Germany has been no stranger to producing talent in football. That’s one of the reasons why they have won 4 World Cups. And to continue that spectacular trend, Kai Havertz seems to be the next big player to receive the torch that says ‘Superb German Prospect’. The 20-year-old Bayer Leverkusen midfielder has done nothing but makes immense waves in the past few seasons through the way he plays. If it goes like this, the German team might be the home for another superstar player.
This also cements Bayer Leverkusen as a club that churns out fantastic players as they have it down to a science. Michael Ballack, Arturo Vidal, and Toni Kroos were all at the club when their careers were in infancy and if history is anything to go by, Kai Havertz has nowhere to go but up.
Talent on display:
Havertz is a playmaker who mainly plays the central midfield. That doesn’t mean he’s tethered to that position though as he has been known to go on either flank depending on the situation. He has a keen sense of positioning and his vision allows him to pick out players in tight spots. His passing and through balls are just as good, enabling him to rack up assists and key passes from time to time. His shooting is strong and he does have a touch of being ambidextrous and that, as we all know, from players like CR7 and David Villa is an incredible asset to have.
The Numbers:
For starters, Kai Havertz became the clubs youngest ever debutant in 2016 and in 2018, became the youngest player to reach 50 Bundesliga appearances proving how good and vital he is to the German squad. He has even had 3 appearances for the German national team. He has already scored a goal in the current season(just 2 appearances). Even in his debut season for the club, the German scored 4 goals and 5 assists. The contributions only improved and in the 2018-19 season, he ended up with 17 goals and 3 assists. He was not only the top scorer in the squad but also one of the top scorers in the Bundesliga and he was only a teenager. What is more important to note is that he took Bayer to the top 4 and now they will be playing Champions League football. Aside from the goals he had an astounding 87.1% passing accuracy. He completes 1.4 dribbles and 1 key pass on average for the entire season. His Europa League campaign was also impressive on an individual level, tallying 3 goals and 3 assists from just 5 starts.
Moving forward:
If it goes like this, the future looks very bright. For starters, it’s a given that he’ll play 30+ matches in the Bundesliga because of how pivotal he’s become to them. In the Champions League draw, Bayer Leverkusen has a very difficult group where they have to face Atletico Madrid and Juventus, which are two of the best teams in the world. It’s guaranteed that he will represent Bayer Leverkusen in those matches given how challenging and Goliath-like the opponents are. Peter Bosz will look to him to spearhead the attack in both the UCL and Bundesliga. Safe to say that there’s a lot of responsibility and it’s not going to be remotely easy to jump past the hurdles. But, he does have the offensive skills and took his club this far. He could dazzle us again. And if he does, a move to a big club is guaranteed. It wouldn’t be a surprise if a club like Real Madrid or Manchester City sinks its claws into the youngster during the next few transfer windows.
In conclusion, Kai Havertz is arguably the best young German talent after Manchester City’s Leroy Sane(who is a bit older at 23). He has been able to shoulder a lot of weight at his club at such a young age, being both their primary playmaker and goalscorer. If things go correctly moving forward, the sky is truly the limit for the German youngster.
