US milestone at 17: will it still be tough for Albert at BVB? | OneFootball

At 17 years and 131 days old, Mathis Albert is now the youngest goalscorer in the history of the US national team. In the Bundesliga, however, the BVB winger is still waiting for his first minutes of the season.

Albert scored late in the USA’s 4-2 win over Chile to seal the final score. In doing so, he pushed a former Dortmund player off the top of the list: Christian Pulisic was 17 years and 253 days old when he scored his first goal for the USA. For the teenager, it was the next big moment within just a few days after winning a penalty on his debut.

As impressive as his international breakthrough has been, his current report card at BVB makes for sobering reading. Albert has made just one competitive appearance in 2026/27, playing the full 90 minutes in the 5-0 DFB-Pokal win over HEBC. In the Bundesliga, he has yet to make an appearance.

That is also down to the enormous competition in BVB’s attack. Fellow youngster Samuele Inacio is already a step ahead, having scored in the Bundesliga, made his senior debut for Italy, and extended his contract until 2029. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Konstantinos Karetsas arrived in the summer for around 30 million and has impressed with strong performances so far.

His Greece national team teammate Giannis Konstantelias also arrived for around €25 million, but after a strong start he is set for a lengthy spell out with an ACL tear.

Then there are loan player Ethan Nwaneri and established forwards such as Serhou Guirassy, Maximilian Beier, and Fábio Silva.

Plenty of attacking options, an uncertain outlook

Just how difficult it is to earn minutes amid this competition is shown by a look at one of his teammates. Carney Chukwuemeka has so far made only three brief appearances this season and is still waiting for his first goal contribution.

The Austria international joined from Chelsea in the summer of 2025 for 20 million and made 38 competitive appearances last season, though only ten of them were starts.

Albert’s situation at BVB therefore looks likely to remain difficult in the near future as well. At first glance, his contract situation also appears delicate: According to Transfermarkt, his deal runs only until June 30, 2027. However, SPORT BILD already reported in February that his current contract includes a long-term extension beyond 2027.

Photo: Getty Images

So an immediate contract standoff does not currently appear to be an issue. His sporting perspective is likely to be far more important instead.

Youth academy director Paul Schaffran said in the summer: “Professional debuts are the currency of our work.” For Albert, the task now is to take the next step after his debut and establish himself with the senior team. Other talents such as Samuele Inacio and Luca Reggiani have already shown what that path can look like.

However, if Albert continues to see little playing time at BVB despite his strong performances for the US national team, a loan move or even a permanent transfer could become an option.

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