Randal Kolo Muani: The Rising French Star Set to Secure Eintracht Frankfurt’s DFB Cup Triumph

Last summer, it was hard to foresee that Randal Kolo Muani’s signing at Eintracht Frankfurt would be considered a terrific transfer coup after the striker’s debut season. Sport director Markus Krösche brought the striker on a free transfer from the French first division club FC Nantes, with whom the striker celebrated the national cup victory in the summer of 2022. Before Kolo Muani’s arrival, Frankfurt’s manager characterized him as “robust, fast and a strong finisher”. But the sporting highlights that the 24-year-old was supposed to set in his first season in the Main metropolis even exceeded the wildest hopes of his new club.

With a solid letter of application from twelve goals this season in Ligue 1 in tow, he came to Hessen last transfer summer – and not only lined up one personal highlight after another. Time to settle in? Not necessary. In the 4-0 win in the first round of the DFB Cup against second division club 1. FC Magdeburg, the attacker made his debut with the eagle on his chest and was directly involved in a goal with an assist. Four days later, the SBU suffered a severe setback at the start of the Bundesliga against FC Bayern Munich. The only ray of hope in the 1: 6 debacle: Kolo Muani, who showed his qualities and scored his first goal for the Hessians.

The Frenchman then confirmed his enthusiastic first impression and shone as an invigorating element in the Frankfurt offensive – not only as a goalscorer, but also as a preparer. The proof at the end of the season: According to the data service provider Opta, Kolo Muani was directly involved in 26 goals. That was top value in the football upper house. Since the start of detailed data collection in 2004/05, only three players – namely Emil Forsberg (27 goals involved, RB Leipzig), Luca Toni (29, FC Bayern) and Marek Mintal (30, 1. FC Nürnberg) – have come in their debut season better off the starting blocks in the German upper house.

Fjörtoft and Meier ennoble Kolo Muani

It is not for nothing that his teammates rave about Kolo Muani. “Kolo plays excellently week after week,” said SGE captain Sebastian Rode in the spring: “You can only talk about him in superlatives every week.” The qualities also impress the two former Eintracht strikers Alex Meier and Jan-Aage Fjörtoft. Kolo Muani is “more than a goal-getter,” Fjörtoft told the SPORTBUZZER, the sports portal of the editorial network Germany (RND). The former Norway international calls it “impressive that he’s developing almost game by game”.

The 40-year-old Meier, currently working as an assistant coach for the Frankfurt U23, sees the Eintracht professional almost every day and said to him SPORTBUZZER: “He’s a good boy. Not shy but reserved and with both feet on the ground. In this respect, too, he brings a lot with him to become a big one.“

And Kolo Muani has already taken the first big steps in the right direction. Having started the season without an international match, the attacker suddenly found himself in the World Cup final with France in December. At first he wasn’t part of the tournament squad of the “Équipe Tricolore”. The short-term absence of Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku ensured that Kolo Muani traveled to Qatar, where he narrowly missed out on the title with the selection of coach Didier Deschamps.

In the cup final in Berlin, Nkunku and Kolo Muani meet again as opponents – and the Frankfurt striker can look back on a very strong debut season. With his performances, he has long since shot himself onto the slips of numerous top clubs. However, he will hardly be available for a transfer fee of less than 100 million euros, especially since manager Krösche emphasizes at almost every opportunity that he wants to keep the Frenchman, who is contractually bound to the SBU until 2027. In Berlin, the French star, who was born in the same Parisian suburb as PSG superstar Kylian Mbappé, could directly crown the fabulous season in the Frankfurt jersey with the title.