Burkardt makes ‘international’ category | OneFootball

The forward is one of seven Eagles players included in the winter rankings published by German football magazine ‘kicker’, alongside Brown, Doan, Kristensen, Uzun, Ebnoutalib and Amaimouni-Echghouy.

Football magazine ‘kicker’ published its winter ranking of German football on Monday and Thursday. The list, which has been released twice a year since 1956, now covers not only the Bundesliga and Germans playing abroad, but also Bundesliga 2 and the 3. Liga. A total of seven Eintracht players feature in the latest ranking: Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Nathaniel Brown, Jonathan Burkardt, Ritsu Doan, Younes Ebnoutalib and Rasmus Kristensen.

‘International’ category: Jonathan Burkardt

Jonathan Burkardt is the highest-ranked Eintracht player, having been placed in the ‘international’ category for the second time. The panel of judges rated him as the Bundesliga’s third-best forward over the past six months, moving him up from the ‘national’ category he was in last summer.

“Burkardt’s immense importance for Eintracht was underlined over the final few weeks of 2025, when the 25-year-old was sidelined with a calf injury and was sorely missed,” wrote the magazine. 

Fredi Bobic, who in 1996 finished as Bundesliga top scorer and won the UEFA European Championship, and was board member for sport at Eintracht Frankfurt between 2016 and 2021, said in a guest column: “Burkardt’s transfer has absolutely paid off for Eintracht. Dynamism, resilience and hard work – those qualities are what set him apart, alongside his nose for goal. He’s been one of my favourite players for a long time. Unfortunately he keeps getting injured, but Jonny’s a fighter and a good footballer. I think he’s often a bit underestimated.”

‘National’ category: Nathaniel Brown, Can Uzun, Rasmus Kristensen, Ritsu Doan

Brown (ranked sixth among full-backs), Can Uzun (eighth in attacking midfield) and Rasmus Kristensen (tenth among full-backs) all made it into the ‘national’ category, along with another summer signing in Ritsu Doan, who finished 13th among attacking wide players.

Outstanding: Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab and Younes Ebnoutalib

Both Ebnoutalib, who joined the Eagles from SV Elversberg, and Amaimouni-Echghouyab, who arrived fromTSG Hoffenheim, top the rankings for second and third-division players, each sitting in first place in the highest category, ‘outstanding’.

Kicker described Ebnoutalib as “a real fox-in-the-box”, while Amaimouni-Echghouyab was “the best outfield player alongside [Energie Cottbus’s] Tolcay Cigerci”.