Chris Smith takes a look at the rise and rise of Hugo Ekitike, who has already justified the huge fee Liverpool paid Eintracht Frankfurt for his services in the summer
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 10: Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool celebrates their first goal during the 2025 FA Community Shield match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on August 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Hugo Ekitike celebrates his first goal for Liverpool, which put them in front early on in the Community Shield with Crystal Palace at Wembley
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In a season largely absent of illuminating moments, Hugo Ekitike has been Liverpool’s brilliant bright spark.
An instant Kop hero, Ekitike has 'it'. The kid from Reims has both the quantifiable footballing brilliance and the intangible magic many Reds believe will make him the club’s next superstar.
The two-footed technical ability of an artful playmaker, high IQ movement, the pace to leave defenders trailing, and supreme finishing.
All joined by the liberating impetuousness of youth, extreme self-belief, and an undeniable, almost Thierry Henry-like cool factor. A character and personality that’ll endear anyone to the Anfield crowd.
Most crucially though, the young Frenchman scores goals. Lots of them. Sixteen and counting.
A goal within half an hour of his Merseyside derby debut had Kopites singing (if not doing) The Conga. However, the sheer variety of those strikes has also been encouraging.
The nonchalant and perfectly timed one-touch side foot at Newcastle United, the instinctive control and volley barely a minute into the game against Brighton. A brave sliding finish away at Leeds and a neck-stretching header at Spurs.
In one-on-one situations – like his first goal at Elland Road and another against Qarabag, both reacting quickly to defensive lapses – he’s clinical. While the rest of his game overflows with expressionism, he’s ice cold in those moments.
At just 23, there’s a reassuring maturity in that. And, by notching an FA Cup goal against Barnsley in the third round, Ekitike equalled a goalscoring feat achieved only by Kenny Dalglish in 1977/78 – a goal in five different competitions in his first season at Liverpool.
Four of those goals – Community Shield, Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup – were registered at the first time of asking. The Champions League goal had to wait… until his second appearance.
Few new signings in Liverpool’s history can look up and see their name alongside the club’s greatest player and servant.
Add to that the rapidly maturing chemistry with Florian Wirtz – the pair now regularly assisting each other’s goals – and it bodes well for Liverpool’s prospects in seasons to come, hopefully far less encumbered by the severe identity crisis that has undermined the Premier League title defence.
Indeed, that patchy form merely serves to underline just how impressive Hugo’s start has been.
“I love this kid,” said former Reds skipper Steven Gerrard after the 6-0 win over Qarabag. “I think he’s just going to get better and better, what a signing he’s been so far.”
“The main positive is these two [Ekitike and Wirtz]… the timing of the pass and the finish, they’re growing and evolving and that connection, they’re on the same wavelength.”
His scintillating club form has opened the door to international recognition. Ekitike is World Cup-bound after winning a first cap for France during the September internationals. He’s now a fixture in Didier Deschamps ultra-talented squads.
It was a moment to savour for the young star who experienced humbling rejection at Paris Saint-Germain before finding acclaim at Eintracht Frankfurt prior to his £69 million summer arrival at Anfield. It all started on his doorstep....
From Reims to the Reds
Ekitike joined the Stade de Reims academy at age 12. He was born and grew up in the town, two hours north-east of Paris, to a French mother and Cameroonian father.
“The first time I saw Hugo play was in February 2020 in the last 32 of the French youth cup, against a Paris Saint-Germain team that included Xavi Simons,” said Julien Collomb, a longtime reporter for L’Union who covers Stade de Reims.
“I was struck by his profile. Tall, seemingly slight but very mobile, very technically gifted, as well as in his movement. I already saw a very intelligent player, with a real football IQ. Stade de Reims lost that day, but Hugo impressed many people.
“He showed that day he already had enormous qualities, and his future could be bright. Mission accomplished, I'd say.”
His progress convinced coach David Guion to reward the 17-year-old Ekitike with a Ligue 1 debut at the start of the 20/21 season.
