bastian Schweinsteiger has Germany seen anyone with such a complete skill set.
Trivia:
Leon Goretzka is a recipient of the U-17 Fritz Walter Gold Medal which is a series of annual awards recognizing the best youth footballers in Germany.
#2 Timo Werner
Age :21, Position: Forward, Club: RB Leipzig
The story so far:
Timo Werner stepped into the world of football at the age of six when he joined the youth academy of his local club – Vfb Stuttgart. Just as Timo had discovered his passion for the sport early in his life, his talent had been identified almost instantly courtesy his performances for the youth sides of both club and country.
He made his Bundesliga debut in 2013 at the age of seventeen and in the same season became the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score two goals in one game.
After three seasons with Stuttgart, he moved to RB Leipzig where he truly exploded onto the scene finishing the 2016/17 season as the highest scoring German in the Bundesliga with a staggering 21 goals from 31 appearances. He was part of the German squad for the Confederations Cup and won the tournament's Golden Boot for his 3 goals and 2 assists.
Why he is special:
Timo Werner uses his incredible pace and ball control to take on opposing defenders and get past them. He makes intelligent runs with and without the ball to create space for himself and others.
However it is his pure goal scoring ability borne out of good attacking instincts, strong technique and composure in front of goal that makes him the perfect fit at the front of Germany's attack. The 'Miroslav Klose-shaped hole' in Germany's attack looks like its finally about to be filled.
Trivia:
He is nicknamed "Turbo Timo" for his incredible pace and is said to have trained by running up mountains as a child along with his father.
#1 Joshua Kimmich
Age: 22, Position: Right Back, Club: Bayern Munich
The story so far:
Joshua Kimmich made some tough decisions early in his life. As an eighteen year old at VfB Sttuttgart, he wanted to move from the club's youth side to their second team that played in Germany's third league. His coaches disagreed, deeming him not strong enough to compete with senior players.
However the teenager had made up his mind to test himself against men. So he left for third tier side RB Leipzig, who were willing to offer him senior football. He made an immediate impact at Leipzig and ended up attracting interest from Bayern Munich who he joined two years later.
Since then his rise has been almost miraculous establishing himself as Phillip Lahm's successor and an indispensable part of the Bavarian side.
Joshua Kimmich was part of the national squad for Euro 2016 and started for Germany against Northern Ireland in their final group stage match of the Euro 2016. He had replaced Benedikt Hoewedes at the right back position.
Since that day he has remained Germany's undisputed first choice right back having played every minute for his country for 23 matches in a row.
Why he is special:
Unlike others in this list Joshua Kimmich is already a cornerstone for both his club and country. Originally a central midfielder who now plays as a right back, he has also played at right midfield and at centre back.
These experiences have only added to the versatility in his game. Equally comfortable attacking and defending, his smart positioning and reading of plays helps him shut down faster players on defense. On the attack Kimmich combines the vision of Phillip Lahm with the stealthy positioning of Thomas Muller, regularly getting into the right positions to make the right plays - be it scoring, creating or starting attacks.
The road ahead for him looks to be leading to nothing less than captaincy, having already worn the armband for the final 20 minutes of Germany's last World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.
Trivia:
At the age of 22 Joshua Kimmich has already worn the captain's arm band for Germany.
