Star in the making? Does Germany have the next Miroslav Klose on the way?

The facts are ugly, the last Bundesliga top scorer who was born in Germany was in the 2014/15 season. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Alexander Meier beat out Polish striker Robert Lewandowski to win the golden boot that season. This is highly contrast to the past, where German strikers dominated the league.

It is clear that Germany is looking for their next standout striker like Miroslav Klose. There is no shortage of legendary German strikers, but in the last years, no names come even relatively close to having the same stature.

The search for the next striker has been difficult. Niclas Füllkrug has been excellent this season and did a great job in Qatar, when Hansi Flick relied on him. However, he is not getting any younger and there is no guarantee he will perform at this level again. Some younger options aren’t turning out quite as hoped and Timo Werner isn’t the typical striker Germany needs most.

One emerging name though is Max Moerstedt. He is a standout player for Hoffenheim’s U17 with 22 goals and 10 assists in 28 appearances. Internationally, the striker scored five goals in nine games for the U17 national team. Moerstedt has recently been promoted to the U19s.

Moerstedt was even in Bayern Munich’s academy until the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and disrupted football everywhere. Moerstedt has Klose as a role model and his tall frame allows for a great heading game. Along with great speed, he is a great build for a successful striker. All of Germany will certainly be praying this kid turns out.