Borussia Dortmund's double hero Jamie Gittens learning from the game's greats
After netting a memorable double in Borussia Dortmund's opening Bundesliga victory against Eintracht Frankfurt, Jamie Gittens said studying world greats like Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior has helped the 20-year-old to improve his game.
The England Under-21 international came on as a substitute for Karim Adeyemi just before the hour mark at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday night with Dortmund having trouble breaking down a stubborn Eintracht backline.
Yet Gittens netted a wonder goal with 18 minutes to play - dizzying his marker with several stopovers before looping a shot in at the far post - and settled the contest in injury time with a solo run and finish. It all meant that BVB extended their sequence of opening-day triumphs to 10 on what was new coach Nuri Şahin's first Bundesliga game in charge.
Watch: Gittens' brace gives Dortmund win
"Today was a good day; it was a tough game, they played really well," Gittens told bundesliga.com after his match-winning exploits. "They defended with a back five so it was really hard to break through but we did it in the end and I'm happy."
With his goalscoring brace, Gittens doubled his Bundesliga tally from 2023/24 and he said that watching footage of some of the giants of the game has helped him to hone his technique in front of goal. "I watch a lot of videos of players like Vini Jr and Mpbappé," the 20-year-old said. "When they get into good positions they create goals or score themselves. If I occasionally lose the ball, I don't let it affect me; I keep going. I'm (also) trying to play in a more mature way and not to do silly things. I'm recognising now more when to go and when not to go on the ball," he continued.
Watch: Gittens pleased with winning start
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Now in his fourth season with Dortmund, the former Manchester City youth admitted he was a little awe-struck when firing in a double in front of the world-renowned Yellow Wall at the home of the Black-and-Yellows. "It was my first time (celebrating scoring a goal) in front of the Yellow Wall; I had goosebumps," Gittens said. "I was a bit shy at first but it's a really good feeling to do that."
Having recently dropped that 'Bynoe' part of his name, Gittens said he was enjoying getting used to hearing his name on the stadium loudspeaker. "I just shortened (the name) because it's easier for people to say," he explained. "I heard it loud today and it sounds good! I just want to keep on performing like I did today, to score more goals and provide more assists; that's my job in the team." And what of the immediate future? "I'm taking things day by day in training. Obviously I want to be playing more games, either off the bench or starting, I really don't mind. It's important to play more games and get more rhythm."
Watch: Gittens gets goosebumps in front of the Yellow Wall
Gittens will be hoping said rhythm continues into Dortmund's next game when his side face Werder Bremen on Matchday 2 of the Bundesliga next weekend.
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