2009–2012 1899 Hoffenheim Weight 70 kg Playing position Name Davie Selke Parents Teddy Rupp | Number 27 Role Footballer Date joined 2013 0000–2009 1. FC Normannia Gmund Height 1.92 m | |
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Date of birth (1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 (age 20) Current team RB Leipzig (#27 / Forward) Similar People Franco Di Santo, Yussuf Poulsen, Leroy Sane Profiles | ||
Place of birth Schorndorf, Germany | ||
Davie Selke - Player of the Week - Matchday 17
Davie Selke (born 20 January 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker for Hertha BSC and the Germany U21 national team. Selke began his professional career with Werder Bremen in 2013 before signing for RB Leipzig for a 2. Liga record fee of €8m in 2015.
Contents
- Davie Selke Player of the Week Matchday 17
- Mixed zone entertainer davie selke gibt gas deutschland spanien 1 0 u21 em
- Bundesliga breakthrough
- Departure
- Debut season and promotion to the Bundesliga
- Hertha Berlin
- German national youth teams
- Style of play
- Club performance
- International
- Individual
- References
He has represented Germany at all youth levels and in 2014 was part of the squad which won the 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, earning the Golden Boot and Golden Player awards for his performances at the tournament.
Mixed zone entertainer davie selke gibt gas deutschland spanien 1 0 u21 em
Bundesliga breakthrough
Having spent the majority of his youth years at Hoffenheim, Selke signed for Werder Bremen in 2013 for €50,000. While spending most of the 2013–2014 season playing for the reserves in the fourth-tier Regionalliga Nord, he made his first-team debut for the club on 3 November 2013, coming on as a second-half substitute for Clemens Fritz in a 3–2 Bundesliga victory over Hannover. The following month, Selke exchanged blows with Fritz during a training session, with the pair having to be separated by teammates. He ended the season having scored 9 goals in 26 appearances for the reserves and remaining goalless in three first-team appearances for Die Grün-Weißen.
At the start of the 2014–15 campaign, Selke signed a new four-year deal with Bremen, tying him to the club until 2018. He scored his first goal on 20 September 2014, netting in a 4–2 Bundesliga loss against FC Augsburg. A late flurry of four goals and four assists in nine games from Selke helped Bremen to a tenth-placed finish in the league, thus securing their status in the Bundesliga for another season. He finished the 2014–15 season with 10 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions.
Departure
Despite having signed a contract extension with Bremen just six months prior, Selke announced on 1 April 2015 that he would be joining 2. Liga side RB Leipzig at the end of the season. The €8m fee Leipzig paid for Selke made him the most expensive 2.Liga signing in the history of the competition. With Selke having been courted throughout the season by a host of European clubs, included in which were Real Madrid, Selke's decision to drop a division was seen as one of financial motive, especially given that Leipzig are owned by energy drink company Red Bull whom many feel are threatening the organic structure of German football. Following the announcement of his departure, Selke was jeered by parts of the Werder Bremen fan base during the remaining matches of the season. When asked about his impending move and the jeers, Selke responded by saying:
"Of course the whistles didn't just go in one ear and out of the other, I've seen how much the Werder fans can support this club and then you hear these whistles, but I'm mentally strong and can deal with the situation well...Leipzig have big objectives. Not only do they want to be promoted to the Bundesliga but they also want to establish themselves in the top half of the table in the near future. I want to be part of this project."
Debut season and promotion to the Bundesliga
Selke made his debut for RB Leipzig on 25 July 2015 against FSV Frankfurt and scored his first goal for the club the following week, netting in a 2–2 draw with Greuther Fürth. On 21 November, Selke netted the only goal in a 1–0 win over Arminia Bielefeld which saw Leipzig climb to the summit of 2.Liga. On 8 May, Die roten Bullen secured promotion with a match to spare after beating Karlsruher SC 2–0. It was the first time in the club's short history that they had been promoted to the Bundesliga. During the post match celebrations, Leipzig manager Ralf Rangnick pulled his hamstring after being chased by Selke with a glass of beer. He finished the 2015–16 season with 10 goals in 32 appearances.
He scored his first goal for the 2016–17 Bundesliga season on matchday three, scoring one and assisting another in a 3–1 win over Hamburg. He struggled for first-team football throughout the season, however, and started in just four out of 20 appearances for the campaign, scoring four goals.
Hertha Berlin
On 1 June 2017, fellow Bundesliga side Hertha BSC confirmed the signing of Selke on a long-term deal.
German national youth teams
Though born in Schorndorf, Germany, Selke is eligible to represent both Ethiopia, the birthplace of his father, and the Czech Republic, the birthplace of his mother. He and fellow German youth international teammate Gedion Zelalem had in the past been approached by the Ethiopian Football Association to represent the African nation but both players elected to remain within the German camp.
In 2014, he helped Germany win the UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Selke netted six goals throughout the tournament which earned him the Golden Boot award. His goalscoring tally equaled the tournament record, jointly held by Borko Veselinović and Álvaro Morata. Selke was also named as the tournament's Golden Player.
On 16 July 2016, Selke was named in Horst Hrubesch's 18-man squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He scored his first goal at the tournament on 7 August, netting Germany's second in a 3–3 draw with South Korea. Germany ultimately went on to win the Silver Medal, losing to Brazil in the final. The following year, he was included in Germany's 23-man squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Poland. Germany were ultimately crowned champions, beating Spain 1–0 in the final to claim the title.
Style of play
Former Germany striker Klaus Fischer described Selke as being a "young Miroslav Klose", comparing his stature and strength in the air with that of Germany's all-time record goalscorer. Selke himself, however, cites former Bayern Munich striker Mario Gómez as being his idol.