An American prodigy in Europe: Chris Richards

An interesting trend has started to occur in the world of football over the last couple of years. More and more talented players from North America are finding their way to top football clubs in Europe. Players like Christian Pulisic at Chelsea, Alphonso Davies at Bayern Munich and Weston McKennie at Juventus.

These top talents from North America all have a couple of things in common. They came to Europe as teenagers and they all first came to Germany, where they broke through in the Bundesliga, before they moved to top clubs abroad, or became regular starters at German top clubs like Bayern Munich. These talents are flocking to the Bundesliga because of a couple of reasons. Young players get a lot of opportunities there and it’s easier for them to get a work permit in Germany than in the UK for example. The intensive style of play in the Bundesliga also seems to fit them. It’s a win-win situation for the players and clubs, as these players get a chance in one of the biggest leagues in the world, while clubs like Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund cashed in massive transfer fees when they sold players like Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic.

The next generation of North American talents is knocking on the door already, and in this podcast episode we will dive into the story of one of these talents. His name is Chris Richards, he’s 21 years old and he’s a central defender. Richards was signed by Bayern Munich in 2019 and is currently on loan at TSG Hoffenheim. We got the opportunity to meet Richards and take a deep dive into his background. We also spoke about his spectacular move to Bayern Munich and the mental struggles that come with a move like that.

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