Everything you need to know about Germany and Chelsea forward Kai Havertz!
Kai Havertz is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Chelsea in the Premier League and the German national team. He was born on June 11, 1999, in Aachen, Germany.
Havertz started his footballing career with local club Alemannia Mariadorf before joining the youth academy of Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 11. He made his professional debut for Leverkusen in 2016, becoming the then-youngest player to ever play in the Bundesliga for the club at just 17 years and 126 days old.
During the 2018-19 season, Havertz had a breakout year for Leverkusen, scoring 17 goals and providing three assists in the Bundesliga. He was named the Bundesliga Player of the Month for April 2019 and was included in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.
In September 2020, Havertz signed for Chelsea for a reported fee of £72 million, making him the club's second most expensive signing at the time. Havertz played a key role in Chelsea's run to the Champions League title in the 2020-21 season, scoring the winning goal in the final against Manchester City. He also would score the decisive goal against Palmeiras in next season's Club World Cup final to help the Blues win the trophy for the first time.
Havertz made his debut for the German national team in 2018, and he has since become a regular fixture in the squad. The Chelsea forward has since represented them at the 2020 Euros and 2022 World Cup.
Here are 13 fun facts about Kai Havertz you need to know…!
Very early beginnings
At a very young age, Havertz had already got the experience of being a footballer. When he was merely four years old, the future Chelsea striker would play for amateur club Alemannia Mariadorf. His grandfather, Richard, was the chairman of the team and helped the German forward get some valuable lessons which would benefit him later in his career.
AdvertisementA Barcelona fan
While the Bayer Leverkusen academy product and his family were primarily supporters of local club Alemannia Aachen, Havertz was an ardent supporter of La Liga giants Barcelona as a child.
If one were to enter his childhood bedroom, one would find it adorned with Barcelona memorabilia. Havertz has cited Barca legends Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho as players he enjoyed watching as a kid, particularly during their victory over Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final.
Getty ImagesMost goals by a teenager in one Bundesliga season
With his tally of 17 goals during the 2018-19 season, Kai Havertz broke the record of most goals by a teenager in a single Bundesliga season.
As a result of his performances that year Havertz came second in the rankings for German Footballer of the Year, with Borussia Dortmund ace Marco Reus getting the jump on him.
Assisted Bundesliga's 50,000th goal
Havertz cemented his name in Bundesliga legacy instantly after making his debut for the senior team by providing an assist to then-teammate Karim Bellarabi during their game against Augsburg, which would be the 50,000th goal scored in the league's history.
Since then, Havertz entered his name into the Bundesliga record books every season, highlighting that he was one of the biggest prospects to emerge in the league's history.