MD13's Man of the Matchday: Moukoko makes history yet again

The teenager reached the milestone in the eighth minute on Matchday 13, spinning away from a challenge like a seasoned pro before lashing an unstoppable shot from distance into the top corner past Manuel Riemann to pave the way for an eventual 3-0 success.

That was his 10th goal overall in Germany’s top flight, and a memorable one for more than the brilliance of the finish.

Watch: Highlights of Dortmund's win over Bochum

The Bundesliga has a long history of producing talented teenagers: Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Julian Brandt, Christian Pulisic, Jadon Sancho and Jamal Musiala are just some of the more recent examples that are now household names the world over.

And yet Moukoko has done something none of them ever did in getting to 10 goals while still 17.

One the one hand it does feel somewhat reductive to keep highlighting Moukoko’s age – he’s just a very good footballer, period. However, the fact that he doesn’t turn 18 until 20 November does make his achievements all the more extraordinary.

The Cameroon-born forward became the youngest Bundesliga player ever when he made his debut the day after turning 16 two years ago. He then raised (or perhaps lowered?) the bar aged 16 years and 28 days when he became the league’s youngest scorer when he struck away to Union Berlin the following month.

And now not only does he have 11 Bundesliga goals – his second against Bochum was a superbly taken lob from 45 yards out with his weaker right foot – he is keeping Anthony Modeste, a tried-and-trusted goalscorer twice his age - out of BVB’s starting line-up.

“Youssoufa is doing exceptionally well,” said Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic after the final whistle on Saturday. “He’s fit and looks stable, he’s very confident and he’s improved his game considerably. We’re delighted that Youssoufa is injury free, that he's playing well, scoring goals and getting assists. We’ll continue to accompany him along that path.”

That path has led him to six goals and three assists in the Bundesliga this season, making him Dortmund’s leading scorer and chief attacking menace, while only five players have netted more than him Bundesliga-wide in 2022/23.

Watch: Moukoko: "Let's see where this journey goes"

“It makes me proud but records are there to be broken,” Moukoko told bundesliga.com when asked about his feat after the Bochum game. “I’m happy about it but we have to keep going. We play again in two days’ time and then again on Friday. I’m just focusing on the game and then let’s see where the journey goes.”

To the very top, if all the evidence so far is anything to go by!