Can Uzun: Ice in his veins, sharp in front of goal and just 18 years old. We take a closer look at the new recruit’s career to date.
Can Uzun was born in Regensburg in 2005. At the age of seven, he began playing football for SSV Jahn, spending a season there before moving to FC Ingolstadt. In 2019, he signed for Nürnberg at the age of 15, scoring a total of 47 goals in 43 matches at U17 and U19 level.
Early promise
Having proved his worth right from the off with Nürnberg, Uzun naturally caught the eye of Dieter Hecking, who was first-team head coach at the time. He was the one who gave Uzun his debut in Bundesliga 2 on 12 May 2023, in a 2-2 draw with 1. FC Magdeburg. Two weeks later, he was in the starting line-up for the first time, for Matchday 34 against SC Paderborn 07.
Goals continue to flow
In the 2023/24 season, Uzun – who has both German and Turkish nationality – opened his Bundesliga 2 account in a 2-2 draw Hannover 96, making him the youngest goalscorer in FCN history at the age of 17 years and 268 days. Mere days later, he grabbed another three in the 9-1 win over FC Oberneuland and became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the DFB Cup – a record previously held by Olaf Thon since 1984.
Eye for goal
Nürnberg had a poor campaign last time out, finishing 14th overall and scoring just 43 goals. However, Uzun scored 16 of them and assisted on two more, making him involved in 41 per cent of their goals and scoring 37 per cent outright.
In March 2024, he got the call-up from Vincenzo Montella, the Turkey coach who took his team all the way to the quarter-finals of the current UEFA EURO 2024 before losing to the Netherlands. Uzan made his senior international debut against Hungary, having already worked his way up through the age-group ranks, making 14 appearances at U17 and U19 level and scoring seven goals, before debuting for the U21s in September 2023.
“All of Europe were after him” Having finished as Nürnberg’s top scorer last season with 16 goals in 30 matches, Uzun officially joined Frankfurt on 2 July, joining fellow FCN recruit Nathaniel “Nene” Brown. “That was also a factor, having Nathaniel already playing at Eintracht Frankfurt, but it wasn’t the only reason,” the striker said shortly after his unveiling. “Frankfurt is the perfect place for me to continue my development. I feel ready to prove myself in the Bundesliga.”
“All of Europe were after him,” said board member for sport Markus Krösche, who is “delighted that he has chosen Eintracht. Can is clearly one of the biggest talents that we have at the moment here in Germany. He has some incredible, outstanding skills for his age. He’s really, really calm in front of goal and an excellent finisher. He’s enormously talented.”
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