Benjamin Šeško: Who is the RB Leipzig striker with shades of Erling Haaland?
Benjamin Šeško is finding fine scoring form again in his second season at RB Leipzig. bundesliga.com profiles one of the most exciting young forwards in world football...
Stats correct as of 4 October 2024
Benjamin Sesko
Age: 21 (born 31 May 2003)
Club: RB Leipzig
Position: Striker
Country: Slovenia (35 caps / 15 goals)
Key stats
He capped a fine first season for Leipzig by scoring in seven successive matches at the end of their 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign - and turned on the style again at the start of 2024/25 with back-to-back braces against Augsburg and Juventus in the UEFA Champions League.
Slovenia-born Šeško's fledgling career began with local team Radece at just seven years old, before a brief move to Rudar Trbovlije and back. Young Šeško eventually went on to also learn his craft at Krsko, where he stacked up 59 goals in 23 games for the club's U15s. He joined Slovenian top-flight outfit NK Domzale in 2018, but he lasted just one season before signing professional terms with Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, aged 16.
Šeško initially joined Salzburg's partner club, Liefering, on loan for two seasons. Following a prolific 2020/21 season in which he scored 21 times in 29 games, Šeško got his big chance at Salzburg in 2021/22, making 37 appearances, including six in the UEFA Champions League. He scored 11 goals and laid on six assists, helping Salzburg to the Austrian double. In 2022/23, he kicked on another gear, hitting 16 goals in 30 league appearances to earn a second league title in succession.
Watch: All of Benjamin Šeško's 2023/24 Bundesliga goals
Šeško made 25 youth international appearances for Slovenia before being fast-tracked to the senior side to make his full international debut against North Macedonia on 1 June 2021. He became his country's youngest-ever player in the 1–1 draw and then made more history as Slovenia's greenest goalscorer (18 years, four months and eight days) when he found the back of the net in a 4-0 win over Malta during their 2022 World Cup qualifying match on 8 October 8 2021. His five goals in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying saw him help his national team to the finals in Germany, where they made the last 16, before he smashed his first international hat-trick in a 3-0 UEFA Nations League win over Kazakhstan in September 2024.
Plays a bit like: Erling Haaland
The comparisons with the former Borussia Dortmund man are hard to avoid. Both players are big lads, with Šeško actually an inch taller than his Salzburg predecessor at 6'4", and both defy their envious physical statures with electrifying pace. Šeško is a major threat in the air, two-footed, has great technique and an eye for the spectacular. Little wonder then that his teammates in Austria told him he could go on to reach similar, or even greater, heights than Haaland.
"Such comparisons motivate me and give me energy," Šeško said previously of being likened to Haaland. "They do not represent pressure. I will listen and learn so I can be even better than he is. My teammates at the club tell me that Haaland and I are very similar, especially in terms of speed. Most of them even tell me that I’m better than him!"
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Šeško absolutely sees Haaland as an inspirational figure and admitted he studies footage of the Norwegian on YouTube. "He's an amazing player, I've big respect for him and I usually watch many YouTube videos about him," said Šeško after the pair went head-to-head with their countries in September 2022. Both were on the scoresheet that day and Šeško grabbed a winner before heading to his opponent to also collect a souvenir.
"I'm very happy I received Haaland's jersey. I want [to] keep it for my jersey collection. He also said 'well played', I was very happy."
What they're saying
"Benjamin has huge potential. He's getting better all the time - in training and in matches." - Leipzig head coach Marco Rose
"Benjamin Šeško is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player. He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6'4") is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile." - Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell
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