Hi, welcome to the second part of this series, where we talk about the greatest academies in the footballing world. The first part was dedicated to Basel. Please read it if you haven’t already.
Today’s club is VFB Stuttgart, a German powerhouse back in the day, but now a club willing to redefine its own identity. This club is based in the city of Stuttgart & plays at MHP Arena. There are no major city rivals of Stuttgart, hence all the top talents in that region automatically go to VFB Stuttgart.
Under their new manager, Sebastian Hoeness, Stuttgart have redefined themselves as a proper Bundesliga outfit. They have had consecutive top 4 finishes & have even finished 2nd in the Bundesliga. Hoeness have utilised the Stuttgart academy properly & has produced some outstanding ballers.
Today, we will look at some of the finest products produced by the 5 times Bundesliga winning outfit VFB Stuttgart.
Some of the notable academy products are–
Mario Gomez
Mario Gomez is a name that every German football fan knows; his crucial involvement for the Die Mannschaft is something that the whole of Germany admires. Gomez also helped Stuttgart reclaim their throne back in the 2006/07 season, where he was the top goal scorer. In 2009, Gomez joined Bayern Munich for a record club fee at that time.
He won the WC with Germany in 2014 & has scored a total of 31 goals in 78 appearances for the national side.
Sami Khedira
Sami Khedira joined Stuttgart’s academy as an 8-year-old. He knew the roots of the club better than any player on the team, and scored the goal that clinched them the Bundesliga in 06/07 season. He had an outstanding 2010 season where he outperformed many German players & secured a place in the playing XI of the Bundesliga. He then went on to secure a move to Real Madrid, where he was a trusted warrior for Mourinho. He was a loyal servant to Madrid during his spell & won the 2014 Champions League.
Later joined Juve & went on to win some Serie A titles in that Allegri side.
Kimmich
Among the greatest German talents in the current generation, a figure important for Bayern & the German national side. A player whose signature is chased by almost every club in the world.
He was part of Stuttgart’s setup in his early days, but went to Leipzig to secure better game time & stayed there for 2 seasons on loan, impressed everyone with his game time, & then he caught the eye of Bayern Munich, who Pep was managing during that time.
It was Pep who moulded Kimmich into one of the finest players & gave him a new role as a CDM, as he was a midfielder in his Stuttgart days.
Serge Gnabry
Many people in the football world are unaware that Gnabry began his career at Stuttgart. At the age of 11, he was signed by Stuttgart, where he was being groomed into a proper winger. At 16, Arsenal scouted him and decided to sign him as a teenager. But it was Bremen where he found his home & became a big name in the Bundesliga. Soon, Bayern came calling & the rest is history.
Now a shadow of himself, but Gnabry was a major threat back in his day. He still talks about Stuttgart & might return one day to his homegrown club.
Timo Werner
The Champions League winner with Chelsea was once considered one of Germany’s most promising talents. He began his explosive career at VFB Stuttgart, where he had a great breakthrough season & was being tracked by both Munich & Leipzig. In the 3 years at Stuttgart, he became a highly rated talent who lived up to his potential as he dominated during his Leipzig stint, where most people associate him.
He had a decent spell at Chelsea as Tuchel managed to bring the best out of him, but after that, it has been all downhill for Werner, now in MLS & perhaps ending his European career.
Some Honourable Mentions
Bernd Leno, Rani Khedira, Sebastian Rudy, Sven Ulreich.
