s Germany prepare to

do battle with France and

Portugal in their Euro 2020

“Group of Death”, Bundestrainer

Joachim Low will have one

overriding wish this year: that

front-running virtuoso Serge Gnabry

suffers no further injuries after an Achilles

problem just before Christmas.

Over the last 12 months or so, the 24-year-

old Bayern Munich forward has morphed into a

Nationalmannschaft talisman, not only emerging as

the team’s top scorer in the European Championship

qualifiers with eight goals but also supplying much of the

team’s attacking explosiveness and craft.

While the Stuttgart-born star normally operates on the

right wing for Bayern, Low likes to unleash him in several

different ways in national team colours – sometimes out wide,

on other occasions as a second striker or as leader of the line.

In a German side in transition following the debacle of Russia

2018 he is now a gold-plated reference point; both game-

changer and tone-setter.

The son of an Ivorian father and German mother, Gnabry

is the complete weapons-grade package. Short, squat and

powerful, he can leave defenders for dead with his pace

and tricks. He has two good feet, is sharp and clever on

the counter-attack, and boasts a fine football brain. Often

WORDS: Nick Bidwell

PLAYER

BIOGRAPHY

Power

Serge

After an uncertain,

injury-hit start at

Arsenal, the livewire

forward is thriving in

Munich and will be a key

man for Germany at the Euros

A