Noël Aséko Nkili: Who is the young Bayern Munich midfielder?
Noël Aséko has been going from strength to strength in Bayern Munich's youth ranks and the midfielder was recently rewarded for his efforts with a professional contract at the German giants. bundesliga.com takes a look at the promising young talent ...
Data correct as of 15 May 2024
Noël Aséko
Club: Bayern Munich
Age: 18 (born 22 November 2005)
Position: Defensive midfielder
Country: Germany (U18, five caps)
Key stats
Berlin-born Aséko made his name in the youth ranks of local side Hertha Berlin, whom he joined in 2017 at the age of 11. His performances in the 2021/22 season for Hertha Berlin U17 would earn him admirers far and wide.
Aséko provided some eight assists in 15 appearances in the regular season, making him the joint most creative player in the young Hertha team's regional division. As winners, Hertha progressed to the semi-finals of the German U17 championship that season.
Record German champions Bayern pounced in the summer of 2022 to take Aséko to Bavaria. He immediately gained selection with Bayern's U19 side, and scored a goal on his debut in a 4-1 win at Eintracht Trier. He was then promoted to the reserves as the 2022/23 season progressed.
After making six appearances for Bayern's UEFA Youth League side, Thomas Tuchel took note and called Aséko onto the substitutes' bench for Bundesliga encounters against VfB Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in December 2023, with illness making regular defensive midfielders Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich both unavailable. He was given an opportunity to impress during Bayern's winter trip to Switzerland and he took it with both hands, scoring the equaliser in their 1-1 draw with record Swiss champions Basel on 6 January 2024.
On 15 May 2024, Aséko agreed personal terms on a professional contract with Bayern that runs until 30 June 2026.
Plays a bit like: Aleksandar Pavlović
Bayern have found a duo of golden defensive midfield talents in Aséko and Pavlović. While the latter made five Bundesliga appearances in the first half of the 2023/24 season, the former is not far off. Both players boast superb passing ability and a handy knack of picking up assists from a deep position, which might lend comparisons to a Bayern great they are battling for playing time with - Joshua Kimmich.
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Did you know?
Aséko may have represented the country of his birth, Germany, at youth level, but plenty of pride was shared in the country his family hails from, Equatorial Guinea, upon his signing for Bayern. Reports from the West African state celebrated the fact he is the first Bayern player in history with a background from the country.
What they're saying
"We had Noël on our radar for a long time. He is a real top talent for his age and position." Jochen Sauer, head of the Bayern Campus (academy) on his signing from Hertha Berlin in July 2022
"Noël is a hard-running and technically polished central midfielder, who can keep on finding his team-mates in a good position. He also has a great mentality and can really fire on a team. We are certain of his qualities and that he will continue to develop with us." Holger Seitz, head of youth at Bayern Munich
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