Who is Brian Brobbey? Things to know about new RB Leipzig star

Brian Brobbey has agreed to sign for RB Leipzig for next season
Brian Brobbey has agreed to sign for RB Leipzig for next season / Soccrates Images/Getty Images
facebooktwitterreddit

It seems to be a match made in heaven when it comes to RB Leipzig, exciting young talent and getting them over to Germany on the cheap.

One such superstar of the future, who clearly sees Die Roten Bullen as the place to be, is Brian Brobbey, who instead of extending his contract at Dutch heavyweights Ajax has decided that he's better off heading to the Bundesliga.

A four-year contract has been agreed and comes into effect from July 1, 2021, adding the Netherlands startlet to a squad already comprising of many stars of the future.

But the question is, who is Brobbey and why was he so highly sought after? Here's 90min's picks of everything you need to know.


1. Ajax academy graduate

Ajax's famed academy is known for churning out and developing superstars of the future, and Brobbey is the latest player to hop off the conveyor belt.

He joined the club at 11 years old, played for all age groups and scored an incredible 84 goals in 103 academy games. No wonder he got his first team shot pretty early...


2. He can play anywhere across the front three

Brian Brobbey
Brobbey can play in several attacking positions / Soccrates Images/Getty Images

Although Brobbey's phenomenal goalscoring return would suggest he's an out and out striker, he is capable of playing several different positions.

He's featured out wide for the first team this season but says his idol is Didier Drogba - and has previously described himself as "an annoying forward - strong, dangerous and fast."

Exactly what the Ivorian was good at.


3. His agent is Mino Raiola

Mino Raiola
You know he's got a future ahead of him when this guy is involved / Soccrates Images/Getty Images

If you're a top talent in world football, you've probably got a good agent. If you're a top, top, top talent, there's every chance that agent will be Mino Raiola.

Guess what, Raiola does indeed represent Brobbey, while his other famous clients include Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Erling Haaland, Matthijs de Ligt and Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Not bad company to be in.


4. Dutch youth international but eligible for Ghana

Brobbey has represented the Netherlands at Under-17 level since 2017, breaking into the setup at the tender age of 15. Though he'd played at lower levels, it's the higher age group where he's enjoyed the most success.

European Championship success in both 2018 and 2019 could be just the start of an epic career with the Oranje, though he could choose to represent Ghana at senior level should he wish to; Brobbey qualifies for the African country through his parents.


5. Ajax were desperate to keep him

Brian Brobbey
Brobbey is highly rated in Amsterdam / Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Brobbey's emergence on the first team scene was fairly swift, and probably caught Ajax a little off guard.

Ideally, he would have already penned a longer contract before showing what he could do, but director of football Marc Overmars was forced to admit that he'd chosen to move on rather than staying in Amsterdam.

"It’s a shame. We have done everything possible to keep him going, but he prefers to play for another team. This story tires me, but it is his right," Overmars said in a statement. Ouch.


6. FIFA, PES and Football Manager ratings

In a breakthrough year for Brobbey, he's found himself in the major video games too.

FIFA 21 have given him a 68 rating in this year's game, with a potential ability of 83. PES, meanwhile, started him off with the same base rating, but his potential is a loftier 86.

If Football Manager is more your bag, Brobbey starts off as an absolute novice but does have a potential four star ability - which we all know is good enough to win you titles and cups galore.