Bundesliga
Who is Jacob Bruun Larsen?
Agile, quick and able to play in a number of positions, it's no wonder that Jacob Bruun Larsen is so highly regarded at Borussia Dortmund, but who exactly is the young attacker providing competition for the likes of Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Co?
Jacob Bruun Larsen
Age: 21
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Position: Attacking midfielder
Country: Denmark (1 cap)
Key stats
Bruun Larsen arrived at the Dortmund academy from hometown club Lyngby in 2015 at the age of 17, joining a youth team containing the likes of Christian Pulisic. He was soon fast-tracked into the first team under Thomas Tuchel, and made his senior debut in a victory over Union Berlin in the DFB Cup second round in September 2016. Indeed it was his deflected shot that opened the scoring just before half-time. The midfielder was included in a Bundesliga matchday squad for the first time just three days later, but was an unused substitute in a goalless Revierderby draw with Schalke.
A two-time youth Bundesliga champion, the 6'0" Bruun Larsen did not have to wait long for his top-flight bow the following season though, making a late cameo appearance on Matchday 5 in 2017/18 the day after his 19th birthday. Eager for more playing time, the midfielder went on loan to VfB Stuttgart for the second half of that campaign and made four more Bundesliga outings before returning to BVB. His big breakthrough came in 2018/19, during which he featured heavily with 24 Bundesliga appearances and won the Goal of the Month award for September 2018 with his first-ever strike. Less than a week later, Bruun Larsen made his UEFA Champions League debut, scoring in a 3-0 home win over Monaco. He earned his maiden international cap for Denmark in a 3-1 defeat to Germany in June 2019.
Watch: Bruun Larsen's Goal of the Month winner in September 2018
Plays a bit like: Marco Reus
"From my first days here in Dortmund, I've looked a bit more at him, watched him, to see how he handles himself on the pitch," Bruun Larsen said of the BVB captain.
And the parallels are clear: pacy, good on the ball and with a keen eye for goal, both are highly effective all-rounder attackers. The only thing Bruun Larsen - and Dortmund - will be hoping he doesn't mimic is Reus' desperate injury record.
Did you know?
Bruun Larsen's own health concerns - he suffered a fatigue fracture in his leg in 2017 - pale in comparison to those of his older sister, Line, with whom he is very close. Line has twice battled, and defeated, cancer despite only being in her early 20s. She has proved to be an inspiration for her brother, who is now a regular visitor to children's cancer units in hospitals in Dortmund.
What they're saying
"Of course, we have certain solutions that we train. But when you have such 'street footballers' like Jadon and Jacob, then it's really fun. We can be happy that we have such players right now." - Reus
"There are some really talented young guys coming through and it makes me cry that I won't be able to train them" - Former Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp when leaving BVB in 2015, citing the club's '98 generation, including Bruun Larsen and Pulisic
"He has the nose [for scoring opportunities]." - Favre, after seeing Bruun Larsen score his first Champions League goal