Bundesliga
Dizzying ascent of new Leverkusen talent
Bayer Leverkusen won the race to sign Christian Kofane after his stunning breakout spell in the Spanish second tier. Find out more on the exciting 18-year-old below...
Stats correct as of 11 July 2025
Christian Kofane
Age: 18 (born 10 August 2007)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Centre-forward
Country: Cameroon U20
There can be few ascents as meteoric as Kofane's in 2025. He began the year without a single minute of senior football behind him, just a few weeks after leaving his native Cameroon for Spain. Yet, by July, he had joined Leverkusen as part of their rebuild under new coach Erik ten Hag as they look to challenge Bayern Munich for Bundesliga supremacy again in 2025/26.
Watch: Welcome to Leverkusen, Christian Kofane!
Kofane moved to Spanish Segunda División outfit Albacete in November 2024 from partner club AS Nylon in his homeland. The initial plan was for him to play for their youths, but six goals in as many appearances made first-team action inevitable.
If there were any doubts Kofane was not ready for that task, they were dispelled within a mere two minutes of his debut against Racing Santander in January 2025. The 6'2" forward struck the first of eight goals in an impressive end-of-season burst as Albacete ended 2025/26 in a credible 10th place.
Kofane wasn't finished there. He was called up by the Cameroon U20s for the June international break, before switching to Leverkusen on a four-year deal just a month later.
Plays a bit like: Hugo Ekitiké
With speed, vision and a polished finishing ability, Kofane has every hope of becoming the latest talented young striker to bloom in the Bundesliga. He certainly has the potential to create some special highlight reels with his silky skills and all-round profile similar to that of Eintracht Frankfurt counterpart Hugo Ekitiké.
Did you know?
Kofane was known in Albacete for retaining his humility throughout his sudden rise to prominence in the spring. Despite only playing six matches for the youths before his first-team promotion, he continued to live with his youth side teammates and even travelled on the team bus to watch them play on his days off.
What they're saying
"Christian is an extremely powerful and quick striker. He’ll make our play more variable with his strengths and also has the potential to become an important part of our team in the coming years." - Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes