12 hours ago
Beware 'two-metre Messi'! Meet the 6ft 6in starlet aiming to fire Germany to U21 glory against England
Two years ago Nick Woltemade found himself on the bench in the third division of German football.
Now he is being pursued by Bayern Munich and has the chance to break English hearts on Saturday night.
Woltemade, 23, or Woltemessi as his Stuttgart team-mates call him, is deceiving in that his 6ft 6in frame does not tell the story of his capabilities.
There is a grace and elegance to his technique on the ball which has drawn comparisons with Jamal Musiala, and his pace and dribbling are also typical of a tricky winger a foot shorter.
'His combination of skills is special; you rarely see that,' Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness has said of Woltemade, this tournament's top scorer with six goals.
'He has very fast feet, good ball control and strong dribbling.'
Although he dislikes his Messi nicknames — two-metre Messi is another — he is unique among Germany's young stars.
His six goals here have varied: three with his right foot, one with his left and two with his head.
Useful as a second striker, as an all-out No 9 or playing at No 10, England's toughest assignment has been saved for the final.
