German · Frankfurt, Germany · Born 12 January 1994Liverpool's powerful German midfielder who rose through the academy to become a key figure in Klopp's early rebuilding years at Anfield. Known for his extraordinary bicycle kick against Watford in 2017 — voted Premier League Goal of the Season. His physicality, range of passing and versatility across midfield roles made him highly sought after. Moved to Juventus and then Borussia Dortmund, where he established himself as a Germany international and captain.
Emre Can was born on 12 January 1994 in Frankfurt, Germany, to Turkish parents, and joined Bayern Munich's academy in 2009 after starting out at Eintracht Frankfurt. Unable to break into Bayern's first team beyond the odd substitute appearance, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 for regular football, impressing enough in the Bundesliga and Champions League to prompt Liverpool to trigger his £9.75 million release clause in 2014. Can spent four seasons at Anfield, deployed across defence and midfield under Brendan Rodgers before finding his best form as a box-to-box midfielder under Jürgen Klopp. His signature moment came in October 2016, an overhead-kick winner against Watford that was voted the club's goal of the season. He left as a free agent for Juventus in 2018, winning the Serie A title in his first season, before a loan and then permanent move took him to Borussia Dortmund in 2020. At Dortmund, Can won the DFB-Pokal in 2021 and was named club captain in 2023, succeeding Marco Reus. In his first season with the armband, he led Dortmund to the 2024 Champions League final, where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley — a repeat of the result in his other Champions League final, with Liverpool in 2018. He revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with and treated for thyroid cancer back in 2018, shortly before his move to Juventus. Internationally, Can progressed through every German youth level from under-15 to under-21, captaining the U17s to the final of the 2011 European Championship, and made his senior debut in September 2015. He was part of Germany's victorious 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup squad and scored off the bench in Germany's 5-1 opening win over Scotland at Euro 2024. Known for his physicality, range of passing and rare versatility across midfield and defensive positions, Can has been compared to countrymen Michael Ballack and Bastian Schweinsteiger for his ability to both break up play and drive forward from deep.
Versatility across midfield and defence, overhead-kick goal vs Watford (2017), captaining Borussia Dortmund
How They Played
Box-to-box midfielder/centre-back; physically strong, technically gifted, composed in possession, strong in the air, energetic with good passing and tackling
Lasting Impact
One of Germany's most versatile modern midfielders; overcame thyroid cancer; long-serving BVB captain
Career Honours
- Bundesliga champion (Bayern Munich 2012-13, squad member)
- DFB-Pokal winner (Bayern Munich 2013)
- UEFA Champions League winner (Bayern Munich 2012-13, squad member)
- UEFA Euro U17 Runner-Up (Germany 2011)
- FIFA Confederations Cup winner (Germany 2017)
- UEFA Champions League Runner-Up (Liverpool 2018)
- UEFA Europa League Runner-Up (Liverpool 2016)
- EFL League Cup Runner-Up (Liverpool 2016)
- Serie A champion (Juventus 2018-19)
- Coppa Italia winner (Juventus 2018)
- DFB-Pokal winner (Borussia Dortmund 2020-21)
- UEFA Champions League Runner-Up (Borussia Dortmund 2024)
- Euro 2024 squad (scored vs Scotland)
| Club | Period | Fee | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | 2009–2013 | — | — | — |
| Liverpool | 2014–2018 | £9.75m | 167 | — |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2013–2014 | Free (from Bayern Munich) | 39 | 4 |
| Juventus | 2018–2020 | Free (from Liverpool) | 37 | 4 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2020– | €25M (from Juventus) | 0 | 0 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt (Youth) | 2006–2009 | — | 0 | 0 |
 Germany | — | — | 39 | 3 |
German Athletes