Kevin Behrens: Who is Wolfsburg's late-blooming Germany striker?
Kevin Behrens has joined Wolfsburg from Bundesliga rivals Union Berlin, three months after making his Germany debut at the age of 32. bundesliga.com profiles the veritable late-bloomer...
Stats correct as of 31 January 2024
Age: 32 (born 3 February 1991)
Club: Wolfsburg
Position: Striker
Country: Germany (one cap)
Key stats
Behrens's first steps in professional football were taken with hometown team Werder Bremen, whom he joined in 2008 at the age of 17. They never gave him a first-team chance, despite his 10 goals in 24 games with their reserves in 2010/11, and he spent the next decade bouncing around the lower reaches of German football.
His goalscoring record was impressive with multiple clubs, though - 10 goals in 26 league games with Wilhelmshaven, 17 in 40 with Hannover's reserves, eight in 28 for Alemannia Aachen, three in eight with Rot-Weiss Essen and 35 in 78 with Saarbrücken, before his 2018 move to Sandhausen. Another 20 in 68 there, and Union took a calculated risk.
Starting the 2023/24 season head and shoulders above the rest - quite literally, with all four goals in the first two matchdays being headers! - Behrens caught the eye of new Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann, who included him in the squad for October 2023 friendlies against the USA and Mexico.
Watch: All Kevin Behrens's Bundesliga goals for Union Berlin in 2023/24
Plays a bit like: Niclas Füllkrug
While many of Germany's attacking options are hybrid forwards like Timo Werner or Kai Havertz, Behrens and Niclas Füllkrug are classic strikers. Both are around the 6'-tall mark, but use their positioning and timing to win the majority of their aerial duels. Behrens has won on average over five per game this season and all four of his goals this term have been headers, adding that something different to the Germany front line.
Did you know?
Kevin may be no relation to former Nuremberg mainstay Hanno Behrens, but he does come from a sporting family. German volleyball and beach volleyball player Kim van de Velde - who was a European Championship runner-up with partner Cinja Tillmann in the latter discipline two years ago - is his younger sister.
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What they're saying
"Kevin knows the league well and won't need much time to settle. He's proven at this level and will enhance our attacking options. He's a real menace in the air." - Wolfsburg sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz
"He's a great guy, also in the dressing room, always ready for a bit of fun." - former Union head coach Urs Fischer
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