This is - Ransford Königsdörffer

Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer is HSV's fourth new signing for the upcoming 2022/23 second division season. The right-footed player, who can be used flexibly offensively, comes from second division relegated Dynamo Dresden and has signed a four-year contract with HSV until the summer of 2026. This is a long time in which Königsdörffer and the club can get used to each other and ideally write a successful history together. To get to know the 20-year-old newcomer better at the start, HSV.de has compiled five facts about him: 

• Berliner Jung: Ransford was not only born in Berlin on 13 September 2001, but also grew up in the German capital with its 3.65 million inhabitants. And this also applies to his footballing background: via SC Minerva 93 in the Moabit district and SC Charlottenburg in the Westend district, he switched to the youth team of Hertha BSC as a 13-year-old. There, he went through the youth teams of the capital club from 2014 to 2019 up to the U19 level. Afterwards, he left his home in Berlin for Dresden, about 2.5 hours away by car. Königsdörffer made his professional debut at SG Dynamo at the age of 18 years and three months and played 76 competitive games (13 goals, nine assists). Now, some 500 kilometres up the Elbe, the next sporting chapter begins in Hamburg. 
   
• Early setback:  At the age of 17, Königsdörffer's dream of professional football was in danger of being shattered when the attacker tore his meniscus for the second time within a year - once in his left knee, once in his right. The aforementioned move from Hertha BSC to SG Dynamo Dresden was anything but voluntary. Rather, the capital club no longer believed in the attacker, so his contract was not extended. The offer from the city on the Elbe came at the right time. Ransi" fought his way back impressively in the U19s of the Saxons, scoring 17 goals in 19 games and setting up eight others. "I didn't necessarily think that my professional career would work out so soon, or at all," Königsdörffer admitted a short time later, when he was promoted to the professional team. 
       
•  High-flyer:When Königsdörffer makes the aforementioned step to the pros at Dynamo Dresden in the second half of the 2019/20 second division season, Germany is in the midst of the Corona pandemic. Match operations will initially continue completely without spectators and only partially with spectators in the 2020/21 season. At the same time, other issues are moving into the media and social focus. In retrospect, this might not have been so bad for the sporting development of Ransford Königsdörffer, who might otherwise have experienced a real hype. The youngster is off to an eager start: The Berlin-born player scored seven goals and provided four assists in his first full professional season, including the Third League championship and promotion to the Second League. In the 2021/22 pre-season, five goals and five assists followed in League 2. According to Transfermarkt.de, Ransford has increased his market value more than eightfold from €150,000 to €1.3 million within two years.
   
• Junior international: Königsdörffer, whose father comes from Ghana, has also recently made a breakthrough with the DFB. In September of last year, he made his first appearance for the German U21 national team. Under then DFB coach Stefan Kuntz, the attacker made his debut in the European Championship qualifier against San Marino (6:0) and played 17 minutes. He then made his next two international appearances for coach Christian Wörns' German U20 team in November 2021, scoring the much-acclaimed winner in a 3-2 victory in France. 
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• Flexible attacker: Whether as a winger on the left or right side or in the centre as a classic striker, the 20-year-old Königsdörffer is versatile in the front attacking zone and gives the HSV offensive game even more flexibility - both in width and depth. The right-footer impresses above all with his athleticism. The showcase athlete knows how to use his 1.83 metres and 72 kilograms in the best possible way. In the pre-season, he was one of the league's speed dribblers with 36 won dribbles (rank 9) and a top speed of 34.8 km/h (rank 21).