Ansgar Knauff

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Knauff 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, coming on as a substitute in the 83rd minute for Thorgan Hazard in a 2020–21 UEFA Champions League match against Zenit Saint Petersburg, which Dortmund won 2–1 away. On 20 March 2021, he made his Bundesliga debut, coming on for Thomas Meunier in the 80th minute and providing the assist for a late equalizer in a 2–2 draw against Köln. He scored his first Bundesliga goal on 10 April 2021, scoring the winning goal in a 3–2 victory against VfB Stuttgart. On 20 January 2022, Knauff joined Eintracht Frankfurt on an eighteen-month loan deal. Sebastian Kehl, Dortmund's head of playing department, explained: 'He approached us to state his wish to get more playing time on loan. We would like to offer him this chance to continue his development at a high level.' Knauff scored his first goal for Eintracht on 5 March 2022 in a 4–1 victory against Hertha BSC.

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

Ansgar Knauff plays as a right winger for Eintracht Frankfurt. He played in the 2019–20 UEFA Youth League for Dortmund. After making his debut for Borussia Dortmund II in September 2020, he appeared in 28 games and scored 9 goals during the 2020–21 Regionalliga West season. Knauff 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 Champions League against Zenit Saint Petersburg. His Bundesliga debut came on 20 March 2021 against Köln, where he provided an assist. He scored his first Bundesliga goal on 10 April 2021 against VfB Stuttgart. On 20 January 2022, he joined Eintracht Frankfurt on an eighteen-month loan deal. He scored his first goal for Eintracht on 5 March 2022 against Hertha BSC. In the 2021–22 Europa League, he was an undisputed starter in the knockout phase, scored against Barcelona and West Ham, and started in the final against Rangers, winning the trophy. He was awarded the UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season award. On 9 June 2023, he permanently moved to Frankfurt. He scored his first Champions League goal on 18 September 2025 against Galatasaray, and scored again on 9 December 2025 against Barcelona.

Did You Know?

• Ansgar Knauff was born in Göttingen to a German mother and Ghanaian father, and was raised by his single mother.
• He made his first-team debut for Borussia Dortmund on 8 December 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 83rd minute in a Champions League match against Zenit Saint Petersburg.
• Knauff provided the assist for a late equalizer in his Bundesliga debut on 20 March 2021 against Köln.
• He scored important goals against FC Barcelona in the quarter-final and West Ham in the semifinal of the 2021–22 Europa League.
• Knauff was awarded the UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season award for the 2021–22 season.