His debut in a DFB jersey, his first goal, and now a potential record. Former Schalke player Assan Ouédraogo had a special evening against Slovakia.
You can’t ask for more on a memorable night of soccer. At just 19 years old, Assan Ouédraogo scored shortly after coming on as a substitute in his first appearance in a DFB jersey, sealing the 6-0 victory for the German national team in the World Cup qualifier against Slovakia—making him “the youngest German debut goal-scorer since 1954!” his club, RB Leipzig, announced on platform X.
The attacking midfielder came on as a substitute for Florian Wirtz in the 77th minute of his DFB debut and, 102 seconds later, sealed the half-dozen for head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s team with a deflected shot from nine meters into the lower left corner.
“I never would have thought things would go this well, but I’m not complaining. I’m very proud of this moment and incredibly happy,” said Ouédraogo after his successful debut with the German national team. “You always try to do what you can, and I managed to do that.”
At 19 years and 192 days old, Ouédraogo is the youngest German debutant since Klaus Stürmer, who scored a goal in his first international match. Stürmer scored in 1954 at the age of 19 years and 68 days during his first match in a DFB jersey in an international match against France (1–3). Overall, RB Leipzig pro Ouédraogo is the fifth-youngest goal-scorer in a DFB jersey and the 21st DFB debutant under Nagelsmann.
Already a record goal-scorer at FC Schalke
After a difficult first year at RB marked by several injury setbacks, Ouédraogo—who was born in Mühlheim an der Ruhr—is currently a regular starter under Ole Werner. The U-17 World and European champion also scored right away in his Leipzig starting lineup debut in mid-September during the 3-1 win over Cologne, notching his first Bundesliga goal. “A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders—it’s pure joy, nothing else,” he said afterward.
Since then, the midfielder has consistently been in the starting lineup; he really shone in the 6-0 win at Augsburg with a goal and an assist and was named “Player of the Match.”
Even before his move to Leipzig in the summer of 2024 for a transfer fee of ten million euros, he set a record at FC Schalke 04: In his professional debut on July 28, 2023, at the age of 17 years, 2 months, and 19 days, he became the youngest goal-scorer and professional debutant in the club’s history.