German football has produced some of the finest players the game has ever seen, from Franz Beckenbauer to Gerd Muller. The likes of Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballack, and several others have gone on to make a name for themselves both in Germany and across the world. However, over the last decade or so, an imbalance has emerged. While Germany has continued to produce elite midfielders like Ilkay Gundogan, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, and several others, it is lagging behind some of the world’s other top teams in creating world-class strikers. The emergence of Nick Woltemade, Kai Havertz, and Deniz Undav does offer hope, but the country still has a long way to go before it can truly replace No. 9s of the quality of Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez.
The situation raises questions over the exact nature of the youth model in Germany. To understand this complex and ever-evolving topic, NDTV caught up with Maximilian Koegel, the Sports Director for the Transition Program (U16 to U21) at Talentwerk, for an exclusive interview. Bochum’s success rate in producing elite talent from its academy remains among the best in the country. Koegel explained exactly why that is the case, while also sharing interesting insights into the culture that exists in German youth academies.
Q. For readers who may not be familiar with the German academy system, how would you describe the core principles of youth development in Germany? More specifically, what makes the VfL Bochum academy different?
Maximilian Koegel: Germany has many excellent academies that develop young players to a very high standard. For us at VfL Bochum, our environment is quite unique because we’re located in one of the strongest football regions in Europe, surrounded by clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke.
Our objective is, of course, to develop players, but just as importantly, we want to be a family. Every player who joins Bochum understands that we may not have the biggest budget, luxury facilities or the financial power of some other clubs. What we do offer is highly qualified coaches, personal attention and a clear pathway to professional football.
Our academy graduates are essential to the club’s future. We want to help them, ideally, make the leap into the first team or move on to bigger challenges.
Another strength of our academy is continuity. Many of our coaches have been at the club for eight years or more. They know the region, they know the culture and, most importantly, they know the players from the youngest age groups all the way through to the U19s. That creates strong relationships and a genuine family atmosphere alongside high-quality football education.
Q. Every academy faces the classic dilemma of winning versus developing players. How do you balance competitive success in youth football with long-term individual development?
Maximilian Koegel: It’s a question every academy has to answer. One of our core principles is that every player up to the U16 level should receive meaningful playing time. We have an internal guideline where each player should play at least 50 per cent of the available minutes across the season.
The reason is simple. At 13 or 14 years old, you cannot always predict who will become the better player. Some develop physically later than others, so if you only focus on winning matches, you might lose talented players who simply need more time.
From the U17 level onwards, the focus naturally becomes more performance-oriented because players are preparing for professional football. Of course, we still want to win every game-that mentality is an important part of football-but individual development always comes first.
A good example was last season with our U21 team. We promoted several Under-19 players to the Under-21 squad earlier than planned because we believed it would accelerate their progress toward professional football. Perhaps we would have had a stronger U19 team if those players had stayed, but helping individuals reach the next level was more important than chasing youth trophies.
That’s our philosophy: don’t evaluate success only by results or league positions. Evaluate it by how many players become professionals.
Q. How closely does the academy work with the first-team coaching staff? Is there a defined playing identity that every age group follows?
Maximilian Koegel: The connection with the first team is very important. We have regular meetings-roughly once a month-between the academy staff and the professional coaching staff. We discuss promising players, their development, and how they can move closer to the first team.
We also focus on developing players for every position on the pitch – full-backs, central midfielders, wingers, strikers – so that they understand the responsibilities of these roles, regardless of the formation. Naturally, the playing style changes slightly because professional football in the 2. Bundesliga is very different from youth football. Youth teams usually have more possession and space, while senior football is much more physical and direct.
Even so, we want every player to understand the same basic principles: be brave with the ball, be aggressive without it, press with intensity and transition quickly when opportunities arise.
Q. Germany has consistently produced technically gifted midfielders, while Bundesliga clubs have also helped develop international stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Jude Bellingham. What makes the German development system particularly effective at producing intelligent midfield players?
Maximilian Koegel: I think it reflects the way football is generally played in Germany. Midfielders are expected to control the game, connect different phases of play and be heavily involved both in possession and in transition. That’s something you see across the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga.
German football has traditionally placed a lot of emphasis on transition play, which means midfielders have to make good decisions, understand space and influence the game in both attacking and defensive situations. They’re not simply there to support counter-attacks-they’re expected to dictate the rhythm of the match.
Perhaps another reason is that Germany has traditionally developed players who think strategically. We may not always produce the fastest or most explosive athletes, so our players learn to solve situations through intelligence, positioning and decision-making. Those qualities are especially valuable in midfield.
Modern football also demands midfielders who can hold the team together, organise the game and create solutions under pressure. I think those are characteristics that German football has consistently developed well over many years.
Q. Germany currently appears to lack elite centre-forwards. France continues to produce outstanding talent across every position, while England has recently developed several clinical No. 9s. Are German academies actively studying or adopting elements from these systems to address the striker shortage?
Maximilian Koegel: This discussion isn’t new. A few years ago people were saying Germany needed to produce more possession players. Now the conversation has shifted towards finding more number nines. Football debates often move from one position to another depending on tournament results. Personally, I believe it’s more about the overall football culture than any specific position.
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