Talents Calendar 

©TM/IMAGO

Kevin Trapp pointed out in a recent Bild interview that he will not play until he is 44. “I want to play as long as possible at a high level. The most important part is that I can decide to call it quits.” Trapp is still under contract until 2026. Replacement Kauã Santos was praised for stepping up during Trapp’s upper thigh injury. In Nils Ramming, Eintracht Frankfurt have another top talent developing in the academy.

The 17-year-old was born in London to a German father and Swedish mother. He lived in the British capital for ten years and, aside from football, played rugby, cricket, and tennis in school. “I enjoyed that the most,” Ramming said in an interview with the club site. Those games took place on Primrose Hill and in Regent’s Park. 

From the very start, he wanted to play the often-unpopular position between the goalposts. “For me, it was never in doubt,” Ramming said. “I always wanted to play goal.” The goalkeeper went even more in-depth in a conversation with Aftonbladet. “I think one day, I found some gloves in my apartment, put them on, and went to the park.” After playing with the school team, Ramming joined the academy of third-division side Leyton Orient, where he faced big teams like Man City and Tottenham at a tournament in Valencia. 

As a ten-year-old to Frankfurt – and direct to Eintracht

In 2017, the family moved to Germany. “We were often in Frankfurt to visit my grandparents,” Ramming said. “I knew Frankfurt, but still, everything was new.” From a footballing perspective, Ramming quickly joined Eintracht Frankfurt after a successful outing at a summer camp at the SGE-Fußballschule. “It was great to train in front of the stadium as a ten-year-old and to get to know Eintracht Frankfurt,” Ramming said. “It was also an important next step.” 

However, the story didn’t directly continue at Eintracht Frankfurt. Instead, Ramming continued his football career at Frankfurt’s cooperation partner SC Hessen Dreieich. After two years with the cooperation partner, Ramming stepped to the big club. Since 2019, Ramming has been wearing the Eintracht jersey and has always been a step ahead of his age group. During the second half of last season, Ramming prematurely got promoted from the U17 to the U19. Since the summer, the 17-year-old has been featured on Eintracht’s reserve side, playing in the Regionalliga Südwest (fourth division). 

First-team goalkeeper coach Jan Zimmermann has been promoting the young goalkeeper. One year ago, Ramming was given a trial with the Bundesliga side. “When I got the call, I couldn’t believe it,” Ramming said. “It was a dream come true.” Last November, he made the squad for the Conference League game against Helsinki. “It was incredible,” Ramming said. “It was a lot of fun. I was allowed to fly with the team and then in the hotel and play football tennis with them and experience life as a professional player. This season, he made the squad for several Europa League matches. 

Ramming is a “modern goalkeeper” – “I like to dominate the box” 

“Nils, a calm goalkeeper,” Zimmermann said to Transfermarkt. “Whether it was with the U17 last season or this season as a 17-year-old in the Regionalliga, he is very grown up and adapts to a higher level very quickly. His greatest strengths are one-v-one situations and his calmness and vision with the ball on his feet. Nils is knowledgeable and recognizes quickly what to work on. Over the last few weeks, he improved his coaching and directs his defense with intensity. Beyond that, he is very curious and eager to learn, which helps him develop further.” 

Ramming considers himself a modern goalkeeper. “I am good with my feet, and I like to dominate the box,” Ramming said. One aspect he loves about playing goalkeeper is the pressure to be responsible in crucial moments. “The fact that you can win or lose games for your team. That’s one of the most important aspects of being a goalkeeper. To accept that and handle it.” Another aspect is communication. “I always want to participate in the game.” 

Ramming opts for Sweden – Wants to turn professional in Frankfurt

That’s also true when he plays for the national team. For now, he has decided to represent Sweden; it doesn’t look like that will change soon. “I travel every summer and winter to Gothenburg,” Ramming said. “I visited Sweden from when I was very young, and I feel fully Swedish.” Despite that, he opted to participate in a training camp held last January by the German Football Federation (DFB) in Murcia, Spain. Ramming represented Sweden last May at the U17 European Championships and featured in two games. 

“I wanted to present myself well,” Ramming said about that experience. “I felt the pressure when I put on the Swedish jersey, felt the atmosphere, and all the organizational details surrounding the team. But I also wanted more of it.” It was a new experience for the goalkeeper. “To play for Sweden gives me the opportunity to measure myself internationally and to prove myself in a different environment. It is an incredible experience.” A curious anecdote: his teammates thought he couldn’t speak Swedish. “They spoke English with me,” Ramming said. “I had to explain to them: I can speak Swedish. Since then, everything has been great.” 

The progress in Frankfurt has also been great. “Training with the first team has given me the perspective to see the result of all the hard work, and what can happen if I continue to work hard,” Ramming said, whose contract will expire at the end of the season. Frankfurt are expected to do everything to keep him. Ramming, too, has ambitions to stay. “I am proud to say that I am an Eintracht fan. I want to make my debut for Eintracht, playing in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. That’s my dream.”

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.