News Focus
- Noel Futkeu wins the 2. Bundesliga golden boot with 19 goals for Greuther Fürth
- Eintracht Frankfurt activate €1.3 million buyback clause for the 23-year-old striker
- The forward had scored all of his club’s previous seven goals before the weekend victory
- Fürth face Rot-Weiss Essen in a relegation playoff, with Futkeu facing his hometown club
- This marks the first campaign since 2017/18 without a 20-goal scorer in the division
Noel Futkeu has secured the 2. Bundesliga top scorer title after netting 19 goals for Greuther Fürth this term. The 23-year-old forward produced a remarkable individual season despite his club struggling near the bottom of the table.
Eintracht Frankfurt have confirmed they will exercise their buyback option to re-sign the striker for just €1.3 million. The Bundesliga side originally sold Futkeu to their second-tier rivals but inserted a clause allowing them to reverse the transfer.
The attacker maintained his excellent form during Saturday’s clash against Fortuna Düsseldorf. He had remarkably scored all of Greuther Fürth’s previous seven goals prior to this weekend’s action. He continued this rich vein of form by finding the net against Fortuna Düsseldorf, sealing a 3-0 victory for Heiko Vogel’s side. Although Felix Klaus earned the match award against his old team, Futkeu’s contribution proved crucial.
This result means Greuther Fürth must navigate a relegation playoff against Rot-Weiss Essen. Interestingly, Futkeu was born in Essen and previously played for their youth academy before joining Frankfurt’s reserve side in 2023. He has featured only once for Frankfurt’s senior team but hopes to establish himself upon his return. However, sporting director Markus Krösche may instead seek to sell the striker immediately for a quick profit.
The race for the golden boot proved tight this season. For the first time since the 2017/18 campaign, no player managed to reach the 20-goal milestone in Germany’s second tier. Mateusz Żukowski of Magdeburg and Darmstadt’s Isac Lidberg shared second place with 17 goals each, though Żukowski missed much of the first half through injury.