From unemployment to the Bundesliga? This meteoric rise is simply mad | OneFootball

Let's rewind a few months: At the end of July, only the biggest football nerds knew who Younes Ebnoutalib even was. But today – just a quarter later – almost every Bundesliga fan is asking: Who will sign this phenomenal player next?

The 22-year-old striker for SV 07 Elversberg is the sensation of the current second division season. And that's not just because of his goals, but especially because of his story. Ebnoutalib only joined from the regional league in January. There, he played for the provincial club FC Gießen. Before that, he was even without a club for seven months.

Now, however, he can call himself the top scorer of the 2nd Bundesliga, scoring on average every 68 minutes. With his power, speed, and goal-scoring instinct, he regularly drives opposing defenses to despair.

From the Barracks to Professional Football

The beginnings of his career were anything but glamorous, as a recent 'Bild' report revealed. At his previous club, the Italian AC Perugia, Ebnoutalib earned only 800 euros a month, of which 450 euros went solely for rent.

He lived with about ten other players in a barracks, struggled with the language, and was not even allowed to play for the professionals, except for a brief exception. Allegedly also because his Italian was not sufficient.

Even worse: Due to a set clause, his contract extended to five years. And that despite hardly getting any playing time. Only a metatarsal fracture put an end to the unfortunate Italy chapter.

What followed was equally unglamorous: seven months without a club and no prospects. Most young players would have lost faith during this time. Not Ebnoutalib. FC Gießen gave him a chance. And after just half a year, Elversberg took the plunge in winter. For a modest 100,000 euros.

Shooting Through the Roof!

But even in the tranquil Saarland, things started slowly. He played just four league matches in the past second half of the season. And in the first three games of this season, Ebnoutalib was only substituted in late.

Then came August 29: away game at Hertha BSC, his first start. And what does Ebnoutalib do? He scores a double. Elversberg wins 2-0.

After that, it was one thing after another: two goals against Dynamo Dresden, two against Braunschweig, then even a hat-trick against Greuther Fürth. After nine games, he has nine goals to his name. No player in the 2nd league has a better rate. At the same time, Ebnoutalib joined an elite circle: In Europe's top leagues, only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland have achieved so many multiple goals this season. Not bad at all!

Taekwondo Instead of Talent Academy

Looking back, his football training was quite curious. Growing up in Frankfurt, Ebnoutalib played mainly on the street until the age of 14. 

His father Faissal was an athlete himself. A rather successful one: Silver medalist at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, honored by then-Chancellor Schröder. So, much was predetermined in terms of sports. But rather in the direction of Taekwondo.

Younes himself holds a black belt. Perhaps that explains his extraordinary physique, with which he now challenges the best defenders in the 2nd league. It wasn't until he was 14 that he convinced his father to join a football club. The first stop was to be Rot-Weiss Frankfurt.

Half the Bundesliga is Watching

Eight years later, he stands sensationally at the top of the table with Elversberg. The club has wisely secured him with a contract until 2028. But it already seems certain: If he continues like this, he won't fulfill this contract. Not because Elversberg doesn't want him, but because inquiries from the Bundesliga are only a matter of time.

According to 'Bild' information, the price tag is already between 6 to 8 million euros. And that is likely to rise rather than fall in the coming months. The Bundesliga is watching closely. Some clubs will probably inquire in Elversberg by winter at the latest.

📸 Maryam Majd - 2025 Getty Images

From Nobody to Bundesliga Candidate

It's rare in modern professional football to see a true nobody become one of the hottest prospects on the transfer market in such a short time. Even rarer is that the player makes this leap without a youth academy, without a major academy, and without U-national teams. Deniz Undav comes to mind.

And Younes Ebnoutalib is also the antithesis to the meticulously planned football talent. Not a project player, not an Instagram star with a U17 European Championship past. He just appeared and suddenly scores like clockwork.

The path of Younes Ebnoutalib reads like a modern football fairy tale. Only this fairy tale has just begun. The question is, therefore: What comes next? With near certainty, it will probably be the Bundesliga.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Andreas Schlichter - 2025 Getty Images