His progress was further encouraged with a loan move to Vejle Boldklub in Denmark, for the second half of that campaign. Three crucial goals helped the club stave-off the threat of relegation.
In August, then-captain Jacob Schoop told TheRedmen TV: “He just loved to play. He would never be nervous; it was like he played in the schoolyard.
“The joy he had for the game, it was like a party for him. He could score, he could dance, he could celebrate. He spread so much joy to the fans and in the dressing room as well.”
Ekitike would return home from a challenging loan spell during the COVID pandemic with fresh experience and maturity. And a change of coach at his hometown club would spark a breakthrough season in French football.
REIMS, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 06: Hugo Ekitike of Stade de Reims reacts after scoring during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Reims and Bordeaux at Stade Auguste Delaune on February 06, 2022 in Reims, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
Hugo Ekitike of Stade de Reims reacts after scoring during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between against Bordeaux at Stade Auguste Delaune on February 06, 2022 in Reims, France(Image: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
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“Having spoken with him when he returned from this loan, I can say that it helped him grow,” Collomb adds. “He's from Reims, born in Reims, and had never lived so far away for so long, which helped him develop as both a player and a person.”
“Then, he had to prove himself under a new coach Oscar Garcia, and this led to the superb 2021-2022 season, where he established himself as the main striker.”
Ekitike took off. Ten goals and four assists in Ligue 1 despite having missed 10 games through injury and four through suspension. Collomb says the latter was about “learning to control his energy.”
Paris blues
That breakthrough season drew the attention of Paris Saint-Germain and Hugo joined the French Champions on loan, while the clubs haggled over a permanent fee.
Playing time in Paris was limited. Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe still ruled the roost. He started 12 Ligue 1 games and appeared as a sub 13 times. Just one start in the first three months. One goal before Christmas. Life under coach Christophe Galtier wasn’t easy.
"I always felt that I had the level, but there was a context. I arrived in the last year of Messi and Neymar. Go get them out... you can't," Ekitike reflected during an interview with L’Equipe in March 2025.
"You're behind, you're trying to scratch time. Two minutes, 15 minutes, two games on the bench then 60 minutes... There is no lie in football. It's only continuity that makes you become a player who can count.
"I will never say that I did everything right. I could have done better, that's the truth, but I wasn't helped to do better. Nobody placed their faith in me. Even during training, even through discussions... They never really took the time to talk to me to be able to help me.”
PSG still made the transfer permanent in the summer of 2023. Galtier was out as coach, Messi and Neymar were gone. Mbappe had one foot out of the door.
CLERMONT-FERRAND, FRANCE - AUGUST 6: Lionel Messi of PSG celebrates his second goal between Neymar Jr and Hugo Ekitike during the Ligue 1 match between Clermont Foot 63 and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Stade Gabriel Montpied on August 6, 2022 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Lionel Messi celebrates his second goal with Neymar Jr and Hugo Ekitike during the Ligue 1 match between Clermont Foot 63 and Paris Saint-Germain at Stade Gabriel Montpied on August 6, 2022 in Clermont-Ferrand, France
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New manager Luis Enrique was brought in, and surely the changes would amount to a path for Ekitike to excel? However, while Vitinha and Nuno Mendes, who joined at the same time as Ekitike in 2022, would thrive under the new coach, Ekitike was quickly frozen out.
He registered eight minutes in the Ligue 1 opener, dropped to the bench for the next two games and then was absent from the squad entirely. He had the irked the PSG hierarchy by rejecting a deadline day move to Frankfurt, as countryman Randal Kolo Muani travelled in the opposite direction.
Bradley Barcola arrived from Olympique Lyonnais. Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona. Both were taken under Enrique’s wing. Desire Doue would follow one year later.
The new manager was overseeing a youthful attacking revolution focused on speed, power and great technical prowess. Yet there was no place for Ekitike.
A report from Le Parisien claiming Enrique had been impressed with Ekitike’s pre-season form, so the decision to get shut may have come from above.
