Famous win over Madrid
Things finally began to click into place for Marco Rose and his RB Leipzig side on Tuesday night, as the Bundesliga giants picked up a historic 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League. And at the heart of that head-turning result was none other than the club’s two most exciting stars: Christopher Nkunku and Josko Gvardiol.
“Real offered us a bit of what we’re strong at,” explained star striker Timo Werner to DAZN after the match, in response to his side bullying Carlo Ancelotti’s team for much of the match: “We knew that Real were very good with the ball – and once we had the ball, we should be brave.” That was undoubtedly exemplified at both ends of the pitch, where Nkunku and Gvardiol thrived against the European champions.
Haaland at the top: The youngest players with 20 Champions League goals
40 Hernán Crespo (Milan)* – 29 years, 10 months and 20 days
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*Club at which the 20th goal was scored
39 Didier Drogba (Chelsea) – 29 years, 8 months and 17 days
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38 Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) – 29 years, 8 months and 9 days
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37 Edinson Cavani (PSG) – 29 years, 7 months and 14 days
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36 Roy Makaay (Bayern Munich) – 29 years, 6 months and 19 days
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35 Samuel Eto’o (Inter) – 29 years, 6 months and 4 days
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34 Rivaldo (FC Barcelona) – 29 years, 5 months and 21 days
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33 Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) – 29 years, 4 months and 11 days
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32 Giovane Elber (Bayern Munich) – 29 years, 2 months and 24 days
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31 Robin van Persie (Manchester United) – 29 years, 1 month and 26 days
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30 Filippo Inzaghi (Milan) – 29 years, 1 month and 15 days
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29 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Milan) – 28 years, 11 months and 12 days
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28 Álvaro Morata (Juventus) – 28 years, 1 month and 1 day
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27 Antoine Griezmann (Atlético) – 27 years, 7 months and 16 days
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26 Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar) – 27 years, 6 months and 24 days
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25 Fernando Morientes (Monaco) – 27 years, 5 months and 25 days
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24 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 27 years, 3 months and 17 days
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23 Jardel (Galatasaray) – 26 years, 11 months and 25 days
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22 Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) – 26 years, 8 months and 22 days
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21 Mario Gómez (Bayern Munich) – 26 years, 8 months and 3 days
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20 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) – 26 years, 6 months and 18 days
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19 Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 26 years, 3 months and 29 days
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18 Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) – 26 years, 2 months and 23 days
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17 David Trézéguet (Juventus) – 26 years, 1 month and 25 days
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16 Sergiy Rebrov (Dynamo Kyiv) – 25 years, 9 months and 5 days
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15 Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) – 25 years, 7 months and 30 days
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14 Patrick Kluivert (FC Barcelona) – 25 years, 3 months and 9 days
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13 Thierry Henry (Arsenal) – 25 years, 1 month and 8 days
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12 Neymar (FC Barcelona) – 25 years, 1 month and 3 days
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11 Kaká (Milan) – 25 years and 2 days
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10 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – 24 years, 10 months and 3 days
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9 Andriy Shevchenko (Milan) – 24 years, 5 months and 13 days
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8 Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich) – 24 years, 5 months and 6 days
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7 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) – 24 years, 5 months and 6 days
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6 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 23 years, 9 months and 8 days
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5 Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus) – 23 years, 5 months and 6 days
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4 Raúl (Real Madrid) – 22 years, 9 months and 23 days
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3 Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) – 22 years, 8 months and 21 days
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2 Kylian Mbappé (PSG) – 21 years, 11 months and 19 days
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1 Erling Haaland (Dortmund) – 20 years, 7 months and 16 days
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In somewhat surprising circumstances, it was Gvardiol who opened the scoring for Rose’s side, when the Croatia international latched on to a loose ball on the Madrid box to head home from a chaotic corner routine. Then, as if to hammer home the point, Nkunku took advantage of further disarray in the Madrid box to rifle the ball in the roof of the net. RB Leipzig’s stars had aligned and were making short work of their Spanish opponents.
