The 18-year-old has been unstoppable at youth level, but ill discipline could be the biggest barrier to his success with BVB
When you cast an eye over Paris Brunner's outrageous statistics throughout the age grades at Borussia Dortmund, you begin to question why the 18-year-old attacker is yet to make his first-team debut at a club famed for developing some of the best young players around. The teenager has scored 20 goals in 22 appearances in the Under-19 Bundesliga this season, but a senior breakthrough doesn't seem to be forthcoming.
However, if you delve into the young forward's off-field indiscretions, things become a little clearer; the teenager was suspended indefinitely last year, leaving Dortmund questioning his future with them, and he fell foul of the club again just over a month later when a first-team opportunity presented itself.
Labelled a 'problem child' in the media, there is no questioning Brunner's ability on the pitch – something he has demonstrated at international level in collecting U17 European Championship and World Cup winner's medals and continues to show in the academy.
But as his contract runs down, his future is in the balance. Get to know a player who risks ruining his reputation before he has even made a name for himself…
Where it all began
Born near Dortmund to a Congolese mother and German father, Brunner has spent his entire career to date in the North Rhine-Westphalia region in the north-west of his home country. Having initially played for local clubs on the outskirts of Dortmund, he developed in the academies at Rot-Weiss Essen and subsequently Bochum in neighbouring cities, before joining BVB in 2020 aged 14.
He has remained there ever since, and although he is yet to make a senior breakthrough, he has been utterly prolific. Per , Brunner has scored 55 goals in 81 appearances across the various youth teams – exploits that have earned him a place in Germany's national team setup, a contract with Nike, and seen him earmarked as a potential future superstar.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe big break
It was his start to the 2022-23 campaign that truly caught the eye, though. Aged just 16, Brunner plundered 16 goals in his first five appearances in the U17 Bundesliga, including four hat-tricks in four games – netting every 28 minutes and surpassing lethal youth-level Dortmund goal-scorer Youssoufa Moukoko in the process statistically.
As if to rub salt in the wounds of his former club, his most impressive showing in that sensational run came against Bochum. Brunner scored every goal in a 5-0 victory; a devastating individual performance that caused plenty of people to sit up and take notice.
Predictably, that form earned him a swift promotion to the U19s in October 2022 and he has played at that level ever since, despite only turning 18 in February 2024.
"It worked straight away, I settled into the team straight away. I decided to wait for the next steps, accept everything that came to me and meet even more," Brunner told at the time.
GettyHow it's going
On the face of it, things are going swimmingly for young Brunner. Although he is yet to make a first-team bow, he has found his feet in the U19s in 2023-24 and is back to scoring at an alarming rate. He has 20 goals in just 22 U19 Bundesliga appearances, as well as six assists.
However, it's on the international stage that he has seized the spotlight in what was a stellar year for Germany's U17s. Brunner starred last summer as his country triumphed at the European Championship, scoring four times en route to the final, where they downed France on penalties.
That would prove to just be the precursor to the crowning moment of his career to date; later in 2023 at the winter U17 World Cup in Indonesia, Brunner was named player of the tournament as his five strikes fired Germany to glory – once again at the expense of the French after spot-kicks. He came up clutch at the business end of the tournament, bagging in the quarter-final, semi-final and final.
Speaking to SPOX and GOAL last year, his national team manager Christian Wuck said: "Paris is a very reflective player. He knows where he wants to go and what he has to invest to get there. That characterises him and, in my opinion, is the main reason why he has developed so rapidly over the past year."
Getty ImagesBiggest strengths
A forward with the height and finishing ability of a No.9 and the pace and trickery of a winger, Brunner is capable of operating across the frontline to devastating effect – predominantly through the middle or from the left. His 6'1 frame has given him a physical edge throughout the age groups so far, and will stand him in good stead when he makes his inevitable first-team bow.
"Paris is very present and dangerous in front of goal," Wuck said. "He develops an incredible power when playing with and against the ball. Thanks to this power, his physicality and athleticism paired with his technical skills, he is predestined to score quickly after winning the ball quickly. He also has good basic speed. All these different factors make him so dangerous."
Wuck also points to a self-assuredness that should not be mistaken for arrogance: "The fact that he is very successful in all of his teams means that he currently has an extremely high level of self-confidence. That also helped him to take an incredible step forwards. He takes responsibility within the team, speaks his mind and can galvanise a team."
"I don't think he's lacking the ultimate fire," Wuck later said. "He was top scorer at the European Championships and was named best player at the European Championships and World Cup. He knows where he wants to go. For me, he's a self-confident person player and not arrogant, because he still shows his performance in an outstanding way."