In England, they call it a “bicycle kick”: a goal that combines athleticism and elegance in a beautiful spectacle. When Felix Nmecha leaps with his back to the Paderborn goal on 12 September 2026 and acrobatically converts Marcel Sabitzer’s cross to make the final score 3-0, it is his first overhead-kick goal.
“Yes, definitely.”
What does it feel like when you go for an overhead kick, when you make contact with the ball?“As soon as I hit the ball, I felt it was going in. And that’s a very, very good feeling…”
And what does it feel like to score in front of the South Stand?“That made it ten times better. It really is something special. When you look at the Yellow Wall, it’s just so big! 30,000 on one side! It’s incredible.”
But surely it’s just a coincidence that you’ve scored seven of your eight Bundesliga goals for Borussia Dortmund in home games, right…?(laughs) “Yes, it really is just a coincidence. Even so, there’s a difference between playing at home and away, where we also have so, so many fans supporting us. But at home it’s so much louder.”
“We’re footballers, but more than footballers, we’re human beings!”
In late summer 2026, Felix Nmecha is in the spotlight for more than just his two beautiful goals in the home game against SC Paderborn. Before his spectacular overhead kick, he had already scored the important goal to make it 2-0; in the fifth minute, he is also the first person Fabio Silva runs to, sharing his delight at the opener with Nmecha first and celebrating with him at particular length. The Portuguese forward later explains why in detail: “Sometimes things aren’t easy in life or in football. Last season, and at the start of this season too, there was a lot of noise around me. Felix always came to me and tried to push me to improve and focus on what I could control. And he always told me I could be important. He’s one of my best friends in the team and has helped me a lot. Not just after this game — in previous games too, when things went well, I always went to him and said, ‘Thank you for helping me so much.’ He’s one of the people who really helped me reach this moment. And if I’m in a position like this now, it’s also because of him.”
What do such heartfelt words from your teammate and friend mean to you?“They mean more to me than you might think. We’re footballers, but more than footballers, we’re human beings, we’re ordinary people. And I just always want to try to show people love. I saw that things weren’t always easy for Fabio, even when he had good moments. But perhaps people didn’t see those because he wasn’t scoring goals. Now that things are going so well for Fabio, I’m so happy for him! I think he’s grown a lot through it.”
Who do you get on best with in the team?“I’m very close to Carney (Chukwuemeka, editor’s note), Fabio, and now Joane Gadou and Kosta (Konstantinos Karetsas) too.”
Do you spend time together outside football as well?“Yes, sometimes. But because we have so many games, you also want some time to yourself now and then. We see each other every day, after all.”
Felix Kalu Nmecha was born in Hamburg on 10 October 2000. His mother is German and his father Nigerian. He has a brother, Lukas, who is just under two years older. Before Felix’s seventh birthday, the family moves to England. When Lukas catches the eye of Manchester City’s youth scouts, Felix joins the top English club’s academy alongside him. In November 2020, coach Pep Guardiola gives him his first senior appearance in the Champions League match against Piraeus. Internationally, he plays for England’s U16, U18 and U19 teams, but also makes an appearance for Germany’s U18s along the way (March 2018), and later for the German U21s. When he first takes to the pitch for the senior national team under then-head coach Hansi Flick on 28 March 2023, he has been a VfL Wolfsburg player for just over a year and a half, with Niko Kovac as his coach. Plenty of facts that call for a few follow-up questions…
Where is home for you? Germany? England? Nigeria?“There are different places where I feel at home. Above all, of course, where I grew up: Manchester definitely feels like home, but Hamburg does too. That’s where I spent my childhood. I was seven when we moved to England.”
What advice would you give children playing on local pitches in Hamburg, just as you and your brother Lukas once did?“I’d tell them to feel free, use their talent, practise, play and enjoy themselves. Football should be fun. You shouldn’t lose that enjoyment. I know football is going to become more and more tactical, but enjoyment is the foundation. Working really hard is part of it too, though — and having goals!”
And working hard at school alongside football?“Yes, exactly, and my mum was very strict with me about that. She really focused on my schooling and making sure I got good grades. That discipline at school helps in football too. The brain is like a muscle.” (Editor’s note: The saying means that, like a muscle, the brain grows and stays fit the more you exercise it through learning and thinking.)
