Ansgar Knauff

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Knauff was born in Göttingen to a German mother and Ghanaian father, but raised by his single mother. He began his youth career at SVG Göttingen, before joining Hannover 96's youth academy in 2015. A year later, he joined the Borussia Dortmund youth team. He signed his first professional contract with Borussia Dortmund on 25 November 2020, lasting until 2023. He made his first team debut on 8 December 2020 in the UEFA Champions League against Zenit Saint Petersburg. On 20 January 2022, Knauff joined Eintracht Frankfurt on an eighteen-month loan deal. He scored his first goal for Eintracht on 5 March 2022 in a 4–1 victory against Hertha BSC. In the knockout phase of the Europa League campaign, he was an undisputed starter, did not miss a single minute of playing time, and scored important goals against FC Barcelona in the quarter-final and West Ham in the semifinal. On 18 May 2022, he appeared as a starting player in the 2022 UEFA Europa League Final against Rangers and won the Europa League trophy with his club after the penalty shoot-out. For his performance during the 2021–22 Europa League season, Knauff was awarded the Young Player of the Season award by UEFA. On 9 June 2023, he permanently moved to Frankfurt. On 18 September 2025, Knauff scored his first Champions League goal in a 5–1 win over Galatsaray. On 9 December, he scored the opener in an eventual 1–2 loss to FC Barcelona in the Champions League league phase.

In Their Own Story

In the knockout phase of the 2021–22 Europa League campaign, Knauff was an undisputed starter and did not miss a single minute of playing time. He scored important goals against FC Barcelona in the quarter-final and West Ham in the semifinal. On 18 May 2022, he appeared as a starting player in the 2022 UEFA Europa League Final against Rangers and won the Europa League trophy with his club after the penalty shoot-out. For his performance during the 2021–22 Europa League season, Knauff was awarded the Young Player of the Season award by UEFA. On 9 June 2023, he permanently moved to Frankfurt. On 18 September 2025, Knauff scored his first Champions League goal in a 5–1 win over Galatasaray. On 9 December 2025, he scored the opener in an eventual 1–2 loss to FC Barcelona in the Champions League league phase.

Reader's Guide

Knauff plays as a right winger for Eintracht Frankfurt. He began his professional career at Borussia Dortmund, making his first-team debut in the UEFA Champions League in December 2020. He joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan in January 2022, later making the move permanent in June 2023. He won the UEFA Europa League with Frankfurt in 2022 and was named UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season for 2021–22.

Did You Know?

• Knauff was born in Göttingen to a German mother and Ghanaian father, and was raised by his single mother.
• He made his professional debut for Borussia Dortmund in a UEFA Champions League match against Zenit Saint Petersburg in December 2020.
• Knauff scored important goals against FC Barcelona in the quarter-final and West Ham in the semifinal of the 2021–22 Europa League.
• He was awarded the UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season award for the 2021–22 season.