Ebnoutalib comes from a sporting background. His father, Faissal, was a silver medallist for Germany in taekwondo on the Olympic Video games in Sydney in 2000.

“My father took me to taekwondo coaching for 10 years and I believe that has additionally helped me in soccer,” he mentioned on Tuesday.

“Doing Taekwondo made me extra versatile, so I’ve by no means had any muscular accidents.”

But the younger striker’s journey to the highest was not all the time straightforward.

After coming by way of the ranks at novice membership Rot-Weiss Frankfurt, he endured a disastrous spell at Italian facet AC Perugia from 2022 to 2023.

Ebnoutalib remembered how, as an 18-year-old out of the country, he was “shouted off the coaching pitch” by a coach throughout his first session with the senior staff.

He would make just one league look for Perugia in Serie C, earlier than leaving in late 2023.

“In footballing phrases it was the mistaken choice for me [to go to Italy], however with out that have, I do not assume I’d be the place I’m at present,” he mentioned.

After returning to Germany, Ebnoutalib’s profession appeared to have stalled till Cimen handed him a recent probability at Giessen in July 2024.

The transfer kick-started his meteoric rise, propelling him from the fourth tier to the highest flight within the area of a 12 months.

After signing for Elversberg in January 2025, he narrowly missed out on Bundesliga promotion final Could earlier than hitting a superb run of type within the autumn.

Now, the 22-year-old is trying ahead to Champions League soccer with Eintracht and a Bundesliga debut in opposition to Karim Adeyemi, Emre Can and Serhou Guirassy on Friday.

“To make a soar like that within the area of a 12 months and out of the blue be taking part in in opposition to world-class gamers is fairly loopy,” he admitted.

Ebnotualib could be thrown in on the deep finish on Friday, with Frankfurt at present quick on frontline choices.

First-choice striker Jonathan Burkardt is out with a calf damage whereas French ahead Elye Wahi has been loaned to Good.

Former coach Cimen believes that Ebnoutalib is able to make his mark on the highest flight.

“Together with his skills, we all the time knew he would find yourself within the high divisions,” he mentioned.

He added that it will be “no shock” to see Ebnoutalib land at a Premier League membership in the future.

“The Premier League is a bodily very powerful league, and Younes has all the best qualities for that,” he mentioned.

“For now, although, he’s dwelling his dream with Eintracht Frankfurt.”