VfB Stuttgart defender Finn Jeltsch named U19 Fritz Walter gold medal winner
The German Football Association (DFB) has awarded VfB Stuttgart's Finn Jeltsch the prestigious 2025 Fritz Walter Gold medal in the Under-19s category.
Jeltsch beat Cologne youngster Saïd El Mala and Hoffenheim's Max Moerstedt to the annual prize recognising Germany's brightest football talents. He is the first Stuttgart player to win the U19 Fritz Walter gold medal.
The central defender joined Stuttgart in January 2025 after impressing for Nuremberg in Bundesliga 2 as well as for Germany at youth international level, where he is a former U17 European and world champion.
He has since made 19 appearances for the Swabians in all competitions, coming on against Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB Cup final last year as Stuttgart won the trophy.
Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth said upon the announcement: "We warmly congratulate Finn on the Fritz Walter Gold medal. The medal is a recognition of Finn's development, and at the same time, it is an award for all the clubs, coaches, and support staff who have supported Finn throughout his career."
The U17 award - open to players born in 2008 - was awarded to Eintracht Frankfurt's Alexander Staff. Silver went to Bayern Munich prodigy Lennart Karl, while Borussia Mönchengladbach ace Elias Vali Fard claimed bronze.
Previous Fritz Walter medal winners include Manuel Neuer (2005, U19), Toni Kroos (2008, U18), Mario Götze (2009 & 2010, U17 & U18), Kai Havertz (2018, U19) and Florian Wirtz (2020 & 2022, U17 & U19).
Full list of 2025 Fritz Walter Medal winners
U19 male, born in 2006:
GOLD: Finn Jeltsch (VfB Stuttgart)
SILVER: Said El Mala (Cologne)
BRONZE: Max Moerstedt (Hoffenheim)
U19 female, born in 2006:
GOLD: Alara Şehitler (Bayern Munich)
SILVER: Estrella Merino Gonzalez (Bayer Leverkusen)
BRONZE: Thea Farwick (Meppen)
U17 male, born in 2008:
GOLD: Alexander Staff (Eintracht Frankfurt)
SILVER: Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich)
BRONZE: Elias Vali Fard (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
U17 female, born in 2008:
GOLD: Luzie Zähringer (Bayern Munich)
SILVER: Lotta Wrede (Hamburg)
BRONZE: Marie Gmeineder (Bayern Munich)
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