Montrell Culbreath: Who is the big Bayer Leverkusen prospect eligible for the USA and Germany?
A dream Bundesliga debut turned the spotlight on the tricky winger who has represented both Germany and the USA in youth football. Find out all you need to know about the star in the making...
Data correct as of 21 December 2025
Age: 18 (born 29 August 2007)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Right winger
Country: Germany/USA (35 total youth caps, 8 goals)
Key stats
Born in Landstuhl near Kaiserslautern, Culbreath began briefly at local side Spesbach but had switched to the youth ranks of the Red Devils by the age of nine.
By the time Leverkusen pounced on the talent in summer 2023, he had already made six appearances for Germany U16, and three for the USA U16 side.
Watch: Culbreath scores on Bundesliga debut
Culbreath made an instant impression in Leverkusen's youth sides, netting ten goals and providing two assists for the U17 team in 2023/24 in the U17 West Bundesliga, before appearing for the U19 team and competing in the UEFA Youth League the following season.
That led to Culbreath's inclusion on a pre-season tour of Brazil during the short reign of Erik ten Hag in summer 2025, on which he netted at the age of 17 by turning in a cross from Alejandro Grimaldo in a 5-1 friendly defeat to Flamengo U20.
Watch: Culbreath scores in Flamengo friendly
Ten Hag's successor Kasper Hjulmand was keen to keep the talent in the first-team setup and included Culbreath on the substitutes' bench for a Bundesliga tie at Mainz, DFB Cup encounter at Paderborn, as well as UEFA Champions League ties against PSG, Benfica and Manchester City in October and November 2025.
He was introduced for his first taste of Bundesliga action in the 77th minute of a Bundesliga encounter at RB Leipzig in December 2025 and raced away after a mistake from David Raum to net a goal on his debut and seal a 3-1 win in stoppage time.
Culbreath has continued to play in the German national youth set-up to U19 level.
Plays a bit like: Karim Adeyemi
Technically accomplished and with a range of tricks, Culbreath has all the skills a top winger needs but, much like the Borussia Dortmund and Germany wideman, is most notable for his explosive pace and willingness to charge towards goal - with a clinical touch in front of the target helping him to a promising goalscoring output.
Did you know?
By scoring against Leipzig at the age of 18 and three months, Culbreath became Leverkusen's fourth youngest Bundesliga goalscorer ever after Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz and Julian Brandt - fine company!
What they're saying
“During my injury layoff, I watched many training sessions, and you could see his quality. I’m convinced he’ll get plenty of playing time in the future. I’m very proud of him.” - Teammate Martin Terrier after his debut goal in Leipzig
"It's his first game and he scores a goal. It's not just about the player, but also a great compliment to our academy, which is very important for the club." - Hjulmand after the Leipzig match
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