Dortmund's Albert becomes youngest American to play in Bundesliga

Mathis Albert Dortmund

Mathis Albert became the youngest American to make his Bundesliga debut on Sunday as the 16-year-old winger came off the bench for the final moments of Borussia Dortmund's 4-0 win over Freiburg. Albert had previously been named to the bench three times, but was officially handed his Bundesliga debut in the 88th minute of Sunday's match.

Mathis Albert Dortmund

What happened

Albert had been in and around the Dortmund first team for the last few months and was part of the club's traveling party for last summer's Club World Cup. He had yet to see the field for the senior side, though. That was until Sunday, when he came off the bench and completed two of his three passes while also making a tackle in the closing moments of the lopsided victory.

By coming off the bench, Albert joined Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and Cole Campbell as Americans to feature for Dortmund as teenagers. He is, however, the youngest debutant of the bunch, making his first appearance a month shy of his 17th birthday.

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Mathis Albert U17 World Cup

Who is Albert?

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, Albert's youth career primarily took place in California. During that time, he played for the San Diego Surf before joining the LA Galaxy academy. In 2024, he joined Borussia Dortmund's academy and has since starred for their youth teams while also being the youngest player named on a Club World Cup roster last summer.

Internationally, Albert has played with the U.S. up to the U-19 level and was a member of the team that represented the U.S. at the U-17 World Cup last year.

"I do have a big picture," he told GOAL last summer. "I want to make the first team and be a difference-maker. I want to be a world-class player. That's the main goal for my career, but also, I live day by day. I don't overthink it mentally because if you jot down all these goals and you don't complete them, that'll mess up your mental. Sometimes, you just have to have fun. I think that joy is what's kept me playing my whole life.

"That's how I still like to play. I just have fun. It's not always that serious. It's just fun, and I think that's what's led me to keep going since I was a kid, having fun when you play."

Mathis Albert Dortmund

What comes next?

Albert will have three further chances to rack up senior minutes before the end of Dortmund's Bundesliga season. The first of those chances comes on May 3 when Dortmund visit Reyna, Joe Scally and Borussia Monchengladbach.