In April 2022, Tom Rothe made a historic dream debut in the Bundesliga at Borussia Dortmund. This was followed by a year of epidemics that was marked by injuries and commuting between three BVB teams for the 18-year-old left-back.
If there is a lot of hype about very young soccer players very early on, it can very quickly be very counterproductive for their further development. You only have to consider the many youngsters who have been chosen as the “new Messi” in recent years.
It’s difficult for the individual player when you can’t do anything about the hype because things happened that had never happened before. Tom Rothe fell into this category on April 16, 2022.
He was used as a left-back for the first time in the Bundesliga – and scored the historic opening goal in Borussia Dortmund’s 6-1 home win over VfL Wolfsburg: At 17 years and 169 days, Rothe became the youngest player to score a scored.
The excitement about him was understandably great afterwards, because U19 player Rothe had no one on the list before his assignment. Suddenly BVB seemed to have a real alternative for Raphael Guerreiro.
BVB: Tom Rothe caught a year of epidemics
There are many reasons why nothing has come of this in the past 14 months. For example completely natural ones, like Rothe compared to the Ruhr news revealed: “After a Bundesliga debut like the one I had, the expectations of me are of course high. Also my own expectations of myself. If you’ve played at the same level and scored a goal, that’s what you want re-experiencing and validating from week to week. But that was difficult for me.”
And in two ways: After the great 2021/22 season, in which Rothe won the championship with the A youth, he caught a real epidemic year in the past season. On the one hand, the 18-year-old was frequently injured and on the other hand he had to struggle with the demands placed on him.
“He was out straight away with an unfortunate injury. Something similar happened to him when the World Cup took a break and after it started again in January,” said professional coach Edin Terzic, attesting to Rothe “not an easy year”. Because: “As a result, he missed a lot of opportunities to gain experience and minutes, especially in the friendlies, although he did really well in the training camp in Marbella.”
Tom Rothe at BVB: Five competitions with three teams
It was a sprained knee that cost him two months in early November and the trip to Asia with the pros. In January Rothe, who trains with the pros all the time, became an integral part of the second team in the 3rd division. This was followed by an injury to his hand, and he also graduated from high school.
“I had minor injuries that weren’t too bad, but they were annoying because they cost a bit of rhythm,” said Rothe. In April he was called up to the U19s to help the team in the finals.
Ultimately, Rothe played for three teams in five competitions. 25 competitive games (one goal, six assists) were recorded, 21 of them from the start, but only six over 90 minutes. In his debut as a starting eleven in the Champions League in a 1-1 home game against Sevilla, Rothe learned a lot in a duel with the experienced Jesus Navas and was substituted at the break.
BVB: Tom Rothe commutes between the teams
“I haven’t had my best phase in the last few weeks and months. I’ve switched back and forth between the teams a lot. It’s difficult because the U19s, the U23s and the pros always play a bit different systems,” looked Rothe at the Ruhr news return.
With that, Rothe said the real crux for talents of his age and level: In the times of the transition from junior to senior football, consistency is urgently needed. If this is not the case due to physical problems, as happened with Rothe, it is all the more difficult if the player does not really feel that he belongs to any team. Training with the pros, taking the first steps in the 3rd division, being a temporary difference player in the U19s – that’s a lot of wood for a player on the way back to fitness and stability and requires a lot of effort.
Of course, one thing is clear: nothing comes from nothing. Rothe’s supposed destiny is one he shares with many players in the transition area. Nevertheless, the mixed situation for him, as it was in the past season at BVB, is not the most ideal.
Tom Rothe: “I underestimated it at first”
“With the U23s, it was challenging to accept the relegation battle and always be 100 percent there mentally,” said Rothe. “At the beginning I underestimated a bit how intensively football is played in the 3rd division. The physical aspect and aggressiveness play a major role.”
Although Rothe has now gained his first experience with the second team – he was always in the starting XI in his 13 games – it would be good for his further development if he were to become a permanent regular in coach Jan Zimmermann’s team in the coming season as planned .
Especially since the prospect of more frequent appearances with the professionals has deteriorated somewhat compared to April 2022: Guerreiro may be gone, but with Julian Ryerson and now Rami Bensebaini, Rothe has two tough competitors within a few months. His current contract runs until 2024.
BVB: Tom Rothe before a restart in the coming season
“Tom continues to stabilize. Nevertheless, we know that he still has a lot of work to do,” said Terzic. “He not only has all the physical requirements for professional football, but also mentally.”
Rothe was unable to confirm this last sentence from the BVB coach last year. As a result, the hype surrounding it is long gone. Maybe that’s a good thing for Rothe with a view to this kind of restart in the coming season.
BVB – Tom Rothe’s performance data for Borussia Dortmund in the 2022/23 season
