While the Bundesliga is on break, the MLS is in full swing in the USA. Since this year, it also features a former Schalke player who has settled in magnificently.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is currently playing his first season in the US MLS. Things are going rather averagely for him with the New York Red Bulls. But that’s not down to the former Schalke player. With twelve goals and one assist in 21 league games, “Choupo” has made a very strong start. That’s the fourth-best record in the MLS. The statistics are led by Sam Surridge of Nashville SC and a certain Lionel Messi.
Messi and Choupo-Moting play in the Eastern Conference. While the Argentine and Inter Miami are in fifth place, the former Schalke player is currently only in eighth place.
In the recent 0-2 defeat against league leaders Philadelphia Union, Choupo-Moting remained goalless for a change.
Choupo-Moting was trained at St. Pauli and HSV
Choupo-Moting is well known in Germany and the Bundesliga. Born in Hamburg, he trained at Teutonia 05 Ottensen, Altona 93, FC St. Pauli, and Hamburger SV in his youth. He then played for 1. FC Nürnberg and 1. FSV Mainz 05 before joining FC Schalke 04 on a free transfer in the summer of 2014. Choupo remained at Schalke for three years, scoring 22 goals and providing 17 assists in 106 games. “As a little kid, you watched Champions League games and I always said to myself, yes, one day I want to play on that stage,” said the striker in 2023 in the video format “Kicker & DAZN – die Story.”
“So it was a big step for me to move to Schalke. I was proud of that, and I knew I would be playing in the Champions League. It was a dream come true.” He played eight Champions League games for Schalke in the 2014/15 season.
In the summer of 2017, he left Germany for the first time and moved to Stoke City in England. Via Paris Saint-Germain, he moved to FC Bayern Munich in October 2020, where he was to play for almost four years. Choupo-Moting has played a total of 292 Bundesliga games, scoring 64 goals and providing 28 assists.