Second division team VfL Osnabrück may be bottom of the table, but they are on an upward trend – thanks in part to Maxwell Gyamfi.

Maxwell Gyamfi is an absolute top performer at second division bottom club VfL Osnabrück. This season, the 24-year-old played 1959 of a possible 2070 minutes and captained his team in 19 league games. Over the past year and a half, the Dortmund native has developed into an important leading player for the Purple & White.

Last matchday, Gyamfi put in a strong performance in the surprising 1-0 win over Hannover 96 and played a key role in keeping VfL scoreless for the fourth time in the last seven games. Prior to that, they had not conceded a single goal in their first 16 games. Gyamfi was recognized for his good performance and named in the “kicker” eleven of the day.

But this nomination was not the only reason for joy for the Osnabrück defender. Against Hannover, Gyamfi set a new record and a new second division record in the first half. Because: He reached 36.58 km/h in one sprint.

With this top speed, Gyamfi is currently the fastest DFL player. In the ranking of the fastest players in this Bundesliga season, Heidenheim’s Eren Dinkci was the record holder with 36.41 km/h – until Gyamfi surpassed this record. Victory, eleven of the day and record sprint – it was a perfect weekend for the 1.90-meter man.

So far this season, six players in the Bundesliga have broken the 36 km/h barrier. In addition to Dinkci, Stuttgart’s Silas (36.15 km/h), Wolfsburg’s Maxence Lacroix (36.13 km/h), Cologne’s Linton Maina (36.10 km/h), ex-Union player Sheraldo Becker (36.07 km/h) and Bayern’s Alphonso Davies (36.02 km/h) have also achieved this feat. They all have one thing in common: nobody was as fast as the Osnabrücker.

Gyamfi wore the VfL Bochum jersey for three years

Next matchday, VfL will visit Hamburger SV (March 3, 1:30 p.m.). For Maxwell Gyamfi, it is a duel with his former club. Before moving to Osnabrück in 2022, he captained Hamburg U21 in the Regionalliga Nord for two years.

However, Gyamfi took his first steps in the senior game at Castroper Straße. He played for VfL Bochum from 2017 to 2020. The central defender spent two seasons with the U19s, where he made 32 appearances. He was part of VfL’s professional squad in the 2019/20 season, but did not play in the 2nd division at the time. Unlike now at VfL Osnabrück…