Union Berlin fans will be eager to see plenty of Jordan 'Pefok' Siebatcheu's goal celebration this season. - © Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via www.imago-images.de/imago images/Icon SMI

bundesliga

Jordan 'Pefok' Siebatcheu: 5 things on Borussia Mönchengladbach's USA international striker on loan from Union Berlin

30.08.2023

Born in the USA, raised in France and with Cameroonian parents, Theoson-Jordan ‘Pefok’ Siebatcheu’s richly layered back story is equally as fascinating as his tireless quest for goals out on the pitch.

bundesliga.com has the lowdown on USMNT international striker who's swapped Union Berlin for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2023/24…

1) Born in the USA

Born in Washington DC on 26 April 1996, ‘Pefok’ (more on that later) moved to Reims in north-eastern France before his first birthday. While he still has relatives in the US, he grew up in France with his mother, sister and two younger brothers, eventually joining the Reims academy when he was just six years old.

2) Early promise, unique goal celebration

Standing at 6’3” and weighing 185 pounds (1.90 metres / 84 kg), Jordan put his immense physical prowess to good use as a youngster. He made his Ligue 1 debut for Reims at the age of 18 against Toulouse in January 2015, and scored three top-flight goals the following season.

It wasn’t until the 2017/18 campaign that he truly announced his arrival on the professional game, however, registering 17 goals and seven assists in the French second division to help his side gain promotion. Not only that, but his form earned him a call-up to the France U21s in 2017, where he made two appearances in a side containing the likes of Benjamin Pavard, Nordi Mukiele and Abdou Diallo.

A high-profile move to Rennes followed in summer 2018, but increased competition for places, a thigh injury and later a coronavirus infection limited his playing time, and he left the club for Young Boys in Switzerland in summer 2020 with just eight goals from 44 competitive outings.

Incidentally, his memorable goal celebration, in which he touches the tips of his index fingers together and raises his thumbs, has a special meaning. "The gesture shows my connection to everyone who supports me," he said.

Pefok's unique goal celebration has a special meaning behind it. - MANUEL GEISSER via www.imago-images.de/imago images/Geisser

3) Call me Pefok

Known simply as “Jordy” to his teammates, Jordan also earned the nickname ‘Air Jordan’ at Young Boys thanks to his impressive aerial ability.

On the back of his shirt, however, he has often sported the name ‘Pefok’ - his mother’s first name - throughout his career. He has requested to be called that in the media and his Twitter handle even alludes to that fact, stating: ‘Call me Pefok’. But in the Bundesliga, he's been just 'Jordan'.

4) Big-game player

The striker endured a difficult start with Young Boys and failed to find the net at all in his first 10 appearances in the Swiss Super League. He soon proved his worth, however, scoring eight times in his next eight outings and ending his debut campaign with 12 goals and four assists in 32 games. As a result, the club acted swiftly to turn his initial loan from Rennes into a permanent move in May 2021.

Not only that, but Jordan has a knack of hitting the target when it matters most. He scored three goals in a 6-2 aggregate victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 in 2020/21, and in September 2021 he made headlines the world over with his 95th-minute winner against Manchester United in the Champions League group stage. He was on target again in that competition with a goal in a 3-3 draw with Atalanta.

His Bundesliga debut with Union produced similar big-game heroics as he netted in a 3-1 derby win over Hertha Berlin - having also struck on his competitive bow for the club in the DFB Cup. All told, Jordan's five goals from 44 outings in all competitions for Die Eisernen all came in victories.

Watch: Jordan's debut derby heroics

5) USA international

Jordan’s rise in the game in 2018 led to a first approach from the US national team, which he turned down at the time. “I’d just moved to Rennes and wanted to get integrated into my new team.”

However, under the tutelage of former Schalke head coach David Wagner at Young Boys – Wagner was born in Germany but earned eight caps for the USMNT as a player in the 1990s – he accepted when Gregg Berhalter approached him again.

“Jordan’s history with the USA is special and he speaks much better French than he does English,” said Wagner. “But my own route into the USMNT was via a round-about route, and I played for Germany’s U21.

Jordan’s senior international debut arrived in a friendly against Jamaica in March 2021, and he was part of the team that won the CONCACAF Nations League later that year, even scoring the only goal of the game in the semi-final triumph over Honduras.

“We’ve got a strong team with players like Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic, who give great support to a centre froward,” he said.

He has since turned out nine times for the Stars and Stripes and will now play alongside fellow US international Joe Scally at Gladbach - a club that has also hosted American national team players like Kasey Keller, Michael Bradley and Fabian Johnson.