How do you stay in touch with your family? Lukas plays for Leeds United, and your parents live in…?“Manchester. My parents live in Manchester — and so does my sister. My brother is now near Manchester again, in Leeds. And yes, I’m very close to my whole family. Unfortunately, the connections to Manchester aren’t as good as those to London, so it’s difficult. But when I have time, every now and then, I visit them.”
Do you still remember the moment Pep Guardiola first brought you on?(beaming) “Yes, it was against Burton Albion (on 23 January 2019 in the League Cup, editor’s note). That was a really special moment for me because my childhood dream of playing for City came true. Now I’m following my own path in football, but that was a really wonderful moment.”
Felix Nmecha has been at Borussia Dortmund since summer 2023. In more than 100 Bundesliga games since then, the team has earned around 2 points per game with him on the pitch, compared with an average of 1.5 without him. Nmecha sees himself as a number eight and wears that very number for the club “I’ve followed since childhood”. In his first season in black and yellow, he reached the Champions League final with the team. The 1.88-metre-tall midfielder is extremely quick (top speed: 34.7 km/h), hard-working and covers plenty of ground (11.8 kilometres per 90 minutes), while also winning 58 per cent of his duels.
How important is Niko Kovac to you? You already worked together in Wolfsburg from August 2022 to March 2024.“We really have a very, very good relationship. I respect him a lot. He’s not just a good coach; I really like him as a person too. All those years and good experiences we shared are another reason why our relationship is so good.”
“When the time came to make a decision, I followed my heart.”
Why did you switch between the English and German national youth teams?“I grew up in England. When I was at City (Manchester City), I was called up to the England team, just like my friends and teammates. That was lovely, and we all really enjoyed going there. But then there came a point when my brother switched to Germany (to the German U19s in 2018, editor’s note), and I thought to myself: I’m actually German. And then I wanted to experience that feeling of playing for Germany. When the time came to make a decision, I followed my heart.”
At the tournament in Mexico, the USA and Canada, Felix Nmecha makes a thunderous World Cup debut. kicker, not known for wildly exaggerating or mercilessly tearing players apart, publishes a long article, an overture. “Destination: world class. Does Nmecha actually know how good he is?” reads the headline. It continues: “They come along every now and then. Those footballers who seem not to know what extraordinary abilities lie within them and just how good they really are. Or could be. If only they first developed the confidence and the physical foundations to fulfil their potential.” Nmecha is outstanding in the 7-1 win over Curaçao (one goal, one assist), and also provides the decisive moments in the difficult second group game against Ivory Coast. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, he spots the gap and plays a perfect pass to Deniz Undav, who scores the late winner to make it 2-1 and secure top spot in the group with a game to spare. “If he can now consistently find the right balance, he’s got everything,” enthuses World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger.
After those two wins, German football fans were dreaming of the World Cup title. A hypothetical question, Felix: if Nico Schlotterbeck hadn’t suffered a serious injury against Ivory Coast, would the World Cup have turned out differently?“Wow, that’s difficult to say… You never know. Nico is certainly a very, very important player.”
The early World Cup exit brings Felix Nmecha back to Dortmund sooner than expected. After two summers with only short breaks, Niko Kovac carefully builds him back up. Borussia Dortmund’s coach is considered a big admirer of the 1.88-metre-tall athlete, who covers the midfield in a flash with his long strides and also possesses the technique of a dribbler 20 centimetres shorter. “There’s a BVB with Felix and a BVB without him,” says Kovac of Nmecha, who offers an impressive all-round package: this outstanding athlete is technically accomplished, strong in duels, quick and tireless. When he’s fit, he plays. Always.
You’ve made a great start to the season, with six wins in your first seven games across the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and Champions League.“I see the quality in our team, and I see how much potential there is. If we deliver every week, it could be a very, very good season.”
“I’m not particularly looking forward to the artificial pitch, but that’s our life. We accept it and try to make the best of it. Azerbaijan is a very long way away, but we’ll be prepared for that too and want to win both games.”
In the DFB Cup, you have a home game against Werder Bremen…“That’s another game we have to win. You don’t enter a cup competition not to win it.”
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.