Hugo Ekitiké spreading his wings at Eintracht Frankfurt
Just like Eintracht Frankfurt mascot Attila the eagle, Hugo Ekitiké is flying high. From forming a formidable strike partnership with Omar Marmoush to scoring on his debut for France Under-21s, the 6'3" striker is understandably ecstatic with life right now.
Last April, Eintracht announced that Ekitiké's loan move to the club from Paris Saint-Germain was to be made permanent, such was the initial impression the striker made at Deutsche Bank Park. A total of six goal involvements in 14 Bundesliga appearances in the second half of 2023/24 helped Frankfurt to a sixth-placed finish and European football.
The 22-year-old isn't holding back at the beginning of the new campaign either and has already racked up six goal involvements in just four league and cup outings.
"When I decided to join Frankfurt, I knew it was the right move," the striker told bundesliga.com. "I knew that this was the perfect club for me in order to play on a regular basis, to become a better football player and to show what I can do. Eintracht feels like a family. We’re all very close."
Watch: Ekitiké and Marmoush: Frankfurt's dream duo
Close, too, is the partnership with Marmoush, Frankfurt's Egypt international who - with three Bundesliga goals to date - is currently challenging the likes of Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Andrej Kramarić of Hoffenheim for the lead in the division's top scorer race.
The Eintracht forwards have produced seven Bundesliga goal involvements between them and have developed a sharp understanding within the structure of coach Dino Toppmöller's side.
Informed that Marmoush once jokingly called his teammate Ekitiké crazy, the latter responded, "He’s the crazy one! I think I just see life in a positive way and I play football to have fun; perhaps in a crazy way." On the duo's notable progress this term, the former Reims player said, "We do play very well together, we understand each other and it’s only getting better, as our opponents will find out."
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The Eagles have picked up two wins from their opening three fixtures in Germany's top flight, with their front pair stealing the headlines in what has been a largely impressive start to the campaign - they also recorded a comfortable DFB Cup first round win against Eintracht Braunschweig into account.
Ekitiké scored twice in that knockout encounter and is now looking forward to his club kicking off their UEFA Europa League campaign against Czech side Viktoria Plzeň. "We played in the Conference League last season, now we have great games to play in the Europa League," he said. "Our ambitions are high, but we will go step by step."
Ekitiké has just taken the next step in his international career too, making the transition from France's U20s to the nation's Under-21s with great success. In the recent UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Bosnia, the Eintracht striker scored a 77th-minute penalty on his debut for Les Bleuets.
Either side of that European clash, Eintracht have games against Borussia Mönchengladbach and Holstein Kiel to focus on. Then, they welcome a side they have enjoyed facing in recent times: Bayern.
The Bavarians - who lost 5-1 in Frankfurt last term - boast in-form forward Kane, whom Ekitiké is a great admirer of. When asked who he felt was the Bundesliga's best striker, the French forward was unequivocal in his response: "Harry Kane: his experience, his stats ... he scores so much; he’s always up there at the top of the list. A great player."
With everything going Ekitiké's way of late, it's no surprise Frankfurt's No.11 is on cloud nine. "Football is my whole life; I can’t be happy without it," he explained. "Football drives me. Being able to have fun on the pitch is what matters most to me. It can always get better, but I'm very happy with my life. I have many good memories, and every day is beautiful."
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