Paris Brunner could hardly have picked a better way to announce himself to French football.
The 20-year-old German striker scored twice as Monaco beat Marseille 2-0 on Sunday to move top of Ligue 1, but it was his spectacular second that offered a glimpse of why he is regarded as one of Germany’s brightest attacking prospects.
Brunner collected the ball near the halfway line, held off veteran Geoffrey Kondogbia, burst into space and jinked past CJ Egan-Riley before finishing with his weaker left foot. There was an element of fortune as the ball bounced kindly during his tussle with Kondogbia, but the pace, directness and composure bore shades of a young Michael Owen.
It is, of course, far too early to place Brunner in such company. Owen was just 18 when his famous solo goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup announced him on the global stage, before going on to win the Ballon d’Or three years later. Former England manager Glenn Hoddle later called him a ‘baby-faced assassin’.
Brunner has some way to go before earning comparisons of that magnitude, but his own baby-faced appearance disguises an increasingly dangerous striker. He has scored four goals in as many appearances for Monaco across all competitions this season, including two in Ligue 1.
There was an added irony to his breakthrough performance against Marseille.
“Even the Germans are trolling l’OM? The guy’s name is ‘Paris’! High-level stuff,” read the most-liked comment beneath L’Equipe’s match report.
The joke may prove even more fitting on Friday night, when Brunner and Ligue 1 leaders Monaco travel to the Parc des Princes to face PSG, champions in each of the past five seasons.
So who exactly is Paris Brunner — and why did one of Germany’s most highly rated young forwards leave Borussia Dortmund without ever making a senior appearance?
Who is Paris Brunner?
Born in Dortmund on February 15, 2006, Brunner came through the academies of Rot-Weiss Essen and VfL Bochum before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2020.
A prolific goalscorer at academy level, he quickly made a name for himself by scoring 16 times in only five U17 Bundesliga matches, earning comparisons with former Dortmund prodigy Youssoufa Moukoko. Brunner, who has cited Leroy Sané as a role model, was promoted to the U19s at 16 and scored on his debut.
In 2023, The Guardian named him among the world’s best players born in 2006. That same year, he helped Germany win both the U17 European Championship and World Cup, being named Player of the Tournament at the Euros before collecting the Golden Ball at the World Cup.
But his rapid rise was not without controversy. Weeks before helping Germany win the U17 World Cup, Brunner was indefinitely suspended by Dortmund in October 2023 for undisclosed disciplinary reasons.
Less than a year later, Brunner left Dortmund for AS Monaco without ever making a first-team appearance. During his time at the academy, Brunner registered 26 goals and ten assists in 42 appearances for BVB’s U-19s.
‘We would’ve liked to keep Paris at Borussia Dortmund long term, but he unfortunately didn’t want to take the path set out by us,’ former Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl explained in a club statement in August 2024.
After joining Monaco in a €4million move, Brunner said the club’s development plan had been decisive.
‘Monaco showed me a clear, sporting path, how they want to plan with me and develop me,’ he told SportBILD. ‘[…] I had the feeling that they really wanted me. BVB’s plan included the U19 Youth League and the U23s as well as occasional training with the first team.’
Immediately after signing, he was loaned out to Cercle Brugge for the 2024-25 season. Regular starts proved difficult to come by, although he scored six times in 28 appearances across all competitions. Opportunities remained scarce after his return to Monaco, where he played just 127 minutes in Ligue 1 last season.
Watch: Brunner’s six goals during his season-long loan at Cercle Brugge
His fortunes have changed considerably under Filipe Luís.
‘He’s the kind of player who, since my arrival, has expressed himself on the pitch through his work in training, his goals, his pressing and his defensive tracking. He wants to learn,’ Luís told Le Figaro. ‘He plays with passion, and I love that.’
That confidence and swagger were evident against Marseille. Beyond his two goals, Brunner repeatedly looked to lose defenders with sharp movement in the box or by attacking them with his pace.
There is still plenty to prove. Two Ligue 1 matches do not make a breakout season, and the road from youth prodigy to established senior international is littered with players who never quite fulfilled their early potential.
Friday should provide a sterner examination.
Monaco travel to the Parc des Princes with a perfect league record, while Brunner will face the reigning champions in the biggest domestic game of his young Monaco career so far.
Two years after leaving Borussia Dortmund in search of a clearer route to senior football, the 20-year-old finally appears to have found one.
And should a German striker named Paris find the net in Paris on Friday night, that joke at Marseille’s expense might not seem quite so funny anymore.
Alastair Talbot 