Union Berlin's Linus Güther becomes second-youngest player in Bundesliga history
Just three days after turning 16, Union Berlin winger Linus Güther became the second-youngest player to appear in the Bundesliga as his side lost 3-1 to Heidenheim on Matchday 29 of the 2025/26 campaign.
Güther, who joined Union from third-tier promotion hopefuls Energie Cottbus in the summer and turned 16 on Wednesday, was called up to train with the club’s first team during the recent international break and has evidently left quite an impression on head coach Steffen Baumgart and his new his team-mates.
As Union trailed Heidenheim 3-1, Güther replaced Alex Král in the 84th minute in an attempt to give his side extra impetus. Ultimately, he could not change the outcome, and even picked up a yellow card shortly after coming on, but it will forever be a milestone moment in his career.
Watch: Günther makes debut
As such, he is the youngest player to feature in Germany’s top division since former Borussia Dortmund prodigy Youssoufa Moukoko broke the all-time record in November 2020 - a day after his 16th birthday.
After full-time, Baumgart discussed the historic moment, giving the youngster plenty of praise. "In this situation, I was looking for someone who would play with a bit more freedom," he said. "Linus has earned that during the week, and I'm happy for him. I hope he will bring us a lot of joy in the long run."
Even before the match, Baumgart spoke positively about the starlet. “He has shown what he can do with the ball,” he said. “He has quickly earned a lot of respect from the lads - you can see that. We’ll decide after our final training session on Friday whether he has done enough for a place in the squad.
“We have a huge talent in our ranks and need to be careful how we handle him. He has already earned the right to train with us, have lunch with the lads and to be recognised, which is a huge step in itself."
Güther has slotted seamlessly into Union’s youth ranks since his summer move from Cottbus, registering five goals and two assists in eight appearances for the club’s U17s. He has also turned out seven times for the Berlin outfit’s U19 side.
His record at international level is no less impressive. In nine appearances for Germany’s U16s, Günther has found the net seven times - including a hat-trick in an 8-2 friendly victory over Romania last October. He would have featured in Germany’s double-header against Italy last month but stayed back to train with Union’s first team. That decision appears to have paid off, and he will hope this is the first of many appearances amongst the elite.
