Published 11:02 IST, October 10th 2019
GER vs ARG: Kai Havertz shines in Germany's draw against Argentina
Kai Havertz scored his first goal for the German national team in the friendly against Argentina. Here's a look at Bundesliga's youngest ever debutant.
First, Serge Gnabry set the Champions League alight, thanks to his four-goal display in the 7-2 drubbing of Tottenham Hotspur. Now, the latest product off the German production line, Kai Havertz has scored his first international goal for Germany. Havertz and Gnabry were both on the scoresheet during Germany's draw against Argentina in a friendly. Gnabry's goal against the South Americans means that Serge Gnabry now has 10 goals in 11 appearances for the German national team.
A lot of hype has been surrounding Gnabry lately, thanks mainly to his shining display against Tottenham. Gnabry also laid down the assist for Havertz's first senior goal for the German national team. A little further down the pitch, fellow German midfielder Havertz, however, has shown bundles of promise in recent displays. Havertz became Bundesliga's youngest ever debutant after making his debut for Bayer Leverkusen in 2016. The following year, Havertz also became Bundesliga's youngest ever goalscorer, netting the equaliser in the 3-3 draw against VFL Wolfsburg. While exciting young Germans are linked to Bayern Munich during any and every transfer window, Havertz put his head down and guided Leverkusen to a fouth place finish in the Bundesliga, thus automatically securing a Champions League spot for the side.
On the move?
Havertz was also briefly linked with Liverpool in the summer, as they looked and decided against filling the Philippe Coutinho-shaped hole in their squad. Since then, Havertz went on to score in Leverkusen's 3-2 win over Paderborn, becoming the second-youngest player to score 25 Bundesliga goals in the process. Havertz's rise comes at a convenient time or Joachim Low. Having phased out the seasoned spine of the German national team in the form of Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Thomas Muller, Joachim Low now has an exciting bunch to pick from, in the form of Gnabry, Havertz, Julian Brandt, Niklas Sule and Timo Werner. And that's not even counting the return of Leroy Sane. Low also opted to play Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal, in place of Manuel Neuer, despite pressure from Bayern Munich to give Neuer more game time.
Having broken a series of records after his debut in the Bundesliga, the young midfielder has often been described as a jack of all trades. Havertz, however, admitted having looked up to fellow German Mesut Ozil to mould his playing style. It's an exciting time for the Germans.
Updated 12:48 IST, October 10th 2019