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Mathis Albert: Borussia Dortmund's new Christian Pulisic will explode in 2026
Tom Weber
- Updated: 18 Mar 2026 15:14 GMT
- 4 min read
Analysis
American teenager Mathis Albert is likely to play an outsized role for Borussia Dortmund next season, according to German media.
The 16-year-old joined the Black and Yellow back in 2024 after his parents decided to move to Germany. Albert was born to a French father and an American mother of German descent in Greenville, South Carolina.
Prior to his move to Europe, Albert spent time in the youth academy of the LA Galaxy, where he had consistently impressed European scouts. He had a brief trial with PSG as a 13-year-old and later impressed scouts from Bayern, Dortmund and Ajax at the MLS Next showcase in late 2022.
According to BILD, Albert's parents believed that a move to PSG would have come too soon for him. That is also why they turned down the chance to send their son to Barcelona for a trial.
In the end, when his father received a job offer from Germany, they decided to relocate across the pond to allow the tricky winger to pursue a career in European football. Dortmund, who have a reputation for developing great attackers, won the race for the then-14-year-old.
Albert set for senior Dortmund debut
Two years on from his move, Albert is now on the verge of breaking into the Bundesliga giants' first team. He has already been training regularly with Niko Kovac's men this season, though he has yet to make his senior debut.
As outlined in the development pathway presented to him when he signed a new contract last summer, Albert began the campaign in the U19 league, but it quickly became clear that he had outgrown that level after scoring seven goals and providing four assists in nine games.
Since November, he has been playing with the club's U23s against grown men in the Regionalliga West (fourth division), while also still making appearances for the U19s in the UEFA Youth League.
In the summer, he was an unused substitute during the first team's Club World Cup campaign, and he also made the matchday squad in a 2-1 win over Wolfsburg last month.
Albert is pencilled in as a full-time member of the senior squad for next season, which means that he will get to make his senior debut for Dortmund, unless he already gets on the pitch in a game for them this term.
BVB believe that he will have a big role to play in the future. He could potentially have a similar impact as compatriot Christian Pulisic, although it is too early to make comparisons.
Dortmund have often played without traditional wingers this season because they did not replace Chelsea-bound Jamie Gittens last summer, but club bosses are in agreement that this needs to change next term.
Given that the Bundesliga outfit want to rediscover the "Dortmund way" of unearthing young talents and selling them on for sizeable profits, they will look to play more attacking football next season. Simply put, it's easier to sell forwards than defenders.
This is good news for the US youth international. Though Dortmund will sign competition for him this summer, he is likely to get first-team opportunities next season.
Albert, who turns 17 in May, signed a deal until 2027 last summer, but as is often the case with highly-rated youngsters, it will automatically turn into a long-term contract once he turns 18. Dortmund will therefore be able to develop - and eventually sell - Albert on their own terms.
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