Jamie Gittens is following in the footsteps of Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund and his promising season continued with a goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League
Borussia Dortmund is becoming a familiar training ground for future England internationals.
Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho both took the decision to continue laying the foundations of their young footballing education in front of the Yellow Wall and as a result found their way quickly into the Three Lions picture. Now, BVB have another star ready to catch the eye of new England boss and ex-Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel – Jamie Gittens.
Still just 20, Gittens already has a Champions League final appearance to his name. And, for anyone unaware of his talent, a goal against Real Madrid in a rematch of the last season’s final is a noteworthy moment even in a 5-2 defeat with a Vinicius Junior hat-trick.
Where Bellingham’s rise was meteoric, having also arrived at the Westfalenstadion to much fanfare in 2020, Gittens was forced to show more patience. The England under-21 international had yet to play senior football upon departing Manchester City after spending two years with their academy, and was a year his team-mate’s junior.
Not only was there competition from Sancho, Thorgan Hazard, Julian Brandt and Giovanni Reyna in the first team but Gittens progress was halted by torn ankle ligaments that ruled him out for a number of months. Nurturing the player through a difficult injury history became a priority.
When afforded his opportunity, it took little time for Gittens to make an impression however. The UEFA Youth League offered his earliest chances in late 2021 and six goals in five appearances in the competition, including a brace against Manchester United, saw him earn his first team debut by April 2022.
After a successful summer winning the under-19 European Championship in a team including Jarell Quansah and Carney Chukwuemeka, Gittens was soon scoring his first Bundesliga strike against Freiburg. A shoulder injury once again slowed the young star in 2022/23 but a Champions League debut still arrived against Chelsea, a team he spent some time with in his youth.
It was 2023/24 when Gitten’s Dortmund career began in earnest and he featured 34 times and avoided disruption through injury. The youngster flitted in and out of BVB’s starting XI under Edin Terzic but provided eight assists and scored twice as well as making as an appearance in the Champions League final.
It appears that has set the platform for a true breakout year for Gittens under new boss Nuri Sahin. It was a new season and a new name for the winger previously referred to as Bynoe-Gittens.
“Both are the names of my father,” he explained. “But he said that he thinks it’s better if I’m only called Gittens because it’s shorter.”
Gittens had a simple plan coming into 2024/25: “To be available once again and not to have any injuries. I go to the gym as often as possible in order to have fewer injuries. I would like to score more goals and get more goals and assists than last season. And hopefully we will win a title as a team.”
The young England prospect is already ticking boxes. Five goals and three assists in 11 appearances has seen Gittens truly announce himself in Dortmund and beyond.
A half hour opening day brace saw the forward set the tone and Europe has become his playground. Another substitute appearance against Club Brugge saw a second brace and a man-of-the-match performance.
Tuesday night saw Gittens become the youngest English player to score against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Substituted with the score 2-0, the 20-year-old could only watch on as his side conceded five times.
Speaking after the game at the Bernabeu, he could not deny the magic of the venue. “To lose how we did should not have happened. But this stadium is so magical,” he told TNT Sports. “They have great players to make impacts and they did it again tonight.”
Such has been the start to Gittens’ season, talk of an England call-up has of course emerged. Tuchel has already seen the player up close while in charge of Bayern Munich and if he spends any time in Germany ahead of returning to the United Kingdom, he is sure to hear more of the young star thriving in Dortmund.
Gittens has already been identified as a key weapon by his side. Given England’s attacking struggles of late, he could provide an answer.
Former Dortmund captain and current sporting director, Sebastian Kehl said: “The reaction from Jamie is that of a champion: We expect that the lads that come on change the game. When he is in the penalty area, he’s almost impossible to defend against.”
Already there is talk of a transfer with Liverpool and Tottenham said to be interested parties. An asking price of £83million and a contract until 2028 may act as a stern deterrent for the moment.
There is a growing sense that Gittens could be the latest English graduate from Dortmund however and a Three Lions call-up could be waiting.
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