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Noel Futkeu is leading Greuther FĂŒrth in the 2. Bundesliga, scoring 18 goals and assisting 5 in 33 matches this season. His performance is crucial for the team's survival in the league.
Germany's strongest back? This pro carries his team alone!
According to the âStatistaâ database, one third of all adults in Germany suffer from recurring back problems. Even though we donât want to think so, Noel Futkeu is probably one of them right now. The striker is currently carrying Greuther FĂŒrth all by himself in the 2. Bundesliga. An entire team? How is that even possible?
Strictly speaking, the Clover Leaves do of course still have eleven players on the pitch every game â but without Futkeu, they could have started planning seriously for the 3. Liga months ago. Without a doubt, the 23-year-old is the biggest insurance policy any team in German professional football can have these days
In 33 matches this season, Futkeu has scored 18 goals and set up another five. That means he has been involved in 50 percent of all of FĂŒrthâs goals this season. Most recently, the former Frankfurt player scored in four straight games. In the 3-2 home win against Darmstadt 98 on Matchday 30, Futkeu even bagged a hat-trick. Naturally, he was also there for FĂŒrth in their most important game of the season.
In the Franconian derby just under two weeks ago, Futkeu at least secured a point for his Clover Leaves in a 1-1 draw. He was so impressive that even a legendary striker was raving about him afterwards
âFutkeu is a very exciting striker. He is very mobile, finds his own spaces and is always active. He also has a certain calmness when the ball is moving around. He recognizes when the defender steps out, when he can run into the space behind, when he has to come short for the ball. On top of that, he is very difficult for defenders to defend against.â Miro Klose was visibly impressed by the opposing forwardâs abilities. Was Miro already eyeing a possible summer transfer?
đž Maja Hitij - 2026 Getty Images
Noel Futkeu has scored 18 goals this season for Greuther FĂŒrth.
Noel Futkeu has been involved in 50 percent of all of Greuther FĂŒrth's goals this season.
In the match against Darmstadt 98, Noel Futkeu scored a hat-trick.
Noel Futkeu is considered crucial because, without him, Greuther FĂŒrth would likely be facing relegation to the 3. Liga.
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If so, we have to burst the 2014 World Cup winnerâs bubble. On April 20, 2026, Eintracht Frankfurt announced the strikerâs return. After Futkeu moved from Frankfurtâs U21s to FĂŒrth in the summer of 2024, the Hessian club had a buy-back option written into his contract. And that is exactly what SGE activated. For just âŹ1.3 million, Futkeu will return to his former club this summer. Sounds like a perfect story for everyone involved, doesnât it?
Frankfurt get back a ready-made striker, and FĂŒrth pocket a transfer profit of over one million euros. So whereâs the problem? The problem is 17th place in the table. Before todayâs game against Fortuna DĂŒsseldorf (kick-off 15:30), the Green-Whites are sitting in a direct relegation spot. A defeat or a draw against DĂŒsseldorf would send them down to the third tier for the first time since 1997. At least a win could, for the time being, lift them into the relegation play-off place.
That would require either Bielefeld to lose to Hertha BSC at the same time, or FĂŒrth to score at least three goals against Fortuna and move ahead of them on goal difference. If both happen, then in the best-case scenario even 15th place is still possible.
âThe fact is: we have to win now. This is a very big task for us now,â Noel Futkeu stressed to 'Sportschau' during the week.
Luckily, the striker recently proved that he can score three goals in a game. And letâs be honest: what kind of footballing hero story would it be if a player carried his team on his back all season only for them to go down in the end?
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in đ©đȘ here.