He leads the line for Germany rivals Ecuador: HSV wanted World Cup star! | OneFootball

For the German national team, Thursday evening is ultimately only about a pyrrhic prize. Top spot in the group can no longer be taken away from head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s side.

The situation is very different for Germany’s opponents, Ecuador: So far, the South Americans have been among the biggest disappointments of this World Cup. After a defeat to Ivory Coast and a 0-0 draw against underdogs Curaçao, “La Tri” absolutely need a win against Germany. Otherwise, the dream of reaching the knockout stage will be over.

However, to pose a real threat to the four-time world champions, a clear improvement in attack will be needed. Ecuador are still waiting for their first World Cup goal and looked alarmingly toothless, especially against Curaçao.

One man expected to help end that drought is John Yeboah. The 26-year-old is under contract with Serie A newcomers Venezia FC. With ten goals and ten assists, he can look back on an exceptionally successful season. So one or two international scouts are likely to have taken notice of the winger in recent months.

Photo: IMAGO

In the battle for Yeboah: Wolfsburg beat out HSV!

However, the vast majority of German football fans will hear the name Yeboah and think of Ghanaian Anthony Yeboah. The striker scored goals for HSV between 1997 and 2001 and still enjoys great popularity around the Volksparkstadion.

What is far less well known: his Ecuadorian namesake also has a connection to Hamburg. John Yeboah was born in the Hanseatic city on June 23, 2000. He took his first footballing steps at SV Rönneburg before joining FC Türkiye Wilhelmsburg. There, Yeboah drew attention with strong performances and completely outclassed opponents his own age.

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Dogan Inam, who at the time was the district club’s coach and president, recently told the Hamburger Abendblatt that HSV had also tried to sign the teenager. In 2015, however, Yeboah opted for a move to VfL Wolfsburg.

In the automotive city, the big breakthrough did not come at first. The versatile attacking player then tried his luck in the Netherlands. At one point, he was even loaned out to MSV Duisburg, followed by two spells in the Polish Ekstraklasa. But things only really clicked in Venice. Thanks to an outstanding season, Yeboah still managed to jump on the World Cup bandwagon. Now that he has arrived at the tournament in North America, he wants to show his old homeland Germany just how much he has developed in recent years. Or rather: he has to. Because Ecuador have no other chance of going through.

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