When Nicolas Kuhn joined Ajax at the age of 18, advice from his coach at the Dutch club’s renowned youth academy struck a chord.
Michael Reiziger, a former Champions League winner who became a mentor to Kuhn, gathered his team around him and shared a simple yet impactful piece of wisdom with him.
“Michael was a great guy and I can still remember him talking to us about our careers that day at Ajax,” the Celtic winger recalled.
He said, “You’re all going to be professionals, it just depends on where you end up.”
‘Every career is different, but right now I’m on the right track and I want to keep it that way.’
Kuhn’s journey was at times winding, taking him through the youth academies of RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, as well as his two-year spell at Ajax.
Kuhn (right) celebrates with Matt O’Riley after scoring in last weekend’s league win over Hibs
The winger slotted the ball home to send Celtic on their way to back-to-back Premier League victories
At all those clubs he failed to break through to the first team, but in 2022 he finally succeeded with his transfer to Rapid Wien.
His first half-season at Celtic, after the Scottish champions signed him for £3million in January this year, was a qualified success, with Kuhn scoring three goals in 18 games as he helped Brendan Rodgers’ side to a domestic title double.
The 24-year-old looks set to be firing on all cylinders in the current campaign, having enjoyed a remarkable pre-season which has seen him score twice in the win over Manchester City in North Carolina, followed by finding the net in both of Celtic’s league victories over Kilmarnock and Hibs so far.
Kuhn feels he is now ready to fulfil his potential, earning him the prestigious Fritz Walter Medal. Named after the captain who won Germany the 1954 World Cup, it is awarded to his country’s best young players.
In 2019, he won the under-19 award, joining a list of honours that also includes Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Mario Gotze and Kai Havertz.
Kuhn has started the new season in good form, scoring in both top division games
The 24-year-old also found the net in the champions’ opening day win over Kilmarnock
“That award is really big in Germany,” Kuhn said. “I was very proud and honored to be chosen for the gold medal in 2019.
‘I never saw it as extra pressure on myself. I just saw it as recognition for what I had done in my youth.
“It was a big thing then, but now I want to show why I won that award. I still have ambitions to play for Germany alongside those other guys.
‘I’ve played in all age groups in Germany, from Under-15 to Under-20. I was always one of the leaders in the teams. Sometimes I was captain and of course I want to show that on the big stage one day.’
If Kuhn is to gain the full international recognition he craves, it would certainly help if he made an impact in the Champions League.
He is eager to make his debut in the tournament as Celtic look forward to the group stage draw at the end of this month.
“I can’t wait for the Champions League,” he said. “It was one of the reasons I came to Celtic.
“I’m really looking forward to the draw to see who we get into the tournament. There are a lot of great teams we could draw. I wish we could play them all.
‘It would be nice to maybe play against Leipzig or Bayern Munich, two of my former clubs, but I can’t pick one team that I want more than another.
‘I always enjoyed playing in the UEFA Youth League with Leipzig and Ajax. It was fun to challenge yourself against teams from different countries and I had some great experiences.
“We travelled to different cities and played against top teams. I enjoyed that tournament, I did well and now I can’t wait to experience the real Champions League with Celtic.
‘Playing against Manchester City and Chelsea in America this pre-season gave us a taste of what to expect against such opponents.’
Celtic are focusing on domestic matters for now as they face Hibs in the last 16 of the Premier Sports Cup this afternoon.
It was a piece of silverware that eluded them last season when they crashed out at the same stage of the tournament in Kilmarnock, and Kuhn admits there is an extra hunger among the Celtic players to put that right by claiming another domestic treble this time around.
‘I wasn’t there at the time, but the motivation in the squad is great to perform well in every competition this season, including this one,’ he added.
‘That’s our goal and we’re all looking forward to going into this match with a lot of energy and hopefully winning.
“We all feel good and are ready for the match. I am confident and we want to perform well again.
Kuhn scored just three goals in 18 games for the club in the second half of last season
“We need to bring the same energy to the pitch as we did last week against Hibs. But this is a different game, it’s a cup game, a one-off game and we have to get through it. But we’re prepared for it and we played very well.”
The match could mark a second ‘debut’ for Adam Idah after the Irish striker made a permanent return to Celtic from Norwich City this week for £9.5million following a successful loan spell in the second half of last season.
“We were so happy to see Adam back because we had a great time together,” Kuhn said. “We were all hoping he would come back. Adam has a lot to offer us. He’s a different type of striker and he’s scored so many big goals in big games.
“It’s always good to have more quality in the squad and he’s a great character too. Adam is fun to be around and we’re happy to have him as a permanent Celtic player.”