Premier League is the goal 

©Imago/Content stadium

On July 1, 2023, Farid Alfa-Ruprecht’s life changed when a childhood dream came true. The 18-year-old winger signed his first professional contract with Manchester City, the then reigning Champions League winners and one of the biggest clubs in the world. At that moment, the German youth international remembered when it all began for him in Hamburg. In an exclusive interview with Transfermarkt, the youngster looks back on his special path from the German second division to the Premier League.

“It’s still surreal for me to be a little boy from Wilhelmsburg (a district of Hamburg) playing for the biggest club in the world,” said Alfa-Ruprecht. He completed his first training session at Einigkeit Wilhelmsburg, where the foundations of his career were laid. “My mother didn’t know what we needed for training. After calling my aunt, we quickly went to a shop and bought some jogging pants and a T-shirt. My uncle also gave me some used football boots.”

Alfa-Ruprecht describes himself as a child raised on grass pitches and a street footballer at heart. In addition to the classic strengths such as ball control and speed, his style of play is characterised by remarkable creativity, which in turn is reflected in his dribbling skills and spatial awareness. “I grew up with the football pitch mentality and have internalised it. If you spend most of your free time in a football cage or on the pitch, you learn basic characteristics such as assertiveness, stamina and courage,” said the young star. “It’s about getting up again after losing a duel or defeat in the game and carrying on. Street football also promotes purely technical skills. You learn how to use tricks to prevail against bigger and stronger players in a confined space. There was only ever one goal for Alfa-Ruprecht – being on the football pitch.

Breakthough at HSV and role model Filip Kostić

HSV quickly took notice of the young talent in their city and at the age of 11 Alfa-Ruprecht joined the youth team. “The time at HSV was really brilliant,” said the young forward. “I was able to learn so much, develop as a player and as a child there was nothing better for me than playing for the biggest club in Hamburg.” His role model was the then HSV star Filip Kostić, from whom he was able to get an autograph at a final youth team barbecue. “We play in the same position and I liked his style of football straight away,” remembers Alfa-Ruprecht.

Alfa-Ruprecht played for the German club for five years and during this time he also had to cope with the first setback of his young career. “In 2020, I contracted pubic bone inflammation and was out for almost eight months,” recalls the German youth international. “During this time, I received an incredible amount of support from the club, my family and especially from the physiotherapists, but it was anything but easy.” Over time, doubts grew. “I didn’t know if I would ever be able to become a professional footballer or return to the pitch.” After his injury, Alfa-Ruprecht got himself back in to good shape and attracted interest from Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, among others. Nevertheless, he decided to move to Man City in September 2022. “Since my father lives in England and I wanted to go to him, only an English club came into question for me,” said Alfa-Ruprecht. “When I saw the City training complex for the first time, I was really impressed and amazed. It was like a wow effect. For me, it is a great privilege and an honour at the same time to be able to play for Manchester City.”

Alfa-Ruprecht quick start at Man City

The young talent has been part of Man City’s U21 team since the summer of 2024 and has quickly developed into a key player and leader. In the first five league games, the German youth international scored four times and in his first game in the UEFA Youth League he scored a brace against Inter Milan. And to no great surprise, Alfa-Ruprecht maintains a close contact with the German youth director Thomas Krücken. “I am in very close contact with Thomas. After every game we talk about the situations that went well and the ones that went badly. He calls me ‘Rabbit’ because of my speed. It makes me incredibly proud that I have someone with absolute expertise behind me who believes in me and my abilities,” says Alfa-Ruprecht.

Although the 18-year-old has been playing for City for three years now, he is still impressed by the Sky Blues’ training complex: “I was actually a little overwhelmed at first. Everything is timed down to the smallest detail. Nothing is left to chance. If a training session is supposed to last 60 minutes, then it lasts exactly 60 minutes. Even as a young player, you have video analysts or nutritionists at your side. The conditions here are a real luxury. However, I have to admit, sometimes I miss eating a packet of Toffifee or Knoppers in the evening. But I’m happy to forgo that for the dream of professional football,” explains the young German talent with a smile.

The German is valued at the club for his creative style of play and is celebrated as a great talent. “I think you can see from my actions that I play football with absolute passion,” emphasises the 18-year-old. “There is nothing better for me than being on the pitch and just playing. I need my freedom on the pitch, so I don’t want to be a robot player who stubbornly does everything according to the formula. I get as much inspiration from outside as possible. I like to watch videos on YouTube about the big stars and then try to memorise the tricks, visualise them and then apply them on the pitch.” His good performances in the U21s also led to him being allowed to train with the pros. “What inspired me from day one was the winning mentality that prevails on the pitch. Every professional has learned this and you can see it. It’s just incredibly fun to train with and play against the world’s best players. Pep Guardiola is an incredible coach. He sees the smallest details. Details that you would never even think of,” says Alfa-Ruprecht.

In general, English football has had a positive impact on Alfa-Ruprecht in many ways, as it has enabled him to better focus his attention. Additional sessions have so far ensured that he has been able to improve in many areas in particular. “For me, it is absolutely natural to use my free time effectively and sensibly. Of course, I also play video games from time to time, but generally it is more important to me to use the time to develop my skills. I want to become more unpredictable for the opponent in the game and I can only do that if I do more and go the extra mile,” said the young City star, who hopes to be able to take the next step soon and play in the Premier League for the first time.

By Henrik Stadnischenko