Bundesliga’s underrated gem: He could end his club’s curse | OneFootball

For SC Freiburg, this Sunday’s match against Borussia Dortmund is a true trauma game. In their last seven encounters with the Black and Yellows, Freiburg suffered a whopping seven defeats—with a devastating goal difference of 6:28. No other team beats the Breisgauers so often and so thoroughly!

The hope that this horror record will finally come to an end this weekend rests mainly on one name. And twelve months ago, hardly anyone had heard of this name: Johan Manzambi.

The 20-year-old is not just a nice bonus in Freiburg’s attacking play this season. He is, rather, the player who makes the difference. With six scorer points in the Bundesliga (three goals, three assists), he is Julian Schuster’s most dangerous man; across all competitions, he has been involved in nine goals in 20 competitive matches.

A truly meteoric rise

Those are, without question, top-class numbers. But it becomes even more impressive when you look at his meteoric development. Just a year ago, with a market value of €750,000, he was playing in the Regionalliga Südwest. Throughout the entire 2024/25 Bundesliga season, he collected a meager 333 minutes.

Only a few months later, according to transfermarkt.de, he is worth €15 million, is among the fastest-rising players in value across Europe, and is considered—alongside hyped names like Lennart Karl or Said El Mala—as perhaps the hottest prospect among Bundesliga youth.

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Since Manzambi moved from Swiss club FC Servette to Freiburg’s U19s in January 2023, he has skipped every level at lightning speed. From the second team, he made it up to the Bundesliga, celebrating his debut in September 2024.

A mix of dynamism, creativity, ball control, and incredible versatility—from central midfield to second striker, he can basically play anywhere—currently makes Manzambi one of the most exciting players in Germany.

No wonder, then, that clubs like Bayer Leverkusen and SSC Napoli have long since taken notice of him, according to 'Bild'. Equally interesting: Borussia Dortmund reportedly made initial inquiries this summer, as revealed by the portal 'Absolut Fußball'.

The perfect BVB transfer?

That it was precisely the top club from the Ruhr area that reached out is hardly surprising. Because Manzambi is exactly the type of player who, for many years, symbolized BVB.

He is young, highly talented, full of potential, energetic, and possesses a potential resale value that would have made every Dortmund scout’s foot twitch nervously in the past.

The development of raw diamonds like Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, or Jude Bellingham was for almost a decade the clear identity of BVB. The Black and Yellow motto was: We find talents, develop them, and make a golden profit with them.

But this path has noticeably changed in the last two to three years. Young players with great potential have become rare in the squad. Karim Adeyemi or Felix Nmecha could be such players, but are still struggling with inconsistency.

And while the club used to develop young players en masse, the door for that seems to be closing at the moment. Jamie Gittens became a system casualty last season and was eventually sold in the summer. Now Julien Duranville is experiencing something similar. Niko Kovač recently stated succinctly: "The others are better." Even if that may be true, it says a lot about the current priorities in Westphalia.

Because instead of relying on young prospects, BVB is currently building unusually heavily on experienced players. Players like Gregor Kobel (28), Waldemar Anton (29), Nico Schlotterbeck (26), Marcel Sabitzer (31), Julian Brandt (29), and Serhou Guirassy (29) form the backbone of the team.

They are all top players, but not the kind of talents that bring back the old Dortmund feeling. No wonder many fans long for those exciting, unpredictable, electrifying youngsters who put their stamp on the game week after week.

The big stage is calling!

And then there’s Manzambi, who embodies exactly that spirit. A player who boldly demands the ball, who sees spaces others can’t even imagine, and who can decide games single-handedly even at a young age. Someone who would have fit BVB’s attacking midfield perfectly—especially since Dortmund’s attacking play can sometimes seem a bit one-dimensional. In short: a classic "old-school BVB transfer."

Now, on Sunday, Manzambi can show Dortmund live what they’ve missed out on and how valuable it can be to keep investing in youth. Freiburg is relying on him, giving him responsibility, letting him grow.

And who knows? Maybe a strong performance will spark renewed interest. Maybe Borussia will realize that players like Manzambi are not only good for Freiburg, but also for a top club like themselves—a club that is currently searching a bit for its clear identity.

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

📸 Daniela Porcelli - 2025 Getty Images