Who is Paxten Aaronson?

bundesliga.com takes a closer look at the Bundesliga's newest American teen ...

Paxten Aaronson

Age: 19
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Position: Attacking midfield
Country: USA (14 U-20 caps, eight goals)

Key stats

Born and raised in Medford, New Jersey, Aaronson joined the Union’s youth academy at the age of 12. He remained there throughout his teenage years before being promoted to the reserve team in November 2020, registering six goals and five assists in 24 games.

The next logical step was the first team, and he took that in his stride too. He made his MLS debut on 31 May 2021 at the age of 17 as a late substitute in a 3-0 triumph over Portland Timbers. Aaronson’s next few top-flight outings were substitute appearances dotted over the subsequent couple of months, with his first MLS goal coinciding with his first start on 9 August in a 2-1 defeat by the New England Revolution.

More starts – and goals – soon followed, with Aaronson a regular in matchday squads ever since, hitting four goals in 37 MLS appearances by the time he signed for Frankfurt in November 2022.

The attacking midfielder was also instrumental in helping the USA U-20 side win the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in June 2022, scoring seven goals to finish as the tournament’s top scorer and crowned as its best player.

Watch: Paxten Aaronson - Frankfurt's new US prospect

Plays a bit like: Mario Götze

A lofty comparison perhaps, considering Götze etched his name in footballing history by scoring the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final, but there are undoubted similarities. Fearless, quick in thought and deed, able to play off either foot, equally threatening when dribbling or playing the final pass and always eager to get forward, Aaronson could do a lot worse than learn from the master in Frankfurt. Indeed, he made his Eintracht debut when replacing the Germany legend in his club's 2-0 reverse against Union Berlin on Matchday 25.

Did you know?

Football runs in the Aaronson family as Paxten’s brother Brenden, who is three years his senior, is also a professional, lacing his boots for Leeds United and the USMNT.

What they’re saying

“In Paxten Aaronson we’ve signed a much sought-after and very talented player who will give our attack even more flexibility in the future.” - Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche

“Paxten has accomplished so much in a short amount of time. He has worked incredibly hard, and he has taken advantage of every opportunity with the first team, Union II and the U-20 national team. There has been interest in him for a long time, and we feel this is the right move for the club and the player, putting him in a good situation to continue developing in one of the best leagues in the world.” - Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner