Germany's strongest back? This pro carries his team alone | OneFootball

According to the "Statista" database, one third of all adults in Germany suffer from recurring back problems. Much as we may not want to think so, Noel Futkeu is probably one of them right now. The striker is currently carrying Greuther Fürth all by himself in the 2. Bundesliga. An entire team? How is that even supposed to work?

Strictly speaking, the Clover Leaves do of course line up with eleven players on the pitch every match — but without Futkeu, they could have started planning for the 3. Liga months ago. There is no doubt that the 23-year-old is the biggest insurance policy any team in German professional football could have these days.

In 33 matches this season, Futkeu has scored 18 goals and set up another five. That means he has been involved in 50 percent of all Fürth’s goals this season. Felix Klaus, the player with the second-most goals in the team, has managed just seven.

Most recently, the former Frankfurt man scored in four straight matches. In the 3-2 home win over Darmstadt 98 on matchday 30, Futkeu even bagged a hat-trick. Naturally, he was also there in Fürth’s most important game of the season.

In the Franconian derby just under two weeks ago, Futkeu at least earned his Clover Leaves a point in a 1-1 draw. He was so impressive that even a legendary striker was raving about him afterwards.

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"Futkeu is a very exciting striker. He is very mobile, finds his own spaces and is always active. He also has a certain calmness when the ball is circulating. He recognizes when the defender is distracted, when he can run into the space behind, when he has to come short for the ball. On top of that, he is very difficult for defenders to defend against." Miroslav Klose was clearly impressed by the opposing forward’s abilities. Was the FCN coach already eyeing up a possible summer transfer?

If so, we have to pour cold water on the 2014 World Cup winner’s hopes. On April 20, 2026, Eintracht Frankfurt had already announced the striker’s return. After Futkeu moved from Frankfurt’s U21s to Fürth in the summer of 2024, the Hessians had a buy-back clause built into his contract.

And that is exactly what Frankfurt activated. For just €1.3 million, Futkeu will return to his former club this summer. According to 'kicker', however, it is still unclear whether Frankfurt will keep the striker or sell him on for a higher fee. Even so, it still sounds like a perfect story for everyone involved, doesn’t it?

Frankfurt get back a ready-made striker, Fürth pocket a transfer profit of more than one million euros, and Futkeu takes the next step in his career. So where’s the problem? The problem is 17th place in the table. Ahead of today’s match against Fortuna Düsseldorf (kick-off 3:30 p.m.), the Green-Whites are sitting in an automatic relegation spot.

A defeat or a draw against Düsseldorf would send them down to the third tier for the first time since 1997. At least a win could, for the time being, lift them into the relegation play-off place.

Frankfurt get back a ready-made striker and Fürth pocket a transfer profit of more than one million euros. So where’s the problem? The problem is 17th place in the table. Ahead of today’s match against Fortuna Düsseldorf (kick-off 3:30 p.m.), the Green-Whites are sitting in an automatic relegation spot. A defeat or a draw against Düsseldorf and they would be in the third tier for the first time since 1997. At least a win could, for the time being, lift them into the relegation play-off place.

Either Bielefeld have to lose to Hertha BSC at the same time, or Fürth need to score at least three goals against Fortuna and move ahead of them on goal difference. If both happen, then in the best-case scenario even 15th place is still possible.

"The fact is: we have to win now. That’s a very big task for us now," Noel Futkeu emphasized this week in comments to 'Sportschau'.

Luckily, the striker recently proved that he can score three goals in a game. And let’s be honest: what kind of footballing hero story is it if a player carries his team on his back for the entire season only for them to go down in the end?

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

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