After ticking off Champions League and Bundesliga debuts, the 18-year-old looks set for a breakthrough season in Bavaria
When Germany took to the famous Wembley pitch in July for the Euro 2022 final against England, they did so with a team stacked full of young talent – one that, despite their eventual extra-time defeat, promises an incredibly bright future for one of football’s most successful nations.
After the Lionesses' triumph, a tearful Lena Oberdorf – the 2020 NXGN winner – collected the Young Player of the Tournament award at the tender age of 20. Right-back Giulia Gwinn, still only 23 years old, would earn a place in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament alongside Oberdorf and Klara Buhl, the 21-year-old who sadly missed the final due to Covid.
With 19-year-old Jule Brand starting the final and a trio of 22-year-olds – Nicole Anyomi, Sydney Lohmann and Lena Lattwein – all featuring from the bench, this was a tough day for Germany but also one that showed how much potential there is for the years to come.
That is not restricted to those involved in that tournament, either. As Germany’s triumph at the UEFA Under-17 Championship during the same summer showed, this country has exciting young players in abundance.
One who has really risen to the fore in this 2022-23 season is Bayern Munich’s Franziska Kett, the 18-year-old who is making a serious impact at one of Europe's biggest clubs.
But who is she and why is she set for a breakthrough campaign? NXGN has all you need to know…
GettyWhere it began
Born in Bavaria, Kett would play for FC Edenstetten before moving onto her hometown club of Deggendorf. The young forward played with the boys in the Regionalliga and it was there that she was spotted by Bayern Munich.
“She was the only girl in her boys' team, quite a good boys' team, and she stood out,” Bianca Rech, the sporting director of the German giants, tells NXGN. “She's a really quick and fast player. She has something special, I would say.”
After that, it was “a very easy decision” to approach Kett to sign for Bayern, Rech says. “You could see her talent and that she had big potential to be a great player in the future.”
As a young teenager, Kett would move to Munich, attend a sports school and live in a house with other young sportspeople as she set about making her mark at Bayern, an experience which would naturally help her mature.
She was also involved with the youth national teams from a young age, starting in the U15s.
AdvertisementFC Bayern MunichThe big break
After a couple of torrid years with injuries, Kett signed her first professional contract in March 2022, four days after being included in a first-team squad for the first time in a league fixture against Hoffenheim.
She was on the bench the following week, too, for the Women's Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, but would have to wait for the start of the 2022-23 season for her senior debut – in a 3-0 win over Werder Bremen.
Marking her first senior start with a goal, in a win over Meppen in October, the 18-year-old was also included in Alexander Straus' lineup for the game against Barcelona at Camp Nou in November. It was her full debut in the Women’s Champions League.
GettyHow it's going
Kett is now a fixture in this Bayern team, be it off the bench or from the start.
“Every time she comes on the pitch, she has an impact on the game and shows her quality,” Rech says, with the teenager having netted her second goal for the club in the win over Essen at the end of November.
She’s also an important player for her country, constantly a livewire for Germany’s U19s, and the feeling within the federation about her potential is a good one.
“She's ambitious but also down to earth,” Kathrin Peter, head coach of the country’s U19 and U20 teams, tells NXGN. “She's maybe the silent type and a little bit reserved when you meet her, but she knows her goals and she has a really clear mind.
“When you talk to her, you know that she has her aims and she's really ready to give her all for them. She's only 18 now and, overall, a really great person that is fun to work with.”
GettyBiggest strengths
There’s a lot to like about Kett’s game, on both sides of the ball. Her work ethic is impressive for a young attacker, with her not shying away from her defensive responsibilities.
As for when she’s on the front foot, she’s so difficult to stop that there is a growing bank of images of defenders hanging off of her shirt, trying to find a way to halt her progress.
"She's really explosive and her dynamic is combined with outstanding technique,” Peter explains. “Some players can run fast but have problems with the ball at high speed, others have a really good technique but do not have the speed. Franzi is just comfortable on the ball even at high speed. On top of that, she can use both feet and also has great finishing skills.”
"She doesn't think too much and is strong in one-v-one situations,” Rech adds. “She fits perfectly in the system [under Straus]. She's a very dangerous player in the final third and can almost play every offensive position.”
That ability to use both feet helps to make her a versatile forward as well as a dangerous one and adds an element of unpredictability to her game that can be a big asset.