Felix Nmecha
Nmecha warming up for VfL Wolfsburg in 2021
Personal information
Full name Felix Kalu Nmecha[1]
Date of birth (2000-10-10) 10 October 2000 (age 23)[2]
Place of birth Hamburg, Germany[3]
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[4]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Borussia Dortmund
Number 8
Youth career
0000–2019 Manchester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Manchester City 0 (0)
2021–2023 VfL Wolfsburg 46 (3)
2023– Borussia Dortmund 14 (0)
International career‡
2015 England U16 2 (0)
2018 Germany U18 3 (0)
2018 England U18 10 (2)
2018–2019 England U19 4 (1)
2022 Germany U21 3 (1)
2023– Germany 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:00, 6 April 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:40, 28 March 2023 (UTC)

Felix Kalu Nmecha (born 10 October 2000) is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team.

Club career

Manchester City

Nmecha made his Manchester City debut in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Burton Albion, replacing Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 67th minute, in which Manchester City won the game 1–0.[5] Nmecha scored the winning goal in the U18 Premier League Cup final on 19 March 2019, against Middlesbrough U18.[6] On 3 November 2020, Nmecha provided an assist for João Cancelo on his Champions League debut for City as a substitute for Kevin De Bruyne in a 3–0 home win over Olympiacos in the group stage.[7] Nmecha was released by City at the end of his contract on 30 June 2021.[8]

Wolfsburg

Nmecha joined VfL Wolfsburg after leaving Manchester City, shortly after his brother Lukas made the same move.[9] In his two seasons at the club, he played 50 competitive matches, including two Champions League games during the 2021–22 season, and scored three goals during his second season in Bundesliga,[10] in which he netted a brace against Bochum in a 4–0 win.[11]

Borussia Dortmund

On 3 July 2023, Nmecha signed for Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract.[12] His transfer was controversial for Dortmund's supporters to the signing due to comments and social media posts made in the past by Nmecha which were regarded as homophobic and transphobic.[13][14] On 25 October 2023, he scored his first goal for Dortmund in a 1–0 away victory against Newcastle United at St James' Park in the Champions League, which was also his first goal in the competition.[15]

International career

Nmecha has represented both Germany and England at youth international level.

On 17 March 2023, he received his first official call-up to the German senior national team for the friendlies against Peru and Belgium.[16]

Personal life

The son of a German mother and a Nigerian father, Nmecha and his older brother Lukas were born in Hamburg, but moved to England with their family in 2007. After honing their skills in the Hamburg borough of Altona, the switch to Manchester brought the young Nmechas to the attention of Premier League team Manchester City. Both went on to join the club's academy.[17]

Nmecha is a Christian. He has said, “Every time I go on the field, it's not about me, it's about glorifying God.”[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 10 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Manchester City 2018–19[19] Premier League 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2019–20[20] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020–21[21] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 1[c] 0 — 1 0
Total 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
Manchester City U21 2018–19[19] — — — — 4[d] 0 4 0
2019–20[20] — — — — 1[d] 0 1 0
2020–21[21] — — — — 1[d] 0 1 0
Total — — — — 6 0 6 0
VfL Wolfsburg 2021–22[22] Bundesliga 16 0 0 0 — 2[c] 0 — 18 0
2022–23[23] Bundesliga 30 3 2 0 — — — 32 3
Total 46 3 2 0 — 2 0 — 50 3
Borussia Dortmund 2023–24[24] Bundesliga 14 0 1 0 — 6[c] 1 — 21 1
Career total 60 3 3 0 1 0 9 1 6 0 79 4
  1. ^ Includes DFB-Pokal
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ a b c Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 28 March 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Germany 2023 1 0
Total 1 0

References

  1. ^ "2020/21 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Felix Nmecha: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Felix Nmecha". 11v11. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Felix Nmecha". Borussia Dortmund. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Burton Albion 0-1 Manchester City (0-10 agg): Sergio Aguero scores as City ease into Carabao Cup fnal". Sky Sports. 24 January 2019.
  6. ^ Leigh, Neil (14 March 2019). "Nmecha strike seals U18 Premier League Cup glory". Manchester City F.C. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  7. ^ Bevan, Chris (3 November 2020). "Manchester City 3-0 Olympiakos: Gabriel Jesus returns to seal third win in Champions League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Premier League clubs publish 2020/21 released lists". Premier League. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Felix Nmecha arrives". VfL Wolfsburg. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Felix Nmecha joins Dortmund". VfL Wolfsburg. 3 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Premiere: Felix Nmecha köpft Wolfsburg zum Sieg" (in German). Kicker. 29 October 2022.
  12. ^ "BVB verpflichtet Felix Nmecha" (in German). Borussia Dortmund. 3 July 2023.
  13. ^ Ford, Matt (4 July 2023). "Dortmund complete controversial Nmecha signing". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  14. ^ Honigstein, Raphael (11 July 2023). "Dortmund signed Felix Nmecha. But their LGBTQI+ fans feel alienated". The Athletic. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Newcastle United 0–1 Borussia Dortmund". BBC Sport. 25 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Vier Rückkehrer und fünf Neulinge für Peru und Belgien" (in German). German Football Association. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Felix Nmecha: who is Borussia Dortmund's new Germany midfielder signed from Wolfsburg?". bundesliga.com. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  18. ^ "Felix Nmecha: "Every time I go on the field, it is about glorifying God"". Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Games played by Felix Nmecha in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Games played by Felix Nmecha in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Games played by Felix Nmecha in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Games played by Felix Nmecha in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  23. ^ "Games played by Felix Nmecha in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  24. ^ "Games played by Felix Nmecha in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
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