The giant striker failed to make the grade at Werder Bremen, but has just been called into the Germany squad for the first time
Plenty of players over the years have been compared to Lionel Messi. None of them, though, have been built like Nick Woltemade.
The German striker, who is 6'6 tall, is more of a giant than a flea, but Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor was only half-joking when he told : "Woltemade has Messi's technique!" It won't come as that much of a surprise, then, to learn that Woltemade is presently one of the hottest properties on the transfer market, having just helped Stuttgart end their 18-year trophy drought.
As part of our ongoing series on Europe's hidden gems, GOAL tells you everything you need to know about the in-demand No.9 who was a free agent less than a year ago…
AFPWhere it all began
Woltemade was born in Bremen on February 14, 2003, a Valentine's Day baby who discovered his love for football at an early age. He had a gift for the game, too, and was still only seven when he was signed by Werder Bremen from local amateur outfit TS Woltmerhausen.
Woltemade progressed rapidly through his hometown club's youth sector and first caught the eye of senior team coach Florian Kohfeldt during the 2018-19 campaign by scoring 18 goals and creating a further eight for the Under-17s.
The striker continued to score freely the following season after being promoted to the U19s, and, on February 1, 2020, Woltemade became the youngest debutant in Bremen's history when he came off the bench in a Bundesliga clash with Augsburg at 17 years, 11 months and 18 days old.
At the time, Woltemade looked destined to become a star at the Weserstadion, but it wasn't to be.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe big break
After being laid low by illness in January 2021, the teenager was then sidelined by knee ligament damage, while at same time plagued by a persistent foot problem. The net result was Woltemade failing to lock down a regular spot in the Bremen squad, sparking fears that he might never realise his full potential.
Those fears only intensified after he was loaned to third-tier outfit SV Elversberg in the summer of 2022, but the move proved a pivotal moment in the youngster's career. Woltemade found some form and, far more importantly, some fitness at the UrsapharmArena, as he was directly involved in 19 goals (10 of which he scored himself) as Elversberg secured promotion to the 2. Bundesliga as champions.
Woltemade still struggled to replicate those impressive numbers upon his return to Bremen and he parted company with his hometown club when his contract expired at the end of the 2023-24 season. However, the successful stint at Elversberg played a pivotal role in Stuttgart's decision to take a punt on Woltemade – which has paid off spectacularly.
AFPHow it's going
Unsurprisingly, the free transfer from Bremen who wasn't even registered to play in the Champions League began the season on the Stuttgart bench – and that's where he spent all 90 minutes of five of his new team's first nine Bundesliga outings.
However, Woltemade was all the while impressing in the DFB-Pokal, and when he netted twice as a half-time substitute in the Bundesliga win over Union Berlin on December 6, he began to start regularly for Stuttgart.
The centre-forward went on to net 12 times in 28 appearances in Germany's top flight – including in each of the final three games of the season. Even more significantly, Woltemade also finished as top-scorer in the DFB-Pokal, with five goals in five outings, including the opener in the 4-2 victory over Arminia Bielefeld in the final.
Finishing the season with such a flourish also resulted in him being called up by Germany for the first time, for this week's Nations League finals. Woltemade is also expected to star for his country's U21s at this summer's European Championship – particularly after netting a perfect hat-trick in a 3-1 win over their Spanish counterparts in a friendly in March.
Biggest strengths
It was obvious to Stuttgart captain Karazor that the club had pulled off a masterstroke in landing Woltemade on a free, given it was clear to him from the start that his rare mix of height and technique was going to make him a nightmare for opponents.
"I think I recognise a good footballer quickly and Nick caught my eye from the first week of training," the Turkish midfielder told The most important thing for us is to involve Woltemade enough in the game but he can do that as a deep-lying striker between the lines or as a true No.9 in the opponent's box. Because we know what we have in Nick: he's a two-metre-tall (Jamal) Musiala or Messi!"
As well as being a formidable attacking threat and a tremendous outlet that relieves pressure on his team by holding the ball up well, Woltemade also works incredibly hard to help his team-mates win it back. The common consensus is that he needs to improve his finishing a tad, in order to boost his numbers. However, now that he's fully fit and firing, it's believed that his strike-rate is only going to improve in the coming years, particularly if he joins an even stronger side.
The ability is certainly there, anyway, as he so wonderfully underlined with his stunning solo strike against Spain's U21s, with Woltemade dinking the ball over the goalkeeper after the cheekiest of nutmegs on his closest marker…