Maxi Beier, the 22-year-old German striker, excited fans last season with breakout performances for Hoffenheim, and 16 league goals to his name. It earned him a 30-million euro move to Borussia Dortmund last summer, but the transition was far from smooth.
Beier struggled to integrate into the squad under new coach Nuri Sahin and was relegated to the bench on multiple occasions. But Beier seemed reinvigorated by Niko Kovač’s appointment in early February and began making a significant impact on the pitch. Unfortunately, a recent ankle injury ended the positive momentum Beier was experiencing. It’s been a season of ups and downs, and Beier recently reflected on his time with Dortmund, speaking to the local newspaper, Ruhr Nachrichten. He began with some humorous praise for new coach Niko Kovač:
"Karim said it after Leverkusen: He [Kovač] kicked our arse; When Niko Kovač asked the team what positions they wanted to play in, I only wrote striker on the paper. Kovač trusted me, and I finally played in the right position. I moved to a club that had just been Champions League finalists and almost German champions before that. I wanted to join one of the best teams in the world. Then I was the new player, and things were not ideal for me. You start to worry about that. But I took my time and arrived.”"Maxi Beier
Nuri Sahin was known to field his players out of position, and Beier was frequently utilized on the wing in BVB’s early season. When Kovač began using Beier in a front-two, the German started scoring with consistency. Beier has scored nine and assisted six in 43 appearances this season. Six of his nine goals and four of his six assists have happened since February.
Beier did confirm he would not be fit for Dortmund’s showdown with Holstein Kiel on the final matchday, but he confirmed he’d be watching in the stands alongside Pascal Groß, who will be serving a yellow card suspension.
"I cannot wait for the game to come on. I will be watching it from the stands with the suspended Pascal Groß. We have been very strong with the ball in the last six games, and have run more than 120 kilometres. The boys will give everything."Maxi Beier