Who is Mitchell Weiser, the Bremen full-back eligible for Algeria?
He has played in Europe for Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, scored the winning goal for a Germany team in a major tournament final, is a fan of vegan food and is able to switch to play for Algeria. bundesliga.com tells you all you need to know about Werder Bremen's full-back with a remarkable back story...
Statistics correct as of 17 October 2024
Mitchell Weiser
Age: 30 (born 21 April 1994)
Club: Werder Bremen
Position: Right-back
Nationality: Germany/Algeria (12 Germany under-21 caps, one goal)
Key stats
Weiser truly is a wise top-flight operator these days - boasting over 200 Bundesliga appearances for five different clubs.
He developed at Cologne and became the club's youngest-ever Bundesliga player in his one-and-only appearance for them as a 17-year-old in February 2012. He was regarded as one of the brightest young prospects in German football and was promptly snapped up by giants Bayern Munich weeks after his 18th birthday.
Weiser would make 16 Bundesliga appearances and three brief UEFA Champions League cameos before moving on from Bayern at the end of the 2014/15 campaign and signing for Hertha Berlin. He became a regular feature in the Bundesliga for the first time in his three seasons in the German capital and settled into a right-back role, having deployed his artful play as a marauding winger earlier in his career.
It was during his spell at Hertha that his greatest international success so far came, with the last of 12 Germany under-21 caps coming in the final of the 2017 European Championship against Spain - and Weiser heading the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory. A move to Bayer Leverkusen followed in summer 2018, bringing further Europa League and Champions League experience, though he fell out of favour in his third season and a move to Bremen, then in Bundesliga 2, came in the summer of 2021.
Weiser played a key part in Werder's promotion under Ole Werner in 2021/22 and their subsequent survival and consolidation in the two seasons since. It was confirmed in October 2024 that Weiser is elegible to play for the Algerian national team via his maternal grandfather, and he has said he has always aimed to play in a major full international tournament.
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Plays like: Maximilian Mittelstädt
Although a young Weiser's joyfully creative play was deemed by some to be more Brazlian than typically German, the Germany and Stuttgart left-black is a clear contemporary comparsion. Both players defend with duty but plow forward on their respective sides of the field, and both featured in the top 10 for crosses from open play in 2023/24. Weiser's 16 assists over the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons are superior to the four of Mittelstädt - a former team-mate from Weiser's Hertha Berlin days.
Did you know?
Weiser became a vegan when playing for Hertha Berlin in 2017 and has stuck to the diet since, saying: "I saw a few documentaries and then just tried it out. I've been able to sleep a lot better since then and recover better after matches. In general, I feel happier."
Watch: Weiser scores winner as Bremen win at his former club Bayern in 2023/24
What they’re saying
"We are pleased to have completed the move. There is no need to talk about his qualities, he has played a big part in our promotion, and we certain that his experience of 140 Bundesliga matches will make him a key part of our side in future." - Weder Bremen head of football Clemens Fritz on Weiser making a loan spell permanent in July 2022.
"We saw what an incredible footballer Mitch is. It makes me think how we can get more creativity in our attacking play with him." - Werder Bremen coach Ole Werner after using Weiser in an attacking role in a 4-3 win at Hoffenheim in 2024/25.
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