Who is Joshua Zirkzee? The ex-Bayern Munich wonderkid exploding at Bologna

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 12 Nov 2023 17:27 GMT
• 5 min read

Joshua Zirkzee has been one of Serie A’s breakout stars in the opening weeks of the 2023-24 Serie A season.

The 22-year-old striker has produced a string of brilliant performances for Bologna, suggesting he will finally live up to the promise that he showed as a teenager at Bayern Munich.

So what do we know about Zirkzee?

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What club does Joshua Zirkzee play for?

Zirkzee plays for Bologna in the Italian Serie A.

What position does Zirkzee play in?

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Zirkzee is a striker, a traditional number 9 who is at his best as a lone attacker.

How good is Joshua Zirkzee?

Big things were expected of Zirkzee when he joined Bayern Munich as a 16-year-old in 2017.

He scored a hattrick on his debut for Bayern Munich II, the reserve team of Bayern at the age of just 17.

Zirkzee was then integrated into the Bayern first team and managed a respectable four goals in nine Bundesliga games in the 2019-20 treble-winning season.

The Dutchman was tipped by some to be the eventual successor to Robert Lewandowski but then lost his way.

He failed to progress the following season and was loaned out to Parma where he flopped.

A loan move to Anderlecht in 2021-22 saw him score 16 goals in the Belgian Pro League, earning him a permanent transfer back to Italy with Bologna in 2022-23.

But he again struggled badly in 2022-23, scoring just two goals all season.

Some began to question whether he would ever fulfill his potential but under Thiago Motta - regarded as one of the best young coaches in Serie A and beyond - Zirkzee has finally exploded in 2023-24.

He has been one of the best strikers in all of Serie A so far this campaign.

Standing at 6ft 4in, Zirkzee is a giant of a striker who is expert at holding up the ball and bringing others into play.

He is strong at protecting the ball with his back to play, but he is also excellent technically, boasting quick feet and able to move out of tight spaces.

Due to his blend of height, strength and technique, Zirkzee has been compared by some to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

In truth, this is something of an exaggeration and Zirkzee has some way to go to be discussed in the same breath as Zlatan. His game can still be untidy at times, with some loose passes and heavy touches. His shooting is also not the cleanest.

But there is something unique about Zirkzee’s game that is sure to have big teams looking at him soon. Especially in this era where top number nines are hard to come by.

Indeed, Zirkzee has caused problems to even the biggest teams in Serie A this season. He scored a wonderful equaliser at San Siro to earn Bologna a 2-2 draw against Inter, while he was man of the match in the 1-1 draw at Juventus - making the assist for Lewis Ferguson’s goal.

In total he has scored five goals and delivered two assists in 12 starts in all competitions in 2023-24.

His performances have led Bologna to threatening to be a European challenger this season, coached by the brilliant Motta who is wonderful at developing youngsters like Zirkzee.

Zirkzee won 19 caps for the Netherlands under-21 national team, scoring seven goals.

What clubs are interested in Joshua Zirkzee?

While at Bayern, many of Europe’s biggest clubs were interested in Zirkzee, including PSG and Milan.

Milan were reported to be interested in the Dutchman again this past summer and have again been linked in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Napoli are said to have lined Zirkzee up as a possible replacement for Victor Osimhen next summer if the Nigerian leaves the club.

Bayern possess a €40m clause in his Bologna contract which will allow them to re-sign him.

How old is Joshua Zirkzee?

Zirkzee is 22 years old. He was born on 22 May 2001.