Nicolas Kühn has been in stunning form for Celtic this season. - © IMAGO / Shutterstock

bundesliga

Nicolas Kühn: Who is Celtic's former Bayern Munich wonderkid?

28.09.2024

German football will get a fresh look at Nicolas Kühn when Leipzig head to Celtic in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Nicolas Kühn
Age: 24
Club: Celtic
Position: Winger
Country: Germany (U20 cap)

Key stats

Kühn joined Celtic from Rapid Vienna in January, and has moved up a gear this season after an already impressive first six months in Glasgow. In the current campaign, the former Germany youth international has hit seven goals and 10 assists, giving him a goal involvement of one every 58 minutes he has played.

Pre-season had augured well, with two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win over Manchester City in North Carolina, but the winger has also played for some of the game's biggest clubs as well as scoring against them.

Kühn has represented Germany at every youth level from U15 to U21, earning recognition as the best U19 player of the year in 2019. - Christof Koepsel/Getty Images for DFB

Kühn was lured to RB Leipzig from Hannover by current Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß at the age of 15 in 2015, but he was spirited away to Erik ten Hag's Ajax three years later. Kühn then joined Bayern Munich on loan, and had a hand in three goals as their reserves swept to the 3. Liga title - also under Hoeneß - in 2020.

By this time, Kühn had long since racked up 32 youth international caps and 19 goals between U15 and U20 level with Germany, but with a glut of talented wide men in his way - Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman among them - Kühn left on loan for Erzgebirge Aue before making his top-flight debut across the border in Austria with Rapid in 2022.

Plays a bit like: Leroy Sané

A spritely left-footer with a quick turn of pace and a willingness to take on opponents, Kühn is stylistically similar to his former Bayern teammate, Sané. Kühn isn't afraid to take risks, although his decision-making has improved in recent seasons, hence his increasing attacking output. He is equally at home on the left or right flank, and can even play behind the strikers as a support man.

Did you know?

Kühn was awarded the gold Fritz Walter medal as Germany's best young footballer at U19 level in 2019, following in the footsteps of Kai Havertz (2018), Antonio Rüdiger (2012) and Marc-André ter Stegen (2011), to name just three previous winners.

What they're saying

"He's a technically strong, agile player who fits in well with us and helped us win the title. We expect a lot from him in the future." - Jochen Sauer, head of the FC Bayern Campus

"I always just wanted to play football. It was never about money or fame for me. I consciously gave up a lot, maybe I also wanted to get away from these big names." - Kühn on forging his career away from the beaten track

"He's a very intelligent footballer, technically very gifted, creative, dangerous in front of goal and, above all, incredibly quick with the ball." – Manuel Baum, Kühn's former Germany U20 coach