Paris Brunner’s mischievous smile reveals pride and hints at great things to come. On the podium of the U-17 World Cup last December 2nd, he had two very good reasons to be happy: first, he has just been crowned world champion with Germany, beating the French team in a thrilling match. Second, he was elected the best player of the tournament, a great reward for his young career.
This was not his first trophy with the German national team, nor his first recognition as the best player of a tournament. Six months earlier, the U-17 German team won the Euro with Brunner already being awarded. “I think his performance in the Euro was even better than his World Cup,” joked German coach Christian Wück.
In both competitions, Brunner scored goals. 5 in 7 matches during the World Cup, 4 in 6 matches in the Euro. “He defines a good match based on the goals he has scored. If you ask him if he played well or not and he didn’t score, he will tell you he played very badly,” Wück said.
His coach describes him as “an excellent individualist” who enjoys playing both in the center and on the left side. “He is a very good technical player, very fast, very athletic. But his greatest quality, the most important, is that he scores goals. He is a player that all coaches want to have on their team.”
Born in 2006, Brunner, who will turn 18 in February, is already making a name for himself in age-appropriate competition. With Borussia Dortmund, his club, he has been playing with the U19 team since last season. This season, he has scored 11 goals in 12 matches in all competitions with Borussia Dortmund and 20 in 25 matches with the German national team in the last 14 months.
“I believe that in this age group, he is one of the top three German players. He plays like a street footballer, and those are the kind of players Germany needs. He is in the top 10 players I have seen in my career because he is able to score a lot of goals,” Wück commented.
His performances, combined with his success with the national team, could quickly open the doors to the professional group in a club where young talents are produced at an industrial rate. Last weekend, he was even called up for the first time to the squad of Edin Terzic to face RB Leipzig in the championship, taking advantage of a wave of injuries in the offensive sector.
However, it is important not to rush things. “It is very difficult to teach a young player that he has to work harder than others to become a professional. I think he needs a little time to understand that. Dortmund is working with him on his mentality, but I think he needs at least a year to really understand that,” Wück stated.
In mid-October, a small setback tarnished his perfect start when BVB surprised everyone by announcing Brunner’s suspension “until further notice,” “for disciplinary reasons.” The suspension has since been lifted, with no clear reason given. “There was an incident that forced us to take this measure,” justified Edin Terzic, the BVB coach. “Paris is an extraordinary and talented player, but I ask for a little patience.” With young talents like this, being patient is sometimes difficult.
