A late bloomer, Niclas Füllkrug waited until his 30s before taking on the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup. Up next is the English Premier League...

*Stats correct as of 5 August 2024

Niclas Füllkrug

Age: 31 (born 9 February 1993)
Club: West Ham
Position: Striker
Country: Germany (21 caps/ 13 goals)

Key stats

Füllkrug joins West Ham United after one of his best campaigns for club and country. The striker ended the 2023/24 club season with 12 Bundesliga strikes, as well as eight assists. It was in the Champions League, though, where he made his biggest contribution, finding the back of the net on three occasions as Dortmund reached the final. It wasn't to be for the Black-Yellows as they ultimately succumbed to Real Madrid, but there was more to come weeks later.

Füllkrug was selected by Julian Nagelsmann for Germany's home Euro 2024 tournament, having already scored twice at the 2022 World Cup in just three appearances. The trend would continue, with Füllkrug scoring twice in five games, despite limited minutes as a substitute in each of his nation's matches in their run to the quarter-finals. That starring performance would take the Hannover-born striker's total international numbers to 13 goals in 21 games, with a minutes-per-goal rate that only the legendary Gerd Müller can better in Germany colours.

His latter-day role in the Germany squad was just reward for his consistency over the past few years. Before the switch to Dortmund in the summer of 2023, the 31-year-old became the first Werder Bremen player since Miroslav Klose in 2005/06 to end a season as Bundesliga top scorer, sharing the crown with Christopher Nkunku after 16 strikes apiece in 2022/23.

Watch: All of Niclas Füllkrug's 2023/24 Bundesliga goals & assists

While he has established himself amongst the elite over the past 24 months, he has been providing positive results for much longer. His 19 goals and eight assists played a crucial role in Werder's promotion back to the Bundesliga in 2020. He also kept hometown club Hannover afloat with a previous career-best single-campaign haul of 14 Bundesliga goals in 2017/18, having previously gained some invaluable experience in Germany's second tier with Nuremberg and Greuther Fürth (a combined 24 goals in 85 games).

Eight goals for the Germany U19s and 20s were further evidence of his innate nose for the back of the opposition net - instinct laid bare against Oman on his senior international debut. Introduced as a half-time substitute, the Werder talisman scored with his second attempt, before being denied his brace by an offside flag. He repeated the trick on his third international appearance, stepping off the bench to secure a point against Group E rivals Spain on World Cup Matchday 2. And lightning struck for a third time in the final group game, netting once again after his introduction against Costa Rica to make it three goals in his first four (all as a sub) caps. He marked his first start with a brace in a March 2023 friendly win over Peru. At Euro 2024, he scored twice in Group A, making it four goals off the bench at major tournaments, a new record for Germany.

Plays a bit like: Mario Gomez

Toni Kroos touched on some of the similarities Füllkrug shares with former Germany strikers Klose and Mario Gomez in the build-up to the World Cup.

"We actually almost always had someone like him with Miro [Klose], Mario Gomez," the Real Madrid and ex-Germany midfielder said. "I think those are the types of players who can really help you in certain situations, and Hansi [Flick] knows that."

The robust and prolific new Dortmund target man perhaps has more in common with Gomez, who forged a reputation as a classic fox in the box during a playing career that produced over 500 goals for club and country.

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Did you know?

There are plenty of older brothers out there who would do anything to avoid their little sister tagging along to meet their buddies - but not Füllkrug.

"I always liked bringing her with me to play football," he revealed as per a report in SportBild. "And when it turned out she was better than some of my mates, I enjoyed it all the more. She has great technique and moves really well."

So well, in fact, that Anna-Lena Füllkrug now plays for the Hannover women's team. Not just that, but at one stage last season she boasted an even better strike rate than her famous brother - known among his teammates as 'Lücke', the German word for 'gap' on account of the the gap in his front teeth - with 13 goals in 11 Frauen Regionalliga games.

What they're saying

"Niclas deserved the goal. He had two or three other shots. You could sense his presence up front as soon as he was on the pitch." - Hansi Flick after Füllkrug's Germany debut

Füllkrug has become a mainstay in Germany's forward line since making his international debut in 2022. - Getty Images

"Hansi's not blind. Füllkrug is performing and is the smart choice." - Germany legend Lothar Matthäus

"'Fülle' can be important for the national team, just like he is for us. There are outstanding technical players [ahead of him], but if you want to play with a classic nine, I don't think there's anyone better." - Bremen defender Niklas Stark

"Niclas is a playmaking attacker, very strong with his head, physically impressive, convincing in one-on-one duels and unpleasant for his opponents [to face]. With all these skills, he embodies the profile we were looking for." - BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl upon signing Füllkrug

"His strike rate is exceptional. He can probably only be compared to Gerd Müller" - Rudi Völler

About the clubs

Borussia Dortmund

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