RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Is he Germany's next Urbig? 18-year-old already looks world-class
When your performance in your first professional game is immediately described by your teammates as “world-class,” you must have done a lot right. At just 18 years old, Florian Hellstern is already the starting goalkeeper for SpVgg Greuther Fürth. And that at a club many experts had already tipped as a relegation candidate before the season.
Key attacking players such as Noel Futkeu and Branimir Hrgota have left, so others now have to step up. In goal, that means Hellstern, who was loaned from VfB Stuttgart. At first glance, the move may seem risky for the young goalkeeper, but if the youngster takes off, he could reignite the battle for places at his parent club in Stuttgart in a whole new way.
Hellstern already showed in the 1-1 draw against St. Pauli that he has enormous quality and was not called “probably Germany’s most exciting goalkeeping talent” at his unveiling for nothing.
After the final whistle, the praise for the German youth international kept coming, because with several saves he rescued a point for his team. “I’ve rarely seen someone so young bring that much calmness and self-confidence. He gives us tremendous security. And at 18 years old, that’s crazy. You shouldn’t praise too much, but that was a very good game today,” captain Florian Klaus told ‘Bayrischer Rundfunk’.
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His coach Heiko Vogel was also full of praise: “The boy is truly gifted. My job is to keep him at the right altitude.”
So the move to Fürth may not have been risky after all. The fact that it can also prove to be a masterstroke was already shown by two of his predecessors. Just two years ago, Jonas Urbig played for the Cloverleaf, and now he is considered Manuel Neuer’s successor at Bayern. Jürgen Klopp is also likely to have him on his radar for the German national team. Nahuel Noll also used Fürth as a springboard. He could start the new season as SC Paderborn’s number one if he beats out Markus Schubert.
These examples likely helped Hellstern decide in favor of the Cloverleaf. Now, in the coming weeks, he has to prove that his performance against St. Pauli was not a one-off. At the same time, the goalkeeper must be careful not to get carried away by all the praise. But his coach is optimistic: “The personality that is already there will only grow even more. The boy has to stay healthy and keep a clear head. But I have no worries about that at all. The boy is brilliant.”
Hellstern himself also said at his unveiling that he is “really excited” about this challenge and now wants to prove himself at a higher level. In Fürth, he has the opportunity to develop further both as a player and as a person.
If things go as well for him as they did for Urbig, Stuttgart’s battle for places could be reignited in a whole new way next year. Dennis Seimen, who is also only 20, is currently injured and is not expected to feature for VfB until after the international break in mid-October. Depending on how he performs in the Bundesliga, Hellstern could be the next competitor waiting in the wings next summer.
So while Hellstern’s performances could cause Seimen concern in the future, VfB itself can at least look ahead to a bright goalkeeping future. No other Bundesliga club is likely to have two such talented young goalkeepers with enormous potential in its squad.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
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