FIFA in their bid to project the achievements of footballers in their respective leagues and nations touched on the inspiring story of Serhou Guirassy whose comeback from injury has been a miracle on the field.

Our series on the stars of the FIFA Club World Cup continues with Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, who is scoring goals at will.

• The Club World Cup takes place in June and July
• FIFA will be looking in depth at stars from each of the 32 teams
• Serhou Guirassy looms as a genuine goal threat for an ambitious Borussia Dortmund side

After an up-and-down season domestically, Borussia Dortmund will be looking to translate continental form that saw them reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League onto the global stage at the FIFA Club World Cup™. A major part of that run to the last eight was the scintillating form of Serhou Guirassy, with the Guinean bagging 13 goals and cementing his reputation as one of the deadliest forwards in Europe.

The striker has been scoring for fun over the past two years, firstly in 2023-24 as a key member of a Stuttgart side that qualified for the Champions League for the first time in 15 years, thanks in no small measure to Guirassy’s 28 league goals. Since his move to Dortmund he’s reached even greater heights, plundering 33 goals in 44 games so far this season.

The France-born striker is in his second stint in German football, having previously played for Cologne from 2016 to 2018, before returning to France to turn out for Amiens and Rennes. He moved to Stuttgart – initially on loan – in September 2022, developing into a real goal machine there before being snapped up by Dortmund in 2024.

Guirassy factfile

Age: 29 Position: Centre-forward Nationality: Guinean Key attributes: Physique, anticipation and finishing

Outstanding achievements

• The UEFA Champions League has proven to be one of Guirassy’s favourite hunting grounds. Having already scored two goals in his first four matches in the competition in 2020, while still playing for Rennes, he proceeded to strike an even richer vein of form on his return to Europe’s premier club tournament this season. The Arles-born attacker recorded 12 goals in his first 14 Champions League matches overall: only Erling Haaland (20) and Harry Kane (13) have hit the target more often in their first 14 games, while Simone Inzaghi and Sebastien Haller also reached the 12-goal mark.
• At the time when Dortmund were eliminated by Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, Guirassy had scored 13 goals in 14 games in this season’s tournament. He remains the competition’s top marksman this term even after their elimination, level with Barcelona’s Raphinha.

• Guirassy netted 28 times in as many matches for Stuttgart in the 2023-24 season, although this was not enough to finish as the top scorer in the Bundesliga – Harry Kane put paid to those ambitions by plundering 36 league goals. The Guinea international racked up half of his tally across the first eight matchdays, setting a record for the German top flight that has only been bettered once in Europe’s five major leagues: Cristiano Ronaldo scored 15 goals over the first eight matchdays of the 2014-15 La Liga campaign.

Guirassy trivia

• Guirassy was a youth international for France and took part in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship 2015.
• The forward has netted 33 times in 44 games since moving to Dortmund. Of players from clubs in Europe’s big five leagues, only Kylian Mbappe (38), Ousmane Dembele (33) and Mo Salah (also 33) have scored more goals in all competitions in 2024-25.
• Guirassy’s tally of 13 goals in this UEFA Champions League campaign is the highest single-season total ever recorded by an African international.
• By contributing four goals to the 6-0 Bundesliga victory over Union Berlin on 22 February, Guirassy became the first Dortmund player to achieve this feat since Erling Haaland in November 2020.

Quotes

“He’s our lifeline at the moment. He’s the player who scores the most goals for us. He plays as often as possible; sometimes, I’d like him to play a little bit less, but he’s the only real striker we have in that position, so he has to get through it.” Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac

“Serhou’s game is characterised by fantastic awareness. He stays calm in one-on-one situations, and he’s creative and fast. He has the ability to score goals from a range of positions.” Guirassy’s coach at Stuttgart, Sebastian Hoeness

“No matter how well we play, scoring goals is crucial. Serhou is often the one who puts us in winning positions, and that makes the difference.” Borussia Dortmund team-mate Pascal Gross

“I think he’s one of the best strikers in Europe. He showed that last year at Stuttgart, and now he’s proving it in both the league and the Champions League. His speed, power and ability to impose himself make him a top player.” Sky Germany pundit Lothar Matthaus

Source: FIFA