Brajan Gruda is in dreamland.
The 22-year-old German forward had his breakout a few seasons ago for Mainz — earning rave reviews from Bayern Munich and national team legend Thomas Müller at the time — but his career has taken a circuitous path since. His big move to England did not pay off, at least not quickly, and after a nondescript season-and-a-half at Brighton, Gruda found himself back in the Bundesliga, this time on loan at RB Leipzig.
But this year, it is all starting to come together. New Germany
boss Jürgen Klopp has been keen on incorporating the dynamic attacker’s skills into the men’s national team setup; Gruda narrowly missed a call-up in September due to injury to Klopp’s super-sized squad. But his season at Leipzig has been promising — two goals and five assists across all competitions. When Klopp trimmed the roster for his second international period, Gruda still made the cut.
Now he is taking his break and running with it. Friday against Serbia in a quiet, rain-sodden Belgrade stadium (largely devoid of fans owing to a UEFA spectator ban for the match), Gruda earned a place in Klopp’s XI for his Germany debut. He left having terrorized the Serbian defenses with a man-of-the-match performance, and collecting a dazzling goal after dribbling halfway down the pitch. All while being the man to don the #10 shirt — which he is fitting very, very well in.
“Jo [Kimmich] was on the ball, and with my first touch, I moved inside,” Gruda said of his higlight-reel moment (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “There was so much space that I thought I had to take advantage of it. And the fact that they weren’t closing me down was good for me too, so I simply made the most of it. It was instinct. I don’t think too much when I’m dribbling. I just do it. I don’t think there’s really time to think anyway. It just happens. That’s it.”
Gruda’s effort put Germany up 3-0 after just 50 minutes, proving to be the dagger en route to a commanding 3-1 win. The way he’s playing, there is sure to be much more to come.
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