Will his uncle approve? Bundesliga gem set for historic day
· Yahoo Sports
When 16-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko made his Bundesliga debut on November 21, 2020, having been eligible to play for just one day, there was little doubt: this record would stand forever. Or would it?
Niko Ilicevic turned 16 yesterday. Three guesses what the youngster is doing just one day later—that’s right, he’s in Eintracht Frankfurt’s matchday squad against Hamburger SV. Better still, coach Adi Hütter is even considering giving the Frankfurt gem some playing time.
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“If the situation allows, I’ll bring him on,” he revealed at the pre-match press conference, before heaping praise on the attacking midfielder:
“Before we came here, we’d already heard a lot about him, and then we got to know him and see him play. He’s an exceptional player on the ball, but he’s also learned to stand his ground and win challenges.” Strong praise for the teenager. Would his uncle agree?
If you know your Bundesliga, the surname Ilicevic should already have rung a bell. Niko is Ivo Ilicevic’s nephew. The now 39-year-old made 137 Bundesliga appearances and spent a total of five years under contract at Hamburger SV.
The very club against whom his nephew could now make a historic Bundesliga debut. Will Niko one day rack up as many Bundesliga appearances as his uncle?
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Youssoufa Moukoko is the perfect example of how an early Bundesliga debut and plenty of hype don’t always lead straight to a great career. Despite making 99 professional appearances for Borussia Dortmund, the striker was unable to establish himself in Germany.
After a loan spell at Nice, Moukoko moved to Copenhagen in the summer of 2025. Unfortunately, he impressed only in patches there too and is currently trying his luck on loan at Süper Lig newcomers Corum. His market value, once €30 million in the summer of 2023, has now fallen to just €4 million (source: 'Transfermarkt.de'). But Tom Bischof’s rapid rise shows that an early Bundesliga debut can also be exactly the right move.
He made his debut in Germany’s top flight for TSG Hoffenheim in 2022, aged 16 years and 264 days. Four years later, the fifth-youngest Bundesliga player of all time is under contract at Bayern Munich and has three international caps. Most recently, he made two starts for Germany under Jürgen Klopp.
For better or worse, Niko Ilicevic’s potential Bundesliga debut is already causing a stir.
Fortunately, his coach Adi Hütter also knows what early hype can do to an athlete. At the press conference, he once again stressed that he must—and will—handle someone so young with care and patience.
So the stage is set for a historic day in the Bundesliga. And as long as his nephew doesn’t go and score against his beloved club, this debut will surely leave Ivo Ilicevic hungry for more too.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.