Patrick Helmes: Germany’s Next Big Thing Is Now

By: chris | September 22nd, 2008

If you follow German football a bit more than casually, you almost certainly know the name Patrick Helmes. If you’ve paid attention to Die Mannschaft callup sheets even sporadically, you’ve probably seen his name. But Patrick hasn’t become a household name quite yet. Having spent the last two years in the Bundesliga.2 with Koln, and only making 13 top level appearances in the top division with his hometown club in 2005-06, he’s quietly become a world class phenom, ready to take the Bundesliga by storm. This summer he signed for Bayer Leverkusen, and the boy has the rest of the league feeling his wrath.

Helmes is a goal poacher, so to gauge his qualities one must only look at his totals over the last 2+ years:

06/07 - 19 games, 14 goals
07/08 - 33 games, 17 goals
08/09 - 5 games, 6 goals

I’ve heard of much worse debuts than a goal per game total over the first month and a half of the season, meaning a tip of the hat is needed for Vedad Ibisevic of Hoffenheim as well.

At 24, he’s a bit older than Bundesliga old hand Mario Gomez - who is limping in at 3 goals in 5 games right now, though can take a slice of solace in the 2007 German Player of the Year trophy sitting on his mantle - and has yet to establish himself in the senior German side, having made 7 appearances without notching his first goal, but that seems to be a mere formality. He was, after all, in the initial 26 callups for the Euros last summer.

But even better than the entire start of his season is what has transpired over the past few days. Against Hannover, manic depressives of the Bundesliga lately, Patrick scored a hat trick en route to Bayer’s 4-0 thumping - video of what could’ve been a 24-0 victory below. Within 24 hours he had a fresh contract extension until 2013 and a bit more spending money in the pocket. (I’d like to think upon watching the game Rudi Voller got on the horn with a fresh deal at halftime, but will begrudgingly admit the framework was likely in place beforehand.)

If this wasn’t expected, it’d be just another hot start, but Helmes is a premier talent and this looks to be the standard. Or perhaps just the tip of the iceberg. Can already hear the Bundesliga’s knees quaking.