“Then the sky’s the limit”: Eintracht Frankfurt wonderkid Niko Ilicevic hailed as a “talent of the century”

Eintracht Frankfurt disappointed against SC Paderborn again this season, but Niko Ilicevic gave them something to celebrate. On his second appearance, he showed glimpses of a player already capable of competing in the Bundesliga. He is tipped for a great career.

"If you can play with the professionals and hold your own in the Bundesliga at 16, you must be a once-in-a-century talent," Sky pundit Didi Hamann said on Saturday. The previous week, Eintracht coach Adi Hütter had brought the teenager on in stoppage time of a 3-1 win over HSV for his debut. Just one day after his 16th birthday, Ilicevic became the youngest player in the German top flight. He drew level with Youssoufa Moukoko, who had made his debut for Borussia Dortmund in 2020 at exactly the same age.

In the Hesse side's 2-2 draw in Paderborn, Ilicevic entered under very different circumstances from those against Hamburger SV. The nephew of former Bundesliga player Ivo Ilicevic replaced Ritsu Doan in the 64th minute with the score at 1-1, hoping to help restore his team's lead. That plan soon fell apart.

After Ilicevic's unsuccessful dribble, Lilian Brassier conceded a penalty (73.). Elias Baum then received his second yellow card (75.), leaving Eintracht trying to secure a point. Jonathan Burkardt, who had scored the 1-0, struck with his heel in the third minute of stoppage time to make it 2-2. Goalkeeper Noah Atubolu provided the assist.

Ilicevic is still waiting for his first goal contribution, but he can claim a Bundesliga record outright. If he scores against TSG Hoffenheim after the international break (21 November), he would become the youngest goalscorer in history at 16 years and 21 days. A week later, against VfB Stuttgart, he could draw level with Moukoko.

Despite his "mistake" before the penalty, Ilicevic impressed with a disciplined performance. With his side down to ten men, the winger had to focus mainly on defending. He covered plenty of ground, won both his tackles and completed 70 per cent of his passes.

Further appearances this season look certain. "I expect him to be in the squad again this weekend. He deserves it, too, because he trains brilliantly. We're proud to have him with us," coach Adi Hütter said of the wonderkid before the match.

"We don't know where his journey will take him. He seems to be a very sensible lad, has a good support network, a very good coach and a very good club where he can develop. Hopefully he stays there for another one, two or three years. That would help him," Hamann said, predicting: "Then the sky is the limit."

Eintracht, though, want to develop Ilicevic carefully. "It's completely understandable that there's a lot of hype around him at the moment. But it's also our job to look after him," Hütter said. He explained that the youngster could play in the youth ranks if he is not getting first-team minutes: "If this process goes on for, say, a month and he hasn't played a single match, then I certainly think it makes sense to let him play for the U21s once so he can get match practice."