UEFA Champions League: 5 best young players of Matchday 1
3. Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
Age: 23
Position: Attacking midfielder
Nationality: France
Individual achievements: None
Did you know?
Christopher Nkunku was part of the Paris Saint Germain youth side that finished as runners-up in the 2015/16 UEFA Youth League. In the subsequent seasons, the Frenchman would become an important squad member for the Parisiens and score 11 goals in 78 appearances before joining Leipzig.
Manchester City and RB Leipzig played a nine-goal thriller in their opening group game of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League season. Whilst City’s goals came from six different sources, one player scored all three for Leipzig – Nkunku.
The young Frenchman scored three goals from three shots on target, becoming the first Leipzig player to score a Champions League hat-trick and only the second-ever to bag three against Manchester City in the competition. The first one to do so, a certain Lionel Messi.
Nkunku started on the right of an attacking three but drifted inside into dangerous areas throughout the match. Both of his first two goals on the night were headers; he scored his first with a reactive flick past Ederson, whilst his second came as a result of him exploiting space between both of City’s center-backs.
For his third, the 23-year-old collected a ball from Yussuf Poulsen in his stride before rifling it across into the far corner from close range.
The youngster’s impressive evening in the Champions League came to an end in the 81st minute after he ran himself into the ground, but his display earned him a nomination for Player of the Week.
Why should Premier League clubs be interested?
Versatility and attacking threat – two of the things that Nkunku offers his team. The Frenchman has played across almost all the positions in attack for Leipzig over the last three years and has rarely – if ever – looked out of place.
Nkunku’s goal contributions stand at 38 from 90 matches and can be divided into 16 goals and 22 assists. The Frenchman has all kinds of goals in his arsenal, ranging from long-distance strikes to simple tap-ins and headers that require a good understanding of how best to exploit space.