Steven Skrzybski is Holstein Kiel’s top scorer and top scorer. Bad luck with injuries and relegation to the Bundesliga with Schalke 04 behind him.
Steven Skrzybski is the guarantee of success for Holstein Kiel. For the second time in a row he brought his team back on track to victory by scoring a double. He succeeded earlier in a 3-2 (0-1) away win against 1. FC Nürnberg, then on Sunday in a 3-1 (1-1) victory against 1. FC Heidenheim. “He has the qualities and currently the self-confidence to do things like this,” said Heidenheim manager Frank Schmidt.
Skrzybski is in the shape of his life. He himself does not remember ever scoring two goals in two consecutive games in his career. “But the probability isn’t that high,” he says with a smile. No other second division player is as effective as the 29-year-old. He tops the scorers table with eight goals. Since he has also prepared four goals, Skrzybski is also the top scorer in the league.
But how does he explain his shooting prowess? “I think it’s a team product,” she replies. We create many opportunities to score. I think every player has on average one or two good chances per game. At the moment I’m lucky enough that things are going to be okay. “
The striker, only 1.74 meters tall, was not always so lucky. In the summer of 2018 he moved to Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga for a € 3.2 million salary from then second division club 1. FC Union Berlin, for which he had scored 14 goals in the previous season. two Champions League there – Round of 16 against Manchester City on the pitch. In the following season he was no longer used under the guidance of coach David Wagner. For the second half of the season he was loaned to Fortuna Düsseldorf in the Bundesliga. He had eleven appearances there and scored a goal.
Former Schalke Skrzybski has now arrived at Holstein Kiel
Back at Schalke he had to experience the relegation season. In early 2021 he also suffered a ligament injury and was unable to play for more than three months. When he returned to matchday 32, the relegation had been sealed for some time. So he shouldn’t have exploded in self-confidence when the move to Kiel happened in the summer of 2021. After scoring just four goals in 24 games in 2021/22, he seems to have really stabilized in the north.
“We have known for a long time that Steven is a very good player,” says manager Marcel Rapp. “But of course he also had a lot of problems and a bad phase when he came to Kiel.” He got injured again and again and had no rhythm. Rapp: “But now he is in pace, he was injured a little, he has a lot of training and he is very good at finishing. Now he has a bit of luck. That’s why he is an exceptional player at the moment.”
