Niclas Füllkrug: Who is the veteran striker heading back to Werder Bremen?
A late bloomer, new Werder Bremen striker Niclas Füllkrug waited until his 30s before taking on the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup...
Age: 33 (born 9 February 1993)
Club: Werder Bremen (on loan from West Ham)
Position: Striker
Country: Germany (24 caps/ 14 goals)
Stats correct as of 18 August 2026
Key stats
When Füllkrug joined English side West Ham United in 2024, he had just enjoyed one of the best campaigns of his career for club and country. The striker ended that season with 12 goals and eight league assists for Borussia Dortmund, but it was in the Champions League where he made his biggest contribution, finding the back of the net on three occasions as BVB reached the final.
The Black-Yellows ultimately succumbed to Real Madrid, but there was more to come weeks later. Füllkrug was selected for Germany's home UEFA Euro 2024 tournament, having already scored twice in only three appearances at the World Cup in 2022. That trend would continue, with Füllkrug netting twice in five influential appearances.
Watch: Füllkrug finds the net AGAIN
Füllkrug's place in the Germany squad was just reward for his consistency at club level. Before the switch to Dortmund in the summer of 2023, the then 31-year-old became the first Bremen player since Miroslav Klose in 2005/06 to end a season as Bundesliga top scorer, sharing the crown with former RB Leipzig star Christopher Nkunku after 16 strikes apiece in 2022/23.
He has been churning out goals for much longer, though. His 19 strikes and eight assists played a crucial role in Werder's promotion back to the Bundesliga in 2022, while he also kept hometown club Hannover afloat with 14 Bundesliga goals in 2017/18, having previously gained invaluable second-tier experience with Nuremberg and Greuther Fürth (24 goals in 85 games combined).
Füllkrug managed three goals and two assists in 29 outings for West Ham, while a loan spell with Italian giants AC Milan during the second half of 2025/26 produced one goal in 20 appearances. Having now returned to the more familiar environment of the Weserstadion, Füllkrug will be confident of terrorising Bundesliga defences once again in 2026/27.
Plays a bit like: Mario Gomez
Füllkrug shares more than a few similarities with former Germany strikers Klose and Mario Gomez.
A robust and prolific target man, he 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.
Gomez cemented his status as a VfB Stuttgart legend after returning to the Baden-Württemberg club following a nine-year absence in 2018. Füllkrug, naturally, will be looking to do likewise at Werder.
Watch: Super Mario Gomez
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 once told 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. At one stage during the 2023/24 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
"He knows the Bundesliga inside out and is someone who can make an immediate impact for us." - Werder Bremen's head of professional football, Peter Niemeyer
"His strike rate is exceptional. He can probably only be compared to Gerd Müller." - former Bayer Leverkusen and Germany striker Rudi Völler
"You could sense his presence up front as soon as he entered the pitch." - former Germany coach Hansi Flick after Füllkrug's international debut
