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Going under the radar in the German second tier.

6 players from the Bundesliga 2 who have fallen off the footballing map

Former players from Everton, Bayern Munich and Cardiff City feature among those who’ve dropped off the footballing map while turning out for clubs in the Bundesliga II.

There’s a rich history and depth to the German footballing pyramid, as with England, with famous clubs doing battle for promotion in front of big crowds. But outside of Germany, the movers and shakers have dropped off the mainstream radar.

Here are forgotten footballers who are currently playing in the German second tier.

Michael Cuisance

Victor Orta had something of a mixed record during his time as Leeds United’s sporting director, from the players who they signed to those they didn’t.

Leeds can safely consider Cuisance a bullet dodged, given the trajectory of the French playmaker’s career since his failed medical at Elland Road back in 2020.

A loan to Marseille didn’t work out, nor did a move to Italian hipster favourites Venezia in 2022.

Last summer he returned to Germany with a point to prove, signing for Hertha Berlin for a reported €300,000 fee after their first season in the Bundesliga II ended in midtable mediocrity.

He’s notched four goals and four assists for the club this season, but they’re languishing in the bottom half of the table and don’t look like returning to the Bundesliga any time soon.

Jonjoe Kenny

Among Cuisance’s team-mates at the Olympiastadion is one-time Everton starlet Kenny, who is into his third season with Hertha Berlin.

The right-back probably didn’t envisage relegation when he left Merseyside for the capital of Germany back in 2022, but that’s what transpired in a miserable debut season.

Kenny’s contract is up this summer and it’ll be interesting to see whether he extends his stay. There’ll surely be some Football League clubs monitoring the former England youth international’s situation.

Robert Glatzel

Not the most glamorous name in the world, you might not be aware of strapping striker Glatzel unless you’ve been an avid follower of German football or were familiar with Cardiff City’s exploits at the turn of the 2020s.

The 31-year-old has actually been turning out in the German second tier since 2021 for fallen giants Hamburger SV.

He’s actually been wildly prolific at that level, notching over 60 Bundesliga II goals over the past four seasons for a club that have suffered heartbreaking near-misses in each of the last three campaigns.

Hamburg once again find themselves just outside of the automatic promotion spots at the time of writing. Could this be their year?


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TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the 30 German players with the most Premier League appearances?


Julian Green

Born in Florida but raised in Germany, Green represented both the USA and Mannschaft at youth level before deciding on the former at senior level. He represented his country at the 2014 World Cup and was the youngest player to score that summer in Brazil.

But he never made it beyond the youth ranks at Bayern Munich and has spent the vast majority of his career in the German second tier, while he hasn’t received an international cap since 2017.

The midfielder is still only 29 and now into his seventh season with Greuther Furth, six of which have been spent in the Bundesliga II.

John Brooks

Another USA international of yesteryear, centre-back Brooks featured alongside Green at the 2014 fresh from helping Hertha Berlin get promoted to the Bundesliga.

The 31-year-old has spent time with Wolfsburg, Benfica and Hoffenheim in the intervening years before rejoining Hertha in the second tier last summer.

“I’m happy to be able to play for Hertha again and follow the Berlin path,” Brooks noted in a club statement, “This is where I became a professional and an international and I have many good memories of the club. Now I want to give something back and help achieve our goals.”

Unfortunately the romantic homecoming hasn’t quite worked out as planned for the experienced defender. An ankle injury has kept him sidelined and he’s yet to play a minute of football in 2024-25.

One of the most USA footballers of the modern era.

QUIZ: Can you name the 25 most capped players for the United States?

Emil Hojlund

You might be aware that Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has a younger brother, Oscar, who is currently on the fringes of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.

But did you know there’s a third Hojlund sibling? Emil is Oscar’s twin brother and also left FC Copenhagen for Germany in the summer.

The 20-year-old forward had been talked up alongside Copenhagen wonderkid Roony Bardghji as having the potential to go on and make it, but he struggled for opportunities at his boyhood club and has since joined fallen giants Schalke.

You never know, this might be a good fit for the youngster. He can develop his skills away from the limelight, and highly-rated Liverpool target Stefanos Tzimas – currently thriving on loan at FC Nurnberg – shows the league can be a fertile breeding ground for talent.

But things are yet to catch fire for the youngster. Schalke don’t look like returning to the Bundesliga any time soon, languishing in midtable, while Hojlund is yet to score from just one start and limited substitute minutes.