Kwasi Okyere Wriedt's journey to the top is the story of a young man who has worked hard and succeeded throughout German football.
Bundesliga.com has a lowdown on the Ghana striker who may be on the verge of a shot at the big time…
Key stats
Wriedt was born in July 1994 to Ghanaian parents in Hamburg, where he started playing football as a young boy for local side SC Hamm 02. His natural talent and achievements on the pitch saw him attract the attention of several Hamburg football clubs, eventually establishing himself as a key part of FC St. Pauli’s youth setup and reserve team. Fellow fourth-leaguers Lüneberger SK Hansa liked what they saw of the young player at their rivals and secured Wriedt’s services for the 2015/16 season. Their decision was handsomely rewarded: Wriedt scored 23 goals in 34 matches, and Hansa finished two spots above Pauli.
New surroundings and new challenges were clearly needed to continue the forward’s growth, and he found both at third league side VfL Osnabrück, where he would score 12 league goals to finish as Osnabrück’s top scorer and catch the eye of German football’s biggest fish. In October 2017, two days after an away defeat at Fortuna Köln, Wriedt’s Osnabrück career came to an end when he put pen to paper on a contract with Bayern Munich. That same day, he made his debut and scored his first goal for the Bayern reserves.
Since then, Wriedt has been played a further 58 times for Bayern Munich II and has scored a faintly ridiculous 43 more goals. He has also played for the first team in both the Bundesliga and the DFB Cup, as well as becoming a full international for Ghana.
Plays a bit like: Raul
He may not yet be reaching the same heights as the Real Madrid legend, but in terms of style, the Bayern man is picking up where Raul left off.
Wriedt often plays as a central striker, but like the former Schalke man, he can be useful in a variety of forward positions. Whether on the shoulder of the last defender or playing in the hole or as part of the attacking midfield, Wriedt’s main weapon is his left foot.
Just as Raul was partial to a well-placed free kick, the Bayern man can whip a ball over and around the wall and get it on target with pace and power. He is also comfortable with the ball at his feet in open play, and can manoeuvre around defenders and create chances for his teammates.
Did you know?
Just like Robert Lewandowski for Bayern's senior squad, Wriedt is an ultra-reliable man of steel. He has not missed a match through injury since February 2015, while playing as part of St. Pauli's reserve side.
In face, since his move to Munich, there has only been one thing that has prevented Wriedt from turning out for the Bayern Munich reserves: being called up to the senior squad.
What they’re saying
"He's a natural born talent." - Jerome Boateng
“He makes quite an impression, he’s progressing well in training, and he can score goals.” - Jupp Heynckes, Wriedt's former Bayern Munich manager
"A player like that has no business playing in a regional league." - VfR Garching coach Daniel Weber, after Wriedt scored a brace in Bayern's 3-2 victory over Garching.