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A former Liverpool striker managed to score an incredible 95 goals over the course of a single season despite failing to make the grade at Anfield. The player began his career in his native Germany, starting out with two local teams in his hometown of Dusseldorf. When he reached the age of 11, he was offered a trial at Bayer Leverkusen, which he accepted and earned himself a place in their academy.
The forward bagged 22 goals in 24 matches during the 2010/11 season, which saw him moved up to the age group above him. In total, he scored 57 times in 71 games for Leverkusen's youth teams between 2010 and 2012.
He was rewarded for his prolific form with a first-team breakthrough, making just a handful of appearances before Liverpool swooped in to secure his signature.
Unfortunately, he never made a lasting impression at Anfield, only playing a couple of times in the League Cup before leaving in 2016.
He ended up as a journeyman, spending time at many clubs throughout Europe before returning to Germany, where he played in the amateur leagues.
The player in question is Samed Yesil, who had the most prolific season of his career with ninth-tier club ATS Krefeld in the 2024/25 campaign.
He scored an incredible 95 goals for his team, making him one of the deadliest strikers in the world based purely on that return.
However, it's a far cry from the glamour of the Premier League, which Yesil never actually got to play in before he was chewed up and spat out.
He never managed to reach his full potential, with injuries taking their toll and stopping him from developing into the player many thought he would become.
Reflecting on his fitness problems while at Liverpool in an interview with The Athletic, he said: "As I went to change direction, my leg stopped and my knee turned. There was some pain but I didn’t think it was serious. I actually played on.
"After the game, I went to see the doctor. He did all the tests and said it was probably just a bit painful because of the pitch. When I got back to Liverpool I went out to train but, after about 20 minutes, I had to stop because the pain was so bad.
"They sent me for an MRI scan and that showed my ACL was badly damaged. I went to London for an operation. During a training session at Liverpool, I went to run back and my knee twisted. I heard a big ‘boom’ noise.
"I knew it was the same injury. Same ACL, same knee. It swelled up so much. Everyone has a different opinion about why it happened again.
"Some say it happened because my rehab wasn’t so good and maybe I started back too early. Others say maybe the operation didn’t go so well.
“The second time, I decided to have the surgery done in Germany by the specialist who operates on all the national team players.
"I have to say a big thank you to Liverpool for respecting my wishes on that. They also let me do my rehab in Germany, which was fantastic of them."
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