Aarran Summers  & Naz Majeed 

The Bundesliga is back on beIN SPORTS. Follow all the action over the weekend on beIN CONNECT & HD 11. Let's have a look at ten must-watch players from Germany ahead of the big return. 

10. Marcus Thuram - Borussia Monchengladbach

The son of World Cup-winning defender Lilian Thuram, Marcus was schooled at the Clairefontaine football academy, developing his skills as a winger or forward. The Italian-born attacker started his career at Sochaux, before moving to Guingamp and then Borussia Monchengladbach to replace a departing Thorgan Hazard (more on him later), scoring on his debut for the German side.

Tall and quick, the younger Thuram resembles his father in stature, but this time his job is scoring goals, not preventing it. Good in the air as well as on the ground, he also boasts one of the best figures in the Bundesliga in terms of shot accuracy and dribbles completed this season, where he already has 6 goals and 5 assists.

9. Dodi Ludebakio - Hertha Berlin

It must be hard to grab headlines as a Belgian forward in European football, with many similar talents competing for the limelight (even in this very article), but Dodi Ludebakio’s first season in the Bundesliga in 2018/19 was a stunning one by any standard.

The first player to score a Bundesliga hat-trick against Manuel Neuer when he single-handedly ran the show in Fortuna Dusseldorf’s 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich, he also scored against Borussia Dortmund shortly after. Having been at Dusseldorf on a loan from parent club Watford, Ludebakio was signed on a permanent deal by Hertha Berlin at the start of 2019/20, and promptly scored on his league debut - against Bayern Munich.

With five goals in four appearances against the top two, Ludebakio may yet continue his giant-killing habits and prove to be the league’s king-maker, with Hertha set to play Dortmund, Leipzig, and other top sides after the restart.

8. Robin Quaison - Mainz 05

12 goals in 24 games is more than a decent return, especially for a player that does not operate as the main forward in a struggling side. The 26-year old Swede has played in a variety of positions for Mainz this season, and is still his side’s top scorer, behind only Robert Lewandowski, Timo Werner, and Jadon Sancho in the league.

Also an important part of his national side, Quaison scored in his first two competitive games for Sweden, bagging decisive goals against Romania and bitter rivals Norway. He may not be the most consistent of performers, but when Quaison turns it on, he is a spectacular sight to behold, with two hattricks in the Bundesliga this season, including a 38-minute demolition of Werder Bremen away from home.

The 2019/20 season has been his most productive of his professional career, and Mainz will hope he finds more goals when the league resumes.

7. Christoph Baumgartner - Hoffenheim

One of the first names on the Hoffenheim team sheet despite only being 20, the Austrian playmaker has actually been at the club since he was 16, spotted and snapped up early on. With 9 goals and 15 assists from midfield for the Hoffenheim U19 side, it was in 2020 where Baumgartner exploded onto the scene.

Scoring three goals and laying on two assists in the first eight games of the calendar year, he has been compared to Michael Ballack, though the player himself admits he prefers to play as an attacking midfielder rather than sitting deep. Two-footed and versatile, he also works hard to track back and help his side defend, combining both technique and tenacity in a way few have.

6. Josh Sargent - Werder Bremen

The American forward has only recently turned 20 but is already an important member of the Werder Bremen side battling to stay in the league. Having had trials with PSV Eindhoven and then Schalke 04 when he was younger, Sargent was eventually snapped up by Bremen in 2018, scoring with his first touch on his debut.

An integral member of the USA team that finished runners-up at the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championships, he also played and scored at the U20 World Cup that same year, and was called up to the USMNT a few months later. Already a full international and goalscorer (alongside fellow American wunderkid Timothy Weah), Sargent looks primed to burst onto the scene, and may yet prove decisive for Bremen’s survival hopes.

5. Rabbi Matondo - Schalke 04

A 19-year-old born in Liverpool, who plays for the Welsh national team and plies his trade at Schalke; it is quite a mix. Rabbi Matondo joined the German side in January of last year from Manchester City for a fee of £11 million.

The winger has only played 19 games since his arrival, but the majority of those are recent inclusions. The right-winger to a front three for Schalke, their coach David Wagner has instilled a belief in a potent attack. Matondo is now one of those critical players for Schalke as they look to press on for European football next season. Schalke’s first game is the enticing Revierderby match-up with rivals Borussia Dortmund.  

4. Alphonso Davies - Bayern Munich

Just last week, there was a reward for a young star born on this side of the millennium. Alphonso Davies secured a five-year contract extension after a brilliant debut season at Bayern Munich. Davies is the last Canadian to feature for Bayern since the Canadian born Owen Hargreaves. Davies won a league and cup double last season, and the 19-year-old may add to that medal tally this campaign. Converted to a left-back this season, with David Alaba moving into a more central role, Davies excelled in his new position before the suspension of the league. 

3. Thorgan Hazard - Borussia Dortmund

Now 27 year old and still in the shadow of his elder brother Eden, Thorgan Hazard remains one of the most underrated players in the Bundesliga. Hazard has scored five goals in 24 appearances for Dortmund since his move over a year ago.

Like Eden, Thorgan is a menace from the left and through the middle. He remains an alternative to Dortmund’s captain Marco Reus. On the international front, his career with Belgium and his brother is starting to blossom following their third-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

More caps will follow, but for now, on the domestic scene, Thorgan has firmly established himself as one of the most productive wide players in the Bundesliga.

2. Dayot Upamecano - RB Leipzig

Leipzig’s youngest ever player, Dayot Upamecano continues to increase expectations in the Bundesliga. The talented 21-year-old scored the club’s 100th goal in Germany’s top flight two years ago, but it is his defending that has starred in the league this campaign.

The dynamic defender is known for his extraordinary acceleration and aggression. He is yet to make his senior debut for World Champions France, however, if his rise continues then he will become a decent player for club and country. His future may lie away from Germany, with a number of sides across Europe interested in the services of the physical defender. Still, if he is to keep up his stellar performances in the future, a once underrated player will become a hugely influential one at Leipzig in the near distant future.

1. Kai Havertz - Bayer Leverkusen

A twenty-year-old with incredible potential, Kai Havertz has already stormed through the Bayer Leverkusen record books. Havertz was the club’s earliest Bundesliga debutant and goalscorer before he turned eighteen. He became the youngest player to reach a century of German top-flight appearances aged just 20 years, six months and five days.

Havertz scored seventeen goals last season and is finding his feet once against this campaign. Despite his young age, he has maturity and professionalism beyond his years. The attacking midfielder has also garnered interest from home and abroad, and if he continues his potential, Havertz will become an icon of German football.