Special honour for defensive gem Filippo Mane | OneFootball

His debut in the Bundesliga ended with a bang. Up until the 85th minute, Filippo Mane (20) put in a respectable performance during Borussia Dortmund’s away match at FC St. Pauli. But in the closing stages, he received a red card—and the game turned.

At the start of the new season, BVB seemed to be cruising to a safe 3-1 lead against the newly promoted side. Then came the fateful scene that would overshadow Mane’s Bundesliga premiere. In his own penalty area, he held onto St. Pauli’s Abdoulie Ceesay (21), leaving referee Matthias Jöllenbeck (38) with no choice but to call a foul. The ultimate penalty followed. Due to a last-man foul, the youngster was sent off with a red card. Danel Sinani (28) converted the resulting penalty to make it 2-3. And things got even worse: in the 89th minute, Eric Smith (28) scored to make it 3-3.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Mane’s debut in Germany’s top division has now received late recognition. The German Football League (DFL) has honored the defender as a “Local Player” debutant. The Italy U21 international received a personalized TOPPS card commemorating his debut. BVB announced this on Thursday (November 27).

Brace against Cologne

In the presence of Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl (45), DFL director Ansgar Schwenken (55) honored the young BVB professional. Since this season, the league has been recognizing clubs for their commitment to and development of young talents. With this initiative, the DFL acknowledges the youth work of Bundesliga clubs.

Mane joined Borussia in January 2022. In his first year, he played for the U17s, then moved up to the U19s after half a year. In the 2024/25 season, he also made three appearances for the U23s in the 3rd division. After making his debut with the senior team in the summer of 2025, the right-back, who also plays in central defense, returned to the second team. Last weekend, the Italian shone with a brace in the 5-3 victory over 1. FC Köln II.

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