Daniel-Kofi Kyereh: Who is Freiburg's new summer signing?
Freiburg have won the race to sign St. Pauli's Daniel-Kofi Kyerah. bundesliga.com profiles the Ghana international playmaker...
Age: 26
Club: Freiburg
Position: Attacking midfielder/ winger
Country: Ghana (12 caps)
Key stats
Kyerah’s playing career was in the balance when he left the Wolfsburg U19s following a serious cruciate knee injury, but he rediscovered his mojo with Havelse in Germany’s fourth tier. Eleven goals in 29 games in 2017/18 paved the way for a move to 3. Liga’s Wehen Wiesbaden, whom he helped gain promotion via the play-offs with 17 goals along the way.
Kyerah has since made 91 Bundesliga 2 appearances, following up his 13-goal hand in a Wiesbaden shirt in 2019/20 with even greater numbers for Pauli. The 5'9" right-footer hit nine goals and assisted 10 in 2020/21, before producing a career-best 12 goals and 10 assists this past campaign. The Ghana international's reward is a long-term deal with Freiburg.
Plays a bit like: Serge Gnabry
A burst of pace, dip of the shoulder, slick dribble and a cut-back from the goal line – sound familiar? Like Bayern Munich and Germany winger Serge Gnabry, Kyereh likes nothing more than racing forward with the ball glued to his feet, using a combination of excellent close control and skill to carve gaps before either providing a finish or supplying an assist.
Watch: Kyereh scored a brace against Karlsruhe on Matchday 25 of 2021/22
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Did you know?
Kyereh was born in Accra, Ghana, but was brought up in Germany and would have been eligible to play for either nation. When he was scoring with regularity in Germany's third division, the question was first put to him, where his footballing allegiances lied.
"My friends are often asking me this and I've not had any contact from either federation yet, but I would certainly love to play for a national team. Both countries would be an option for me – I would play for the first country to show an interest in me."
That was Ghana, who handed Kyereh his debut in September 2021, in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Ethiopia.
What they're saying
"Kofi has an exceptional amount of creativity on the ball, reads the game well and is very determined. He’s a player who has developed step by step over the last few years and has consistently reached higher and higher levels." - Freiburg CEO Jochen Saier
"He's a laid-back lad who gives a lot to the group, not just on the field but also away from it. Kofi's in great shape and his statistics alone show that, and he's far from peaked." – St. Pauli coach Timo Schultz
"Kofi always had the talent, but it is own hard work and ambition that have got him to where he is now, and I'm delighted to see it." – Christian Benbennek, Kyereh's coach at Havelse
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