Who is Younes Ebnoutalib? Meet the Frankfurt striker who rose from obscurity to reach the Bundesliga

For Younes Ebnoutalib, the dream of a football career appeared to be over. 

It was December 2023 and a move to Perugia from his native Germany, where the now 22-year-old striker came through the youth ranks at Heddernheim, Rot-Weiss Frankfurt and Wehen Wiesbaden, had gone badly from day one. 

Eighteen months earlier, he had been shouted off the training pitch by a coach at his first session with the senior team. Ebnoutalib would go on to play just one game in the Italian third tier before a dismal period in Umbria ended with a fractured metatarsal and the cancellation of his contract by mutual consent. More than seven months without football would follow.  

Such tales are commonplace in a sport that habitually chews up and spits out talent. What has happened since, however, is anything but ordinary. While many young players would have faded into obscurity after such a setback, Ebnoutalib’s nadir laid the foundations for an astonishing rise that culminated last month in an €8m (£7m) move to Eintracht Frankfurt, for whom the forward could make his Bundesliga debut against Borussia Dortmund on Friday night. Without the brutal experience of his time in Perugia, it might never have happened. 

Younes Ebnoutalib: ‘My time in Perugia made me stronger’

“It shaped me a lot as a person,” said Ebnoutalib, whose rapid ascent from obscurity has become the talk of his hometown. “I changed as a character. I used to be very quiet, but my time in Italy made me stronger. If I hadn’t gone through that experience, I wouldn’t be where I am today. 

“It taught me: never give up, no matter what situation you’re in, but always keep doing everything you can to achieve your goals. Now I’ve been rewarded for it, thankfully.”  

The journey towards that point began in earnest when Ebnoutalib joined Giessen, a fourth-tier German side, in the summer of 2024. After scoring on his debut against Bahlinger, he came to the attention of Bundesliga 2 side Elversberg, who moved quickly to acquire his services in the next transfer window.

Younes Ebnoutalib’s rise with Bundesliga 2 Elversberg

Used sparingly over the final months of that season, Ebnoutalib was handed his first start against Hertha Berlin in late August and responded with a brace. Then, he began scoring for fun. Another two-goal salvo followed against Dynamo Dresden, and a third in succession against Eintracht Braunschweig. By December, Ebnoutalib was the division’s top scorer, with a dozen goals from 17 outings.   

“We noticed Younes during his very first games for Giessen, immediately saw great potential in him, and were impressed very early on,” said Elversberg sporting director Ole Book. “My closest colleague, David Blacha, was then present at almost every regional league game Giessen played.

“It’s extraordinary that a young player with this raw talent had previously fallen through the cracks.”

‘One of the most exciting German strikers right now’

It remains to be seen how that talent will translate into the top flight, but the auspices are encouraging. Timmo Hardung, sporting director at a club that has forged a reputation for developing elite forwards like Randal Kolo Muani, Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike, has no doubt about Ebnoutalib’s potential.

“In Younes Ebnoutalib, we’ve signed one of the most exciting German strikers right now,” said Hardung. “He brings a great work ethic, big physical presence and strength in the box. He’s also a well-rounded player. Not just in terms of his physical presence, but also his footballing quality, his work rate and his dynamism, which are all qualities you want in a forward.”

For Ebnoutalib, who was born in Frankfurt and still has family there, the allure of the Waldstadion was irresistible, despite a rival offer from Wolfsburg. Together with his relatives and agent, the striker gave serious consideration to that opportunity. After the challenges he faced in Perugia, however, the chance to return home was too good to resist.

‘I would come home after training and be alone’

“Before, I would always come home after training and be alone,” said Ebnoutalib, whose prospects of featuring against Dortmund look promising given the injury absence of Jonathan Burkardt and the recent loan departure of Elye Wahi to Nice. “Now, after training I go home, and my whole family is there. I’m still living with my family at the moment. But we actually want to move in together. That’s in the planning stages.”

Given his family’s sporting pedigree – his father, Faissal, was a silver medalist in Taekwondo at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, while his mother is a former handball player and his brother, Ilias, plays as a centre-back for second-tier Hannover – a return to the fold should be no bad thing. With a stable platform in place, all that remains is to show that he can perform on a larger stage – starting, perhaps, against Karim Adeyemi, Serhou Guirassy and company on Friday night.

“I would say step by step,” said Ebnoutalib of the prospect of facing Niko Kovac’s obdurate Dortmund side. “I’m simply trying to focus on myself. To give my best in training. To show my qualities. The decision ultimately rests with the coach.”