On the eve of the new Bundesliga season, we must pay tribute to the focus on youth that is inherent throughout the league. Several teams have rebuilt and retooled around youngsters, none more spectacularly than current Champions Borussia Dortmund.
No less than seven members of the current squad are 22 and under in Mario Gotze, Kevin Grosskreutz, Robert Lewandowski, Shinji Kagawa, Sven Bender, Matt Hummels and Neven Subotic. Add to that Marcel Schmelzer who is 23, and recently departed Nurin Sahin, also 22. In 2010-11, eight of the above players notched 30 appearances or more each. Only a season ending injury to Shinji Kagawa, in December, prevented him from reaching that tally as well. Between them they tallied 40 goals and 27 assists.
Jurgen Klopp charges were refreshing in more ways than one and their title was built on their youth corps.
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Looking around the league, in addition the players mentioned in the established and potential lists, a whole host of 22 years olds are central to their teams plans - and on current form look set to dominate for the better part of the current decade - with names like the following already household:
Marco Reus - M/F - Borussia Moenchengladbach - 18 goals in 65 appearances since 2009
Omer Toprak - D - Bayer Leverkusen / SC Freiburg - Four goals in 67 appearances since 2007. Transferred to Bayer this summer from the latter.
Lars Stindl - M - Hannover 96 - 14 goals in 87 appearances for Hannover and Karlsruher.
Manuel Schmiedebach - M - Hannover 96 - 30 appearances since 2009.
Adam Matuszczyk - M - Cologne - Four goals in 30 appearances last season. 11 caps and one goal for Poland.
Kevin Pezzoni - M/D - Cologne - Two goals and 78 appearances since 2008. Spent five years at Blackburn Rovers's Youth Academy.
Lukas Schmitz - D - Werder Bremen / Schalke - Two goals and 52 appearances for Schalke since 2009 for whom he became the main left back last season. Transferred to Werder Bremen in the summer of 2011.
Timo Gebhart - M - Stuttgart - 64 appearances for the club since 2009 have brought four goals.
Philipp Bargfrede - M - Werder Bremen - 49 appearances since 2008 for the club he came through the youth ranks for. Four caps for Germany's U-21 squad as well.
The Bundesliga's youth have truly taken over.
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