Jonathan Burkardt Scouting Report At Mainz 2024/2025: Germany’s Next Number 9? – Player Analysis

One of this seasons standout players in the German Bundesliga has undoubtedly been Mainz striker Jonathan Burkardt.

The Darmstadt-born forward netted 18 times in 29 league appearances—contributing about a third of Mainzs 55 goals, which helped them return to the continental scene for the first time in nine years via the UEFA Conference League.

His outstanding form didnt go unnoticed by Die Nationalelf manager Julian Nagelsmann, who gave him his maiden senior call-up and capped him three times during their UEFA Nations League campaign to date.

This is a well-earned reward for Burkardt.

His stellar performances this season have also earned him links to clubs like Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen in his native country, as well as Manchester United and Newcastle United abroad.

With many big clubs in Western Europe looking at bringing in a goalscoring centre-forward this summer, Burkardt could well be in that mix as a somewhat under-the-radar option away from the headlines that Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres, and Victor Osimhen all seem to be grabbing the most.

This scout report and player analysis will analyse Burkardts attacking contributions to Mainz this season and what could make him an interesting target for a top European side in the upcoming summer transfer window.

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Who Is Jonathan Burkardt?

Jonathan Burkardt is a 24-year-old German who stands at 511 (1.81 m or 181 cm) and weighs 167 lbs (76 kg).

He began his footballing career at his hometown club, Darmstadt, before joining Mainz in 2014, where hes played ever since.

As we covered when we analysed him in late 2021, a German media poll named him the Rising Star of the Season.

Less than a year later, he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for 10 months and stalled his development.

Hes not only recovered but hes also taken his game to another level this season.

Although Burkardt is versatile enough to operate in different attacking roles, such as playing out wide or next to another forward in a two-striker system, he has predominantly been used and established himself as a centre-forward who leads the line this season in Mainzs 3-4-2-1 formation.

Jonathan Burkardt Stats At Mainz 05

Above is his radar map, focusing on the metrics that matter most to the centre-forward position and how he ranks among other Bundesliga strikers in 2024/2025.

While his aerial duel success rate and frequency of hitting the target with his shots rank low, his expected goals (xG) and goals per 90 make him stand out, as his percentile rank in both metrics is among the best in the league.

His 18 league goals were only usurped by the top marksman in three of the top four clubs in the league, with Harry Kane, Patrick Schick, and Serhou Guirassy being the only players who netted more than him in the Bundesliga.

Being in such company speaks volumes about Burkardts efforts this s