19-year-old Tom Rothe is moving from Borussia Dortmund to 1. FC Union Berlin. The left-back was on loan at Holstein Kiel as they were promoted to the Bundesliga last season.

Regular favourite on the wing

Tom Rothe was born and grew up in Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein. He began his club career at Rendsburger TSV in 2010 before moving to neighbouring Büdelsdorfer TSV. He played there until 2016 before moving to Hamburg with his parents and joining SC Nienstedten. In 2018, Rothe joined the youth section of FC St. Pauli and played in the youth teams of the "Kiezkicker" for three years. In the summer of 2021, he moved to the Ruhr region to join Borussia Dortmund's youth training centre.

The 6’3” left-footer quickly established himself as a regular on the left flank at BVB's youth academy and earned minutes in the UEFA Youth League, the Junior Bundesliga and the Junior Club Cup. In the UEFA Youth League, he made a decisive contribution with three assists in the 5-3 win over FC Empoli, which saw Dortmund's U19s reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

Rothe took part in the Bundesliga team's training camp in the summer of 2021 under then BVB coach Marco Rose. On matchday 30 of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season, Rose named the 17-year-old in the starting XI as a substitute for the injured Raphaël Guerreiro and Thorgan Hazard. Rothe played almost the entire match, scoring the first goal of the game and of his professional career with a header from a corner in the 6-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg.

Two years later, Dortmund loaned the six-time international to Holstein Kiel. Under Kiel coach Marcel Rapp, Rothe showed not only his defensive qualities but also his attacking strengths, as evidenced by his four goals and 10 assists in 33 competitive matches. Before the end of the season, he and Kiel secured promotion to the Bundesliga alongside FC St. Pauli.

Three facts about Tom Rothe

• Tom Rothe is the youngest ever player to score on his Bundesliga debut
• Rothe was the defender with the most combined goals and assists in in the 2. Liga last season
• Rothe completed the third most sprints in the second division last year

The views on the transfer

"I'm really looking forward to 1. FC Union Berlin, especially the club's passionate fans,” said the defender upon the signing of his contract. “Union have a unique club culture that I can fully identify with, and all the discussions so far have been consistently positive. The coach often favours a back five, which I already know from my time in Kiel and which I feel very comfortable with."

Horst Heldt, managing director of men's professional football at 1. FC Union Berlin, had this to say, meanwhile. "Tom demonstrated his strengths and potential during his loan spell at Holstein Kiel last year. In addition to his defensive skills, he also impresses with his attacking play. His qualities have caught not only our eye, so we are very proud that Tom has chosen 1. FC Union Berlin. We are convinced that he will strengthen our squad."