bundesliga

Who will follow Hugo Ekitiké and Omar Marmoush in Eintracht Frankfurt's incredible tradition of strike partnerships?

21.01.2025

Hugo Ekitiké and Omar Marmoush were in dazzling form for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2024/25, serving up a reminder of the club's strong tradition of devastating attacking partnerships. With Marmoush close to leaving for Manchester City, Frankfurt fans can look back fondly and hope history repeats itself.

bundesliga.com defines the dynamic duo's place in a proud history of heroic Frankfurt forwards...

Only 23 minutes had passed in Frankfurt's first home fixture of the season against Hoffenheim on Matchday 2 when they first combined their attacking powers to devastating effect. Marmoush took a long pass down the left on a break and showed extraordinary vision to thread a ball through a small gap in the visitors' defence for Ekitiké to take, round Oliver Baumann with swagger and slot in.

The forceful show of the pair's attacking might was followed minutes later by a moment of sheer footballing poetry as the Egyptian drifted inside from the left again to lay it towards Ekitiké - who held back this time and prodded a deft little pass for Hugo Larsson to chase behind the bewildered Hoffenheim backline and clip past Baumann.

By the time Marmoush added a goal of his own in the second half, it was clear for all to see that Frankfurt's attack was set for great things in 2024/25, powered by a wonderful understanding between two thrilling players.

Watch: Marmoush and Ekitiké run riot as Frankfurt beat Hoffenheim

If the beaming faces around the stands of Deutsche Bank Park looked particularly radiant in the Frankfurt late summer sun back then, it was no doubt because fond memories of yesteryear were being rekindled by the formidable forwards. Following Marmoush's departure in January, another great Frankfurt forward partnership has joined that remarkable history.

Let's cast our minds back. The early 90s has a special place in the hearts of Frankfurt fans - and for good reason. The Eagles regularly challenged for the Bundesliga title, missing out by just two points in 1991/92 and topping the table at the halfway stage of 1993/94, with their thrilling attacking football widely celebrated.

Two mercurial attacking talents epitomised that era for Eintracht. Jay-Jay Okocha was a joyful winger whose range of dinks and tricks were beyond what German football had ever seen at that time. Jürgen Klopp is far from alone in thinking his fabulously cheeky goal against a Karlsruhe side featuring Oliver Kahn in August 1993 is the greatest goal in Bundesliga history.

Watch: Okocha's wondergoal for Frankfurt against Kahn

While Okocha was leaving defenders in a twist from the wing, Tony Yeboah was busy scoring from here, there and everywhere. Ask anyone who followed the Bundesliga in the early 90s and they will likely rave about some of the Ghanaian's long-range stunners or acrobatic efforts as if they were netted yesterday.

The frequency of Yeboah's goals was frightening too, with his 38 strikes in just 49 Bundesliga appearances over the 1992/93 and 1993/94 seasons seeing him crowned the league's top goalscorer at the end of both campaigns.

Tony Yeboah celebrated 96 goals in the Bundesliga for Eintracht Frankfurt and Hamburg. - imago sportfotodienst

Attackers with talents of that magnitude simply do not come in the same side all too often, yet Frankfurt found further attacking fortune a generation later. The Eagles had a front three to cherish in 2018/2019 as Luka Jović, Ante Rebić and Sebastien Haller smashed 41 Bundesliga goals between them - and the so-called 'Buffalo Herd' followed that up with 16 goals in the UEFA Europa League as Eintracht made the semi-finals.

The trio had a superb mix of attacking weapons, with Rebić a winger with a real knack of turning inside and finding the net, Jović an artful finisher and Haller a canny penalty-box operator.

Although that trio departed in summer 2019, it wasn't long until Frankfurt had their next goal hero: André Silva plundered a club record 28 goals in 32 league appearances in 2020/21, while Rafael Borré led the line with four goals in 12 European outings en route to their incredible 2022 Europa League triumph.

Watch: Luka Jovic scores five goals as Frankfurt beat Fortuna Dusseldorf 7-1 in 2018/19

Frankfurt's fondness for attacking phenomena was then rekindled the following season as Randal Kolo Muani joined for 2022/23. The explosive Frenchman duly set the Bundesliga alight with a league-leading 26 goal involvements (15 goals and 11 assists) as the Eagles also made the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

Fast forward to 2024/25 and something very special was seen in another Frankfurt strikeforce. Having joined on a permanent basis in summer 2024 following his loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain - the side Kolo Muani switched to in 2023 - Ekitiké truly flourished. His opener against Hoffenheim was followed by another eight goals in his opening 17 appearances of the season - including a memorable goal on the break in a 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich on Matchday 6 that was also teed up by Marmoush.

Marmoush impressed in 2023/24 with 12 goals - his best-ever Bundesliga haul - following his move from Wolfsburg. He shattered all pre-season expectations in 2024/25 by tormenting defence after defence and firing his way to an astonishing 15 goals in 17 appearances. Among the pick of those strikes was his brilliant brace against Bayern and stunning 30-yard free-kick in a 3-2 win in Stuttgart on Matchday 10.

Coupled with nine assists, he was cited as having the second-most goal involvements in Europe's five biggest leagues behind fellow Egyptian Mo Salah of Liverpool, by the time his departure for Manchester was announced.

Watch: Omar Marmoush bids farewell to Eintracht Frankfurt

Marmoush was given a hero's farewell by Frankfurt fans and teammates after the final whistle of the home encounter with Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 18. Fellow Frankfurt player Oscar Höjlund summed up the mood by saying: "Omar deserved the best possible farewell. He is an incredible guy and has completely deserved that."

Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller said: "He helped us by such an incredible extent, of course. We will miss him as a player and even more as a person."

Marmoush's impending departure might allow Ekitiké to take more of the goalscoring burden as Eintracht target a top-four finish to the season. The fact that yet another sensational strike partnership has come to flourish and be adored by Frankfurt fans before one of its stars leaves on fond terms should increase the prospect of further incredible attackers making their name in the metropolis on the River Main in future.