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Ranking the five highest scoring teenagers in Bundesliga history

Jadon Sancho continues to flourish on the continent, the England international starring as one of the finest young players in the Bundesliga following another impressive campaign at Borussia Dortmund.

Germany’s top flight has long produced exciting teenage talents and Sancho is amongst the latest to have shone in recent years, the recently turned 20-year-old unquestionably one of the stars of the division at present.

We’ve decided to look back at some other precocious talents to make their mark in the Bundesliga, here are the five highest scoring teenagers in the division’s history:

Klaus Fischer – 19 goals

The former Germany international burst onto the scene as a teenager at 1860 Munich before enjoying a memorable career for both club and country, developing a reputation as a specialist of the acrobatic overhead effort.

Fischer spent just two seasons with the Munich side – scoring 28 league goals and 19 as a teenager – before heading to Schalke where he scored prolifically for over a decade. The forward scored 226 goals in just 349 appearances in all competitions, including finishing as the Bundesliga’s top scorer in 1976.

At international level Fischer scored 32 goals in just 45 caps for West Germany, forming part of the side that finished as World Cup runners-up in 1982 – memorably scoring a trademark overhead kick equaliser in extra-time of the tournament semi-final against France.

Fischer remains Schalke’s all-time record goalscorer and the second-highest scorer in Bundesliga history, behind only Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller.

Olaf Thon – 20 goals

Thon made his debut for Schalke aged just 17-years-old, though the midfielder quickly demonstrated an eye for goal to help fire the club back into the Bundesliga after slipping into Germany’s second tier.

The talented youngster scored ten league goals in each of his first two full seasons at the top level, scoring 20 times before his 20th birthday as Schalke sought to reestablish themselves as a Bundesliga side.

Relegation four years later, however, saw Thon head to Bayern Munich in 1988, winning three Bundesliga titles with the Bavarian giants and forming part of the German national side which were crowned world champions at Italia ’90.

Thon later returned to Schalke and finished his career with 384 appearances for the club over two spells, playing out his final seasons as a sweeper for the Gelsenkirchen side.

Horst Köppel – 24 goals

Köppel made his name as a young player with Stuttgart and made an immediate impact after being handed his opportunity as a teenager, scoring 24 Bundesliga goals before his 20th birthday to earn a move to Borussia Monchengladbach.

The forward spent two spells each with Stuttgart and Monchengladbach throughout his career, enjoying great success with the latter winning five Bundesliga titles and two UEFA Cups, in addition to being part of the side which lost to Liverpool in the 1977 European Cup final.

Köppel made just 11 appearances on the international stage, however, forming part of the West Germany side that were crowned European champions in 1972 but failing to feature in the final victory over the Soviet Union.

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Kai Havertz – 24 goals

Level with Köppel as the second-highest scoring Bundesliga teenager is a hugely promising modern talent, Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz.

Havertz became the youngest Bundesliga debutant in Leverkusen’s history when making his first appearance for the club as a 17-year-old in October 2016, before quickly establishing himself as a key figure and amongst the most exciting young talents in world football.

The youngest ever player to reach the milestones of 50 and 100 Bundesliga appearances, Havertz has also proven a reliable source of goals after a breakthrough campaign in 2018/19 – scoring 17 times in the league as Leverkusen qualified for the Champions League.

Technically gifted, two-footed and versatile, Havertz has been linked with moves to some of Europe’s elite clubs in recent times though it will likely take a huge bid to prize him away from the BayArena.

Havertz scored 24 league goals before turning 20 and has 30 to his name to date, the 20-year-old having also opened his senior account for Germany with a goal against Argentina in October of last year.

Jadon Sancho – 27 goals

The highest scoring teenager in the history of the Bundesliga is Jadon Sancho, the Borussia Dortmund starlet eclipsing the previous landmark with the opening goal of a convincing win over Union Berlin in February.

Sancho’s exposure to regular first-team football since making the move to Germany has seen the winger develop into one of European football’s most exciting young players, with the world’s biggest clubs set to go head-to-head for his services in a transfer frenzy this summer.

The England international has starred once more this season and has scored 14 times in the Bundesliga for Lucien Favre’s side so far, firing Dortmund into title contention by also providing a further 15 assists.

His numbers are remarkable for a player who only turned 20-years-old last week, Sancho potentially a generational talent given his current level of performance and room for improvement.

Already established in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, the winger has scored 31 goals in 90 appearances for Dortmund in all competitions and could be set for a mega-money return to the Premier League this summer.

Read – Five Bundesliga stars we’d love to see strutting their stuff in the Premier League

Read Also – Five of the dirtiest football matches ever: Portugal-Netherlands, Dirty Leeds, and the Battle of Santiago

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