The Bundesliga has been the breeding ground for some of the best young talents in Europe over the past few years. Last season, Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz — who now looks to be on his way to Chelsea — took the league by storm as mere teenagers.
This year, a new crop of future world-beaters emerged with standout campaigns as they became crucial players for their respective clubs.
SBOBET has certainly taken notice of those players and will now pay tribute to five of the best Bundesliga breakout performers in the 2020 season.
Alphonso Davies – Left-back, Bayern Munich
Davies’ 2020 season was nothing short of amazing. At the tender age of 19, the young Canadian came out of nowhere to cement his spot as the starting left-back for the German giants and helped them win their eighth straight Bundesliga title.
Davies has played primarily as a winger for most of his career, so it’s even more remarkable how quickly he adjusted to his new role. By the end of the season, there was a legitimate argument for Davies being the best full-back in the entire league.
While he’s still far from the finished article defensively, Davies’ blistering speed made him a major weapon going forward; he had three goals and five assists in 29 appearances this season.
After such a brilliant season from Davies, Lucas Hernandez — Bayern’s club record-signing — will have his work cut out for him to get consistent playing time next season.
Erling Haaland – Forward, Borussia Dortmund
Haaland played just half a season in the Bundesliga after arriving in Dortmund during the winter transfer window, but he still made a bunch of Bundesliga 2020 highlights in a short span of time.
After scoring goals for fun in the Champions League with Salzburg, the teenage prodigy proceeded to exceed expectations in Germany. He scored a hat-trick in just half an hour during his debut and added nine more goals in his next seven appearances.
Haaland would finish the season with 13 goals (tied for sixth in the league) in just 15 league appearances (11 starts), which is an absurd ratio.
If he keeps that up, the young Norwegian figures to give Bayern superstar Robert Lewandowski some stiff competition for the top scorer prize in his first full campaign next season.
Christopher Nkunku – Midfielder, RB Leipzig
Timo Werner grabbed most of the headlines with his incredible season in Leipzig, which meant that his team-mate Christopher Nkunku’s brilliant campaign went a bit under the radar.
The 22-year-old Frenchman came over to Germany from Paris Saint-Germain last summer for more playing time, and Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann gave it to him.
Nkunku had five goals and 13 assists (tied for third in the league) in 32 appearances, primarily as a midfielder. But because of his remarkable versatility, Nagelsmann played him in so many different positions in the Leipzig line-up.
With Werner moving on to Chelsea, Nkunku should expect to have an even bigger role on the team next season. That is if he stays at Leipzig, which is not a given as his fine performances have likely caught the attention of some of the bigger clubs in Europe.
Marcus Thuram – Forward, Borussia Monchengladbach
Like Nkunku, this was Thuram’s first season in the Bundesliga, and the French forward needed little time to find his footing in Germany.
The son of legendary French defender Lilian, Marcus was an integral part in Borussia Monchengladbach’s excellent first season under coach Marco Rose.
Thanks in large part to Thuram’s contributions (10 goals, eight assists), Gladbach defied the Bundesliga 2020 odds as they got back into the Champions League.
Thuram’s breakout season has already sparked rumours of a potential move to a big club in the summer, with Liverpool and Juventus both linked with the youngster.
The Foals would be loathed to lose such a key member of their squad, but it’s clear from his performances this season that Thuram is destined for bigger and better things.
Suat Serdar – Midfielder, Schalke 04
There were few bright spots for Schalke in what was another disappointing season, but Serdar’s emergence was one of them.
The 23-year-old had an outstanding campaign as he scored seven goals, which led the team. That’s also an indictment on Schalke’s subpar strikers, but Serdar still deserves credit for doing everything he could to help the team.
Striker is just one area where Schalke need to strengthen over the summer. But in Serdar, they at least have one piece of their midfield puzzle that they can build upon moving forward.
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