€60m increase and rising – Nkunku and Gvardiol thriving at Leipzig
Despite a rocky start to life at the Red Bull Arena, Rose seems to have turned a corner at Leipzig, as his side now sit unbeaten in eight games across all competitions. The club are on the cusp of qualifying for the Last 16 of the Champions League and sit just a few points off a top four spot in the Bundesliga. Leipzig have managed to turn their season around an at the heart of that is two stars that have gone from strength to strength at the Saxony club.
Nkunku, the club’s star forward, is perhaps the most obvious factor in all of this. After moving into a more direct No.9 role under Rose, the player has picked up four goals in six league games, as well as a further two in four Champions League ties. In total, the France international has an impressive tally of 12 goals and one assist in eight games across all competitions and is playing some of his best football since making the move to Germany.
Musiala and Gvardiol in top 3 – The biggest winners of the Bundesliga update
19 Jordan | Union Berlin | +€3m
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New market value: €10m
19 Stanley Nsoki | TSG Hoffenheim | +€3m
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New market value: €10m
16 Micky van de Ven | VfL Wolfsburg | +€4m
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New market value: €8m
16 Josip Stanisic | Bayern Munich | +€4m
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New market value: €8m
16 Jamie Bynoe-Gittens | BVB | +€4m
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New market value: €8m
15 Benjamin Henrichs | RB Leipzig | +€4m
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New market value: €18m
14 Randal Kolo Muani | E. Frankfurt | +€4m
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New market value: €20m
13 Kiliann Sildillia | SC Freiburg | +€4.5m
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New market value: €6m
12 Nathan Ngoumou | Gladbach | +€4.5m
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New market value: €7m
11 Kevin Schade | SC Freiburg | +€5m
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New market value: €12m
10 Marcel Sabitzer | Bayern Munich | +€5m
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New market value: €20m
9 Piero Hincapié | Bayer 04 | +€5m
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New market value: €22m
8 Jeremie Frimpong | Bayer 04 | +€5m
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New market value: €25m
7 David Raum | RB Leipzig | +€6m
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New market value: €26m
6 Kouadio Koné | Gladbach | +€7m
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New market value: €25m
5 Sheraldo Becker | Union Berlin | +€8m
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New market value: €15m
4 Jude Bellingham | BVB | +€10m
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New market value: €90m
3 Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich | +€15m
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New market value: €80m
2 Mathys Tel | Bayern Munich | +€18m
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New market value: €20m
1 Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig | +€25m
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New market value: €60m
Although Gvardiol’s start to the new season was somewhat delayed due to a knee injury in the summer, the towering central defender returned to full fitness earlier this month and has played a pivotal role in his side’s unbeaten run. Alongside Willi Orbán in defence, the 23-year-old talent has already been promoted to defender and playmaker-in-chief, through the way he snuffs out opposing attacks and orchestrates Leipzig’s counters with his exquisite passing.
As such, it will come as no surprise that both players have seen their market values skyrocket in 2022. For example, since December 2021, Nkunku’s value has shot up from €55 million to €80m, while Gvardiol’s value has risen from €25m in December 2021 to where it now stands today at an impressive €60m. Both players are thriving under Rose and if this run of form continues, the aforementioned market values may need a further increase in the next Bundesliga update.
Chelsea come calling – will Leipzig sell their stars?
Leipzig fans will take confidence from the fact that both Nkunku and Gvardiol signed new contracts with the club in June and September respectively, but it remains highly unlikely that either player will see out the full term of their new deals. Especially if certain clubs in England have their say.
Nkunku has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League side Chelsea, with reports from England earlier in the season suggesting that an unofficial medical had already taken place and that the Stamford Bridge side were desperate to offer what it will take to allow Leipzig to part with their star forward in the January window. Even if it means paying more than the reported release clause in the player’s new contract.
Gvardiol is also of extreme interest to Chelsea, but a move for the Croatian international may be a little trickier. Despite signing a new deal with the club that does not include any type of release clause or understanding to sell at a certain price, sources close to the player have told Transfermarkt that the new contract has done little to deter Chelsea’s interest and that negotiations over a move for the player are likely to continue next year. Manchester City have also shown a serious interest in the player, but it remains to be seen whether the English champions will rival their Premier League rivals for the player’s signature.
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