Grant-Leon Ranos: Who is Borussia Mönchengladbach's Armenian striker signed from Bayern Munich?
Signed from rivals Bayern Munich in May, Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Grant-Leon Ranos has since been hitting all the right notes with Armenia.
Stats correct as of 19 June 2023
Grant-Leon Ranos
Age: 19 (born 20 July 2003)
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Forward
Country: Armenia (two caps, four goals)
Key stats
Born in Lower Saxony to an Armenian father, Ranos spent the initial phases of his youth development at Hannover and Borussia Dortmund. He enjoyed a subsequent switch to Bayern in 2018 where he played with the Bavarian giants' U16s.
From there, Ranos continued to develop and stepped up to play for Bayern's U17s under the tutelage of former Germany legend Miroslav Klose. Another former Bayern ace, Argentinian Martin Demichelis, would later take charge of an ever-improving Ranos, whose immense versatility in attack continued to win him plaudits.
In the 2021/22 campaign, he scored 11 times in 17 U19 games and also enjoyed four appearances in the UEFA Youth League.
Despite stepping up to train under former first-team coach Julian Nagelsmann last season, Ranos ultimately failed to make it out of Bayern's U23s. Nevertheless, 20 goals and 12 assists in 36 Regionalliga games - a division high for goal involvements - aroused the interest of Gladbach, who swooped for the Armenia international on a free transfer in May.
Ranos exploded onto the senior international scene with Armenia, scoring twice on his debut in a 2-2 friendly draw against Cyprus. The 19-year-old was at the double again when making his senior competitive bow, registering two more goals as Armenia downed Wales 4-2 in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier in Cardiff on 16 June.
Plays a bit like: Robert Lewandowski
An intelligent, powerfully-built forward who has an incredible ability to be in the right place at the right time, Ranos is not all that dissimilar in style to former Bayern goal-machine Lewandowski. Tidy feet combined with the confidence to take on his man and the added asset of being able to find the net from wide positions, the Armenian is certain to bring plenty of excitement to the Gladbach ranks.
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Did you know?
Ranos's switch to playing up front was a recent development in the player's young career. He started out playing as a winger but showed huge promise when moved inside during the past two campaigns at Bayern.
What they're saying
"Grant-Leon is a very interesting and talented player who can play both as a number 9 and in attacking midfield. He has had a very impressive season in the Regionalliga and wants to prove himself at a higher level with us, and we will help him do that.” - Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus
"I’m thrilled to become part of this great club. It’s a big step in my career and one I will approach full of motivation and commitment. Roland Virkus showed a lot of interest in me and has certainly sold me on Borussia’s path. I want to pay back that faith, prove myself in training and in games, work hard and quickly find my place in the team.” - Ranos shortly after signing for the Foals
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