Patrick Herrmann to retire from playing in the summer
Patrick Herrmann will retire from playing in the summer after 16 years at Borussia, including 15 as a member of the first team. The 33-year-old will remain at Gladbach in a non-playing capacity.
On the up: Conor Noß
Starting with the U9s, Conor Noß has progressed through all of the youth levels at Borussia. For more than two years, the 20-year-old has been periodically training with the first team and has had the opportunity to show what he is capable of against the Bundesliga pros.
Conor Noß’s footballing career began 15 years ago in a small village club, as he joined SG Kaarst at the age of five. 18 months later, Noß, who was born in nearby Düsseldorf, joined Sportfreunde Vorst and with them took part in a youth tournament in 2009. It was then that the Foals took notice of the talented youngster. “I was invited to Gladbach for a trial training session. I was really nervous. It was clear to me at the time that not everyone gets a chance like that and that it was something very special,” recalls Noß. But he put on a convincing display at the session and the then eight-year-old enrolled at the Foals’ youth academy, the FohlenStall. In the following years, Noß made his way through each level at the academy, starting with the U9s. “I had a lot of really cool experiences at the FohlenStall. A particular highlight was the trip to Mexico for a tournament with the U15s. The matches against top clubs on the world stage like Manchester United, Manchester City and AC Milan were also amazing,” says Noß.
From the U19s to the first-team squad
For the 2017/18 season, the attacker moved up to the U17s and made 23 appearances in the B-Junioren-Bundesliga, scoring six goals. In his debut season with the U19s, Noß made 22 appearances and scored one goal in the A-Junioren-Bundesliga West. In terms of age, the youngster was still eligible for the A-Junioren youth team in the 2019/20 season, but the club had a different plan for Noß. “It was time to set a new challenge for him,” explains Borussia’s youth director Roland Virkus. As a result of this decision, the attacker has been a part of the Foals’ U23s team since the start of the of the 2019/20 season. In addition to ten appearances in the U19s Bundesliga in which he netted three times, Noß also played 15 matches in the Regionalliga West.
Noß has also had a taste of first-team football, albeit from the bench. In October 2019, he was part of the Foals’ squad for the first time against İstanbul Başakşehir in the Europa League group stage. This was followed by the Bundesliga clash against FC Augsburg at BORUSSIA-PARK, the Europa League away match at AS Roma and the DFB-Pokal clash against Borussia Dortmund, in which the attacker was part of the Foals' matchday squad on each occasion. Though the 20-year-old is yet to make his debut for the first team, being included in the matchday squad is a huge step for him on the long road towards his ultimate aim of becoming a Bundesliga regular.
In the same year, this journey also led to the Ireland U19s squad. Noß, whose mother was born in the Republic of Ireland, made his debut for them in a friendly in October 2019 and went on to play in all three matches in the qualifying round for the 2020 European U19 Championship. The young attacker has also been called up for the national team this year as well and played in all four friendlies so far this year for Ireland U21s.
An integral part of the Foals’ pre-season
At the beginning of last season, Noß was sidelined with injury before making his comeback for Borussia’s U23s on matchday 17 of the Regionalliga West campaign away against Fortuna Düsseldorf U23s. This was followed by 20 further appearances in the Regionalliga in which he scored once, however it was not enough for Noß to be called up for the first team last season.
However, the youngster has been an integral part of pre-season for the Foals this summer. The 20-year-old played all three friendlies and scored Borussia’s only goals in the 3-1 defeat against SC Paderborn and in the 1-0 win over FC Metz. “Conor played with a lot of courage in Paderborn. He showed heart and pulled the trigger at just the right point,” praised head coach Adi Hütter of Noß’s long-range goal. “I was also delighted with his winner against Metz. He’s really made a name for himself in the friendlies, and not just because of his goals,” continued Hütter.
The next big step in his development is a clear one - making his competitive debut for the first team. “I’m proud to have been at Borussia for such a long time. It’s my dream to make it into the first team at this club and I work hard everyday to develop my game so that I can make the most of the opportunities I get,” says Noß. “If I were to make my debut this season, it would feel like the crowning glory of my journey in football. But actually, it’s just the beginning.”
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