Talents Calendar 

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Most of the 24 talents featured this year in Transfermarkt’s Talents Calendar either play in the youth academies of big clubs or have experience at the highest league in a smaller country of their respective countries. This isn’t true for Iaia Manco Danfa. The 17-year-old Berliner AK 07 winger is making a name for himself in German youth football. And all that without having played at a major academy. 

Danfa has scored 14 goals and one assist in 13 games this season. Born in Guinea-Bissau, the forward leads the U19-Nachwuchslia Guppe B in scoring with two games in hand. He only failed to score in two games and scored four goals in the 9-3 victory over Hansa Rostock’s youth team. “I anticipated and hoped that the games and opponents would become more challenging and that that would lead to more goalscoring chances,” Danfa said in an interview with Transfermarkt. “I didn’t think so,” Danfa added when asked whether he expected to lead the league in scoring. 

The forward joined Berliner AK 07 from city rivals Viktoria Berlin this summer. At Viktoria, he scored ten goals in 11 games and had offers from Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga clubs. “But a few teams were still a bit too hesitant at this point because I wasn’t well known,” Danfa said. “Thank god, with my transfer, I could show what I can do.” 

Iaia Manco Danfa wants to turn professional as soon as possible

Berliner AK 07 qualified for Germany’s new Nachwuchsliga, which consists of eight groups, by winning the A-Jugend Regionalliga in 2023/24. Compared to the other groups, only Schalke’s Zaid Amoussou-Tchibara (16 goals) and Hoffenheim’s Marlon Faß (15) were more productive than Danfa. In his group, talents played for first and second-division sides Wolfsburg, Union Berlin, Hamburger SV, St. Pauli, Holstein Kiel, Hansa Rostock, and 1. FC Magdeburg are all ranked behind Danfa. BAK’s senior team, in the meantime, plays in the Oberliga (fifth tier), and the youth team is second from bottom with just 11 points and is fighting against relegation. 

That makes Danfa’s stats even more impressive. The youngster, who points out his speed and calmness in front of goal as his biggest strengths, could still play one more season at the youth level. But the forward has different plans. “My goal is to play at the senior level as soon as possible and to show my skills there as well.” 

There aren’t any concrete plans for the coming season, however. “I will take on any challenge offered to me,” Danfa said. “The most important thing is to train regularly, play and improve.” Danfa’s role model in that regard is Cristiano Ronaldo. “Whether with players in my age category or senior players, on or off the pitch, there can never be a status quo. I know I have to work hard and learn to become a better player and human being.”

From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2007 and 2008. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.