Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Gerrit Holtmann: Who is Bochum's Bayern-beater with a knack for special goals?

bundesliga.com, 13 February 2022, 18:30
Gerrit Holtmann has hit the headlines with Bochum for his brilliant goals and his role in a famous victory over Bayern Munich.

bundesliga.com takes a closer look at the German/Filipino winger…

Gerrit Holtmann

Age: 26

Club: Bochum

Position: Winger

Country: Germany (five U20 caps)/Philippines

Key stats

Born in Bremerhaven in March 1995, Holtmann played youth football at various local clubs before joining the academy of regional giants Werder Bremen as a 15-year-old. He would return to JFV Bremerhaven in 2013 for a year before being picked up by Eintracht Braunschweig.

The left footer spent the 2014/15 campaign with the reserves in the Regionalliga Nord, making his debut on 27 July in a 2-2 draw away at Lüneburger Hansa before getting his maiden goal in the 3-0 win against Freie Turnerschaft Braunschweig on 27 August. He got his first call-up and start for the senior squad on 27 April 2015, even providing an assist in a 4-2 win at home to Erzgebirge Aue in Bundesliga 2. He ended the season with 10 goals and four assists in 27 Regionalliga games.

He was promoted fully to the first team for the 2015/16 Bundesliga 2 campaign, featuring 30 times and having a direct hand in nine goals. That included a match-winning performance of scoring once and setting up another two in a 3-2 victory against future employers Bochum on the penultimate day of the season as Braunschweig ultimately finished eighth, but a good 19 points off promoted RB Leipzig in second.

Despite being contracted with Eintracht until 2019, Mainz swooped for Holtmann in 2016. He made his debut and set up the winning goal in the final minute against former club Werder on 21 September, but struggled to make a real breakthrough and only featured five times in his maiden Bundesliga campaign.

It wasn't until midway through the 2017/18 season that he finally earned his place in the team. And he got his first Bundesliga goal on 2 December in a 3-1 loss to Augsburg. Two goals in 17 games looked to have established him at Mainz, but injuries meant his 2018/19 campaign was basically a write off with only four appearances possible.

He was loaned out to Bundesliga newcomers Paderborn for 2019/20, featuring 24 times but only managing one goal as Steffen Baumgart's side went straight back down. The 6'0'' winger would return to Mainz for pre-season before being signed by Bochum in August 2020. He finally enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at the Ruhrstadion, playing in 33 of a possible 37 fixtures across all competitions, directly contributing 10 goals as Thomas Reis's side finished top and secured a return to the Bundesliga after an 11-year absence.

Both he and Bochum announced their top-flight comeback in style, winning their first home game 2-0 against Mainz. The result was kickstarted by Holtmann with an amazing solo run and finish from the halfway line that would be voted the Bundesliga's Goal of the Year for 2021.

Plays a bit like: Andres Iniesta

Displaying excellent close control, especially under pressure, a turn of pace that can suddenly disarm defences and having a keen eye for a tasty assist, Holtmann boasts many of the attributes of the Barcelona and Spain legend. Like Iniesta, the Bochum man also has the vision to produce a spectacular goal out of nothing.

Did you know?

Although yet to make his senior international debut, Holtmann has declared himself eligible to play for the Philippines, his mother Rosemarie's country of birth. "My mom is happy about every goal (I score)," Holtmann explained. "She [is] overjoyed with me when we look at the pictures together. She is a very, very emotional woman."

What they're saying

"Great goals, also from Gerrit with his weaker foot because he normally only uses his right to stand on." Bochum coach Thomas Reis on Holtmann's stunning goal against Bayern.

"It was just so much fun playing for Bochum today. It was just a feeling you can't describe. Before the game, it was said that the invincibles were coming and that we would hardly have any chances. We proved the complete opposite. I'm particularly proud of the team that we beat Bayern. When you see what kind of goals we score in training, it's just nice that it works out that way in the game, too." Holtmann was in his element after scoring and assisting in his team's famous Matchday 22 triumph against Bayern.

"My mobile phone was blowing up; I got so many messages via Instagram and Whatsapp; there was only good vibes everywhere." Holtmann again, this time speaking after scoring his Goal of the Year winner last season.

Show more

Top News

14 January 2025 talksport.com Martin Keown couldn't escape Simon Jordan's fiery questioning as they dissected what's been a particularly tough week for Arsenal. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Liam Smith dipped into his toolbox to fix a broken floodlight - then helped his teammates pull off a huge cup upset. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Arsenal have confirmed that Gabriel Jesus has injured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou has labelled some of the Tamworth fans' chants as 'vile and detestable' during their FA Cup clash against Tottenham. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Ruben Amorim has been told he must bin off the 'deadwood' at Manchester United if he wants to start 'building belief'. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Jurgen Klopp has lifted the lid on his infamous pre-match ritual as Liverpool manager. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United have been linked with a move for Marseille's £25m-rated striker Elye Wahi this month. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Troy Deeney's opinion on Mohamed Salah still hasn't changed, but that's not to say he doesn't think he's brilliant. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal's Premier League North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday has the potential to be "the worst possible game" for Gooners if they lose to their biggest adversaries, according to Gunners expert Charles Watts. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion will meet at Portman Road in the top flight for the first time in four decades when they lock horns on Thursday night. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly used to 'roll his eyes' whenever Harry Maguire talked in the Manchester United dressing room. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have announced the death of former captain and manager Tony Book at the age of 90. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly ahead of Newcastle United in the race to sign Sevilla defender Loic Bade. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been told that he must 'take the blame' for the club failing to sign a striker. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Michael Owen may boast an enviable goal tally from his career, but he has not been quite so prolific in front of the movie screen. 14 January 2025 talksport.com All Premier League clubs have avoided any charges for breaching Profit and Sustainability rules, but Leicester City remain at risk. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will reportedly consider using Ben Doak as part of a transfer package to sign Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool manager Arne Slot's tactical acumen will be fiercely tested when his side faces Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Tuesday evening, Reds expert David Lynch has claimed. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Arsenal are close to completing the signing of midfielder Martin Zubimendi -- but he won't arrive until the summer, talkSPORT understands. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly complete the signing of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi at the end of the season. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Timing is everything in comedy, and with the north London derby up next, Sol Campbell has produced a performance for the ages. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Manchester United are among the sides eyeing up £40million rated Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki - two years after missing the chance to snap him up for a fraction of that price tag. 14 January 2025 talksport.com West Ham have had a fresh bid for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran rejected, talkSPORT understands. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly set their asking price for Christopher Nkunku, who has been heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Christopher Nkunku has verbally agreed a move to Bayern Munich, talkSPORT understands. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Manchester City are back throwing around the big bucks in an attempt to save their season. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Manchester United host Southampton at Old Trafford on Thursday night aiming to build on their impressive recent results. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Nottingham Forest will be looking to bring themselves right into title contention tonight when they host Liverpool. 14 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Club legend Pat Nevin has suggested that Chelsea's business model will be labelled a failure unless they qualify for next season's Champions League. 14 January 2025 talksport.com Troy Deeney loves Newcastle, regardless of what is being said about him.