Daniel Poer:
Leon Goretzka is the latest rising star to emerge from the German football league, following in the footsteps of recent superstars like Mezut Ozil and Mario Gotze.
Born on February 6th 1995, the young midfielder began his playing career as a child with the youth club Werner SV Bochum. Rising up through the ranks, he eventually made the transition to the VfL Bochum first-team squad, joining up with them in 2001.
His talent was soon spotted by the German national team set-up with Goretzka winning his first cap for the under-16 national team against Northern Ireland in Gottingen on November 15th 2010.
Since then he has gone on to represent the under-17 and under-19 sides, as well as playing 24 times for Bochum in the Bundesliga 2. scoring four goals along the way.
Despite his impressive efforts, Bochum remain embroiled in a relegation battle, meaning a transfer away is more than likely, with the current suitors including Arsenal and Manchester United.
The press has already labelled the star as the new Michael Ballack.