“Of course, you doubt yourself,” he said in the same L’Equipe interview. “Even now, if I don’t score for a couple of matches, it’s there. So, if you don’t play for six months, you can imagine…”
Big in Germany
The move to Eintracht Frankfurt would eventually happen at the end of the January transfer window, but Ekitike lacked sharpness. He was off the pace.
“He only had the power to play for five or 10 minutes,” former team-mate Sebastian Rode told The Athletic. “I didn’t think that was possible for a 20-year-old.”
However, four goals in the last five Bundesliga games of the season set the stage for his coming of age.
Frankfurt’s 24/25 season. 22 goals, 12 assists in all competitions. A terrific partnership with Omar Marmoush was broken by Manchester City’s January 2025 move for the Egyptian international.
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - AUGUST 31: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been digitally enhanced.) Hugo Ekitiké of Eintracht Frankfurt celebrates with team mate Omar Marmoush of Eintracht Frankfurt after scoring his team’s first goal during the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Deutsche Bank Park on August 31, 2024 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images)
Hugo Ekitike celebrates with Omar Marmoush after scoring his team’s first goal during the Bundesliga match between Eintracht Frankfurt and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Deutsche Bank Park on August 31, 2024 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany(Image: Sebastian Widmann/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images)
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Ekitike took on the mantle as Frankfurt finished third in the Bundesliga and reached the last eight of the Europa League.
Eintracht - renowned for its development of young talent - had once again provided the perfect pathway for a player in need of guidance. International recognition with the France Under-21 squad followed.
"It was a lot of work from us, but also from him," Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Timmo Hardung told the BBC, prior to Ekitike’s goalscoring return to his old club with Liverpool in October.
"He had to do the tough part, the hard work and training, trying to listen to some tough feedback and that's not always nice to hear, but we try to be honest with players because that's the only way you can bring them forward.
"He was able to work with that feedback to put in a good work ethic, good effort in training.
“He improved every day, gave it his best shot and then the rest was done by his talent."
The extra playing time – double the minutes he’d played in any previous season – saw Ekitike’s game flourish. That season, he topped the Bundesliga for chances created from open play and total shots. He’d significantly underperformed his expected goals, which suggested there was room to improve on his finishing. Which we have seen at Liverpool...
Signing of the summer
The Premier League inevitably came knocking last summer amid an arms race for top striking talent (as well as Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko). Newcastle went big, reviving interest from 2022 while Ekitike was still at Reims. Manchester United reportedly enquired. Ekitike held out for Anfield. Thierry Henry recently called him the signing of the summer.
The progress has not been entirely linear. The efforts to integrate record signing Alexander Isak – also holder of the record for world’s longest pre-season – briefly stymied Hugo’s rip-roaring start.
A silly second yellow card for removing his shirt and holding it up to the crowd after scoring in the League Cup was costly. Liverpool lost a key attacker for the Premier League visit to Crystal Palace, which precipitated an unprecedented losing run for Arne Slot’s champions.
Over the years, interviewers and team-mates have commented on the player’s almost self-deprecating humility, within a steadfast confidence and self-believe. Here though, he’d be accused of arrogance.
His manager went strong: “If I had scored a goal like this I would have turned around and walked up to Federico Chiesa [who provided the assist] and said, ‘this goal is all about you, not about me’. So needless, not smart. You call it stupid, I call it stupid as well.”
Ekitike would quickly apologise. He was used to overcoming setbacks. At Reims, on-loan in Denmark, being cast aside at PSG and at during those first months at Eintracht when he’d cruelly been dubbed “Mr No Goals”. All mere bumps in the road en route to reaching his immense potential. This would be no different.
“It's a character trait he's always had. He was aware of his abilities. To me, that wasn't arrogance at all, quite the opposite. He has a strong character, that's for sure, but not arrogant,” Collomb, who has followed Ekitike’s career closely since the forward’s days in the youth set-up.
“To break through at the highest level you need a bit of ego. Ego isn't a dirty word; you simply have to use it to serve your abilities and your team. That's what he does”