You’d have found it hard to believe, before the start of the newly revamped Champions League season, that Serhou Guirassy, Dortmund’s center forward, will be leading the top scorers list after ten matchdays.
No disrespect whatsoever to Guirassy, who has earned his spurs, doing his talking on the pitch.
But prior to the 2024-25 season, Guirassy had only played one season in Europe’s elite competition; the 2020-21 season with Rennes.
In his debut season, the deceptively nifty forward managed to score two goals in four games, adding gloss to the surprise that comes with Guirassy leading the top scorers chart.
His achievements have not been a bolt from the blue, but a rather carefully crafted one. Last season, Guirassy was virtually unstoppable, putting away his opportunities.
His predatory instincts saw him net 28 goals for VFB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, spurring them to the Champions League; a first in 15 years.
His 30 goals across all competitions put the football world on notice, with German club Dortmund reacting fastest, realizing the opportunity to sign a real poacher and snapping him.
Guirassy joined the Black and Yellows for a reported €18m ahead of the 2024-25 season.
It didn’t take an eternity for the 27-year-old to hit the ground running.
Against Club Brugge in the Champions League, his late stoppage time strike handed Dortmund a massive 3-0 win.
Once he had finally broken his duck, anything he touched from then turned to goals.
The goal away at Brugge set the precedent for Guirassy’s irrepressible performances.
After nine Champions League games, Serhou Guirassy has scored 10 goals and provided three assists, taking his total goal involvements to 13 in the Champions League.
Guirassy’s numbers make for better reading when you juxtapose them with other elite performers in the competition.
Barcelona’s red-hot forward Raphinha has 12 goal contributions, while Lewandowski and Vinicius Jr have nine.
Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, Antoine Griezmann, and fellow African Mohamed Salah, are all behind Guirassy in the pecking order.
His performances have endeared him to Dortmund fans, making him a cult hero.
His latest goal against Sporting on Tuesday will forever live in his memory and that of Dortmund fans.
The goal meant Guirassy joined an exclusive company of Dortmund forwards – Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland – as the only players to score 10 goals in a single Champions League campaign.
But, in the larger context, only one African has scored more goals than Guirassy in a single Champions League season, Sebastian Haller (11) – 2021-22 season.
At the absolute peak of his powers and with strikers being heavily sought after, especially in the Premier League, the prospect of signing Guirassy will appeal to many teams.
In hindsight, Dortmund need not a soothsayer say the obvious.
Buying and cashing out on young prodigies has been the order of the day since time immemorial. The only difference with Guirassy is he is an outlier, 28 years. Hence, the club may get a subsided price from his sale.
But while he continues to represent the Yellow and Blacks, it’ll be refreshing for their fans, who are in dire need of a silverware.
The general refrain in Dortmund is: why did he come this late?
If Guirassy’s deal had been done 12 months prior, who knows, maybe [just] he would have been in a better position to bury the plethora of chances Niclas Fullkrug in last season’s Champions League final.
But, as it stands, if a second bite at the cherry is feasible for Dortmund, they’ll need a whiff of luck; and their win against Sporting CP in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs is good omen.
Meanwhile, the headlines for the rest of the campaign will be about Serhou Guirassy, who looks like he is just about getting started.
