Wonderkid who faded because he scored the ‘wrong’ type of goals

It is four years ago now that Youssoufa Moukoko dug the ball out from under his feet to spark a comeback for Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich. In the previous home game, he had headed in the winning goal against Schalke in the Revierderby.Back then, Moukoko appeared to have the world at his feet. He was 17 years old and scoring goals in front of the biggest crowds in Europe. The following month he bagged two from outside the box against Bochum, one with his left and one with his right. Those performances took him to the World Cup with Germany that winter and he was being hailed as a phenomenon. But on the fourth anniversary of that goal against Bayern, Moukoko is not even close to being among the 44 names in Jurgen Klopp's squad. Image: Youssoufa Moukoko after scoring for Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich in 2022 Bundesliga: Table | Fixtures & resultsWant to watch Bundesliga football? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream games with no contractInstead, Moukoko finds himself on the bench for a struggling outfit in Turkey, his loan move to Corum having yielded only three substitute appearance so far. Copenhagen remain his parent club but he departed Denmark after a goalless start to the campaign.It is not the first move that has not worked out as planned. He left Dortmund for Nice in search of more opportunities in 2024 and scored twice in his first Ligue 1 start. But those proved to be his only goals that season. Moukoko looks like he has lost his way. Image: Youssoufa Moukoko went to the World Cup with Germany in 2022 Everyone has a theory, some more incendiary than other. The most controversial was floated in Der Spiegel, suggesting that Moukoko had been adopted by his father Joseph and was actually four years older than his registered birth certificate had suggested. Although Joseph denied that at the time, he indicated in a subsequent documentary in 2024 that the claims were true. Moukoko has never publicly accepted this and Dortmund have been clear that the official records show that his birthdate is as stated.But even if it were true, and there is no conclusive proof that it is, it would only be part of the story. Sure, it would make the achievements of a player Erling Haaland once called "the biggest talent in the world" appear less precocious than first seemed. Image: Erling Haaland and Youssoufa Moukoko embrace during their time at Borussia Dortmund But it would not fully explain his struggles right now. After all, if he were 25 rather than 21, it would be even more inexplicable that a player who had once lit up the Bundesliga was now on the fringes of the European game at what should ostensibly be his peak.Over in Dortmund, there is an alternative explanation. On a recent visit to the club's training ground, the subject of Moukoko came up during a discussion between academy manager Paul Schaffran and a group of international journalists from around the world. Image: Borussia Dortmund's Paul Schaffran (Photo by Vera Loitzsch/Bundesliga via Getty Images) His view was that for the player once tipped by Samuel Eto'o to replace Lionel Messi, the player who had been open in talking about his Ballon d'Or ambitions before even breaking into Dortmund's first team, the potential problems were them from the outset."If I had Youssoufa Moukoko in the academy right now, what we are looking for is whether the style of play that the player is playing in the youth area is transferable into a first-team environment." Saturday 10th October 5:20pm Kick off 5:30pm Schaffran said: "Youssoufa Moukoko scored 50 to 60 goals a season in the youth area. But if you see how he scored the goals, almost half of them were taking the ball in the middle of the field and just running through all alone. It is for sure this is not transferable."It was not that Moukoko did not have significant talent. It is just that it was not feasible for anyone to score goals like this in the professional game. Well, almost anyone. "That is for almost no player, except maybe Messi, transferable into a first-team environment." Image: Youssoufa Moukoko playing against his old club in a Champions League game in 2025 But Moukoko was breaking records and there was little appetite to stifle him. Allow the talent to flourish, that was the theory. Looking back, Schaffran has a different view. It is about challenging the player, guiding them. Moukoko could have developed differently."Knowing the athletic capacity that this player has, that he will not be the tallest, will not be the fastest, you have to make a decision. Do you want his efficiency in the youth area right now or do you want to bring him through in a style that benefits him later?"This has long been the question in youth development. "In this case, we perfectly see the challenge that we have. I think we have to decide not what benefits us at the moment but what benefits the player's development in the long-term perspective. Image: Youssoufa Moukoko went to the World Cup with Germany in 2022 "If I had a player like him right now, I would know, okay, what might be his future profile? His future profile for sure will be not a number nine striker alone. So, he will not be perfect playing with his back to the goal. That would never be his style of playing."So, maybe it is better to develop him in a number 10 position, or in the number eight position, maybe playing in the half spaces. You will lose maybe 30 to 40 goals per season, but you might get a better player, specifically him, at the end of the pathway."At a key stage in his development, Moukoko did not get those experiences or learn the skills required to play in the half spaces. A chance to become a different type of forward was missed. And he could no longer score the type of goals that he knew how to score. Image: Youssoufa Moukoko's Bundesliga goal map from his time at Borussia Dortmund As a result, he has gone from Germany to France, from Denmark to Turkey, in search of an environment that works for him. The search continues. Meanwhile, back at Dortmund, there is a determination to learn from the mistakes made with Moukoko."We wish we had a 100 per cent rate, but statistically it is impossible so we will always have these stories," said Schaffran. But that does not mean just accepting it. "You have to learn from this story when it comes to making decisions for the next generation."Dortmund have made major changes to their academy under Schaffran. But that is for the next Moukoko. The current one still hopes to have a long career ahead of him. But that goal against Bayern, the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or, feels a world away now.