Antonio Nusa: Who is RB Leipzig's new signing compared to Erling Haaland and Neymar?
He has been compared to Erling Haaland and tipped for greatness by the iconic Cristian Chivu, but new RB Leipzig signing Antonio Nusa sees himself as "a creator of chaos" like Brazilian superstar Neymar. bundesliga.com peels away the layers to reveal who the Norway international forward is...
Stats correct as of 13 August 2024
Antonio Nusa
Age: 19 (born 17 April, 2005)
Club: RB Leipzig
Position: Left winger
Nationality: Norway (7 caps/1 goal)
Key stats
Martin Ødegaard and Haaland may well have another world-class teammate to play with at international level if Nusa fulfils the enormous potential he has suggested he has at the Red Bull Arena.
Born and raised in Langhus just outside Oslo, a three-year spell at Stabæk in his native country already got people talking. One of them was former Romania international and a member of Inter Milan's 2009/10 treble-winning side, Cristian Chivu, who watched Nusa in a Stabæk youth game.
Chivu predicted the youngster would have a bright future, and he was right, because after just a handful of first-team appearances, Nusa's 2021 move to Club Brugge kickstarted everything.
Becoming the second-youngest player to score in the UEFA Champions League in a 4-0 away win over Porto on his competition debut in September 2022 certainly helped Nusa get noticed. He ended the campaign with 34 first-team appearances, enough to convince former Cologne boss and Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken to give him his senior international debut at the start of the following season.
He upped his tally to 46 first-team games last season, but would not even have finished the 2023/24 campaign a Brugge player had a January move to English Premier League side Brentford not fallen through.
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"We thought it was the right step at that moment, and then some complications occurred which meant that I had to be checked about the medical," Nusa, who had also been linked to Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, explained to Norwegian TV. "But I got it clarified here in Norway and together with Bruges. Fortunately, it turned out that there was nothing wrong. But it was very close and a big deal."
Instead, it is Leipzig who have got their big deal over the line.
Plays a bit like: Neymar
"I like to create chaos,” Nusa told Norwegian media in April 2021. “Neymar is my role model because he creates chaos on the pitch with his dribbling, just like me. He is one of the best in the world.”
Nusa, who has two Belgian league winner's medals to his name, is not yet in the same bracket as the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star as his record of seven goals and six assists in 86 Brugge appearances suggests. But his exceptional qualities mean there is significant room for improvement.
His pace down the left flank would be enough for most defenders to contend with, but he also has magnetic close control, and can go either way round his marker. An inverted winger, he can cut inside and shoot with his stronger right foot, and only 10 Belgian Pro League players had more efforts on goal than him in the 2023/24 season. That would suggest his precision needs working on, but Leipzig are surely aware - as they have been with other young players, such as Christopher Nkunku and Benjamin Šeško - they are getting a rough diamond that will take time to polish up.
"I can see similarities to Neymar in Nusa's movements and the way he uses the ball,” former Stabaek team-mate, Mats Solheim, told GOAL. “There is still a small gap between them, but he can get there.”
Watch: Nusa joins Leipzig
Did you know?
Nusa was born in Norway to a Nigerian father and Norwegian mother. His surname hails from Nigeria's Benin Kingdom and means, "What God says will come to pass."
What they're saying
"When you look back to when they were both 14-15 years old, I feel Antonio was the greater talent." - Gaute Larsen, who coached both Haaland and Nusa as kids
"He brings colour to a team and can be very good, but he's barely 18 and needs time. Soon, you'll be comparing him to Haaland, which shouldn't be the case." - Brugge boss Ronny Deila in March 2024
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