Jamie Gittens: Dortmund’s England winger outshines Harry Kane in Der Klassiker

Harry Kane scored a hat-trick for Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker last season. This time he trudged away injured. But not before he was overtaken by fellow countryman Jamie Gittens, who scored himself after a sensational solo run.

The young England winger had Konrad Laimer chased in vain as he ran half the pitch before almost taking Manuel Neuer's head off – and with it the roof of the Westfalenstadion – when he fired the ball high into the Bayern net for the opening goal of the match.

Speaking to Felix Nmecha after the match, he was wide-eyed about his teammate's performance. “Fantastic goal. We know what speed he has and when he gets into those kinds of situations he does it more often.” In other words, it was coming.

The 20-year-old Gittens is having a breakthrough season at Dortmund. It started with two goals against Eintracht Frankfurt, with a goal against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and has now seen him score in each of his last three games. Something has changed in him.

His integration has taken time, but with fourteen starts already this season, the impact replacement has now dropped the replacement part of that name. He is growing and growing, something Nmecha has witnessed first hand since their days together at Manchester City.

“He clearly came from youth [team]. Especially this past year, with the way he's grown and developed, including just more playing time. He becomes more experienced and begins to make the right decisions at the right time. It's paying off.”

Route to Dortmund

When it comes to developing young English talent, Dortmund does it better than most clubs in the Premier League. But Gittens' story is different from that of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham who came before him before moving on to big money.

Bellingham arrived at Birmingham City after a season in the Championship. Sancho was considered one of the jewels in Manchester City's academy along with Phil Foden. Gittens, who was signed at 16, didn't come with the same guarantees.

He was a prospect at Reading and had spent just two years at City but was nowhere near the first team when Dortmund made the move. “We don't want to find 30 players like other teams in England do. We want to find that one player who can make it into our first team.”

Those are the words of Lars Ricken. “When we signed him, he wasn't at Sancho's level, but we said we can develop him to the level of a great player. It was a good collaboration between our scouting department, professional department and youth department.”

Ricken, who answers questions from Sky Sports in an office across the street from the stadium where Gittens now stars, is the club's sporting director – and hero of their 1997 Champions League victory in Munich. Naturally, he followed the player's progress closely.

“I remember when he was playing in the youth side, we said we needed time until April and then he will be ready for the first team. It was under Marco Rose [in 2022] that he made his debut. Since then there has been great development, especially this season.”

His stamina has improved. “I don't think he even played ninety minutes last season,” Ricken continues. “Now he is improving his playing time. To be honest, he is the player who makes the difference: he scores important goals and assists many goals.”

Dortmund's difference maker

That expression – difference maker – is the same one used by Dortmund director Carsten Cramer. “He is very important at the moment. Even if we have some problems, he can make the difference with his individual quality,” he said.

“We convinced him to sign for Dortmund. We had good evidence through the other players we signed – and not just the English ones. The youngsters know they will get minutes on the pitch, that Dortmund is an excellent platform. “

“He is a good example to others that Dortmund gives you the time to develop yourself, even if you have some bad luck with injuries. We are happy with how he plays and how he behaves. He is so humble, so down to earth. He is a perfect Dortmund man.”

What do the legends say?

A perfect Dortmund man. There is no major club in European football that takes so much pride in presenting itself as a small family business. Ricken is far from the only former player on the management side, even head coach Nuri Sahin wore Dortmund yellow.

Club legends are held close. Speaking to Roman Weidenfeller, their World Cup-winning goalkeeper, he too speaks warmly about the young man who now lights up the team. “He grew up here. He has speed, he can shoot and he is smart. He works behind the defense.”

Weidenfeller also refers to the injury problems that had slowed his progress. “It can be complicated to have him on the field.” Last year there was a shoulder problem, before that an ankle ligament injury. “Hopefully he is stronger and healthier now.”

Paul Lambert, Champions League winner alongside Ricken in 1997, is optimistic about this. He is speaking at the Borusseum – the museum in the stadium that celebrates past achievements. “He's growing in stature,” Lambert explains.

“He has started gaining weight.” He means it in a good way. “He looks bigger than when I first saw him. He was young then, sitting on the bench and coming off the bench. He had talent without a doubt. You could tell he was ready to come out to come.”

And, Lambert emphasizes, there is no better place for this to arise. “If you can play for this [crowd] every week not many people will improve this atmosphere. And he delivers, even in the Champions League. Hopefully he has a huge career ahead of him.”

What next for Gittens?

Of course, Dortmund's model being what it is, the question of Gittens' long-term future will never be too far from the conversation. “Maybe it's your next question, but it's not our goal to sell it because we want to be as successful as possible,” says Ricken.

Cramer argues much the same and emphasizes that Dortmund is in no hurry. There's more to come from Gittens. “Our ambition is to have him play with us for as long as possible. The intention is not to raise as much money as quickly as possible. We would like to keep him.”

As a strategy, that makes sense for the time being. Gittens has only just begun his journey, even if goals against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich suggest his progression is starting to accelerate. There is work to be done defensively. Consistency is also necessary.

Against Bayern he had the chance to double Dortmund's lead, but with a loose touch. Gittens can still drift in and out of games, but his languid style, which invites challenges, doesn't always work. But those moments that make the difference are becoming more and more common.

The same goes for the headlines – and with Thomas Tuchel taking over as England manager in January, Gittens' performances in the Bundesliga are less likely to go unnoticed at home. It wouldn't be a surprise for Nmecha if he's on the next team.

“He is in great shape,” said the midfielder. “He's definitely asking questions. I only hope the best for him. I hope he can be selected for the next camp. I wish him all the best because if he continues like this, he has such a big future ahead of him.” .”

Gittens is already Dortmund's Klassiker hero and perhaps Gittens will soon overshadow Kane in an England shirt too.