Feature | The ‘other Nmecha brother’: Borussia Dortmund revel as Felix (26) enters his prime

Felix Nmecha is developing a rather useful habit of scoring Bundesliga braces. Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 victory over SV Elversberg on Saturday marked the second time this season that the German international has struck twice in a league fixture. His two outstanding long-range finishes enabled Niko Kovac’s side to overcome stubborn opposition and maintain their unbeaten start to the 2026/27 campaign.

The double followed another remarkable performance in September. Nmecha came off the bench to score twice in Dortmund’s 3-0 victory over promoted SC Paderborn, with his second goal coming courtesy of a spectacular overhead kick.

Such contributions naturally attract considerable attention. Dortmund sporting director Ole Book went so far as to describe Nmecha as one of the finest midfielders in world football following Saturday’s victory. The praise certainly would have sounded extraordinary to anyone following the younger Nmecha brother’s Bundesliga career when it began five years ago.

In the summer of 2021, all eyes were on Lukas Nmecha when two Manchester City academy graduates arrived in Wolfsburg. The older brother was a European champion, an established professional, and a promising candidate to become Germany’s next senior national-team striker.

Felix, by contrast, was simply hoping to earn his place in the first-team squad.

Few could have anticipated just how differently their careers would unfold.

Lukas Nmecha’s arrival in Wolfsburg generates excitement

The elder Nmecha brother had every reason to expect great things when he returned to Germany in July 2021. Lukas had just completed an outstanding loan campaign with Belgian giants Anderlecht. More importantly, the Manchester City product had helped Germany win the European U21 Championship, scoring the only goal in the final against Portugal.

The striker finished the tournament with four goals and claimed the competition’s Golden Boot. Wolfsburg duly invested a significant transfer fee to bring Lukas back on a permanent deal. Having already spent the 2019/20 campaign on loan in Lower Saxony, the Hamburg native now looked ready to establish himself in the Bundesliga. Germany’s senior national-team head coach Hansi Flick also recognized his potential.

Five days after Wolfsburg confirmed Lukas’s signing, the club announced the arrival of another Nmecha. Twenty-year-old Felix joined from Manchester City on a free transfer. Unlike his older brother, he possessed virtually no senior professional experience. His three first-team appearances in England had all come from the bench.

Wolfsburg’s initial announcement confirmed that Felix would join the first-team training camp. His eventual place in the senior squad, however, remained uncertain. The younger brother’s arrival was hardly greeted with the same excitement.

That wasn’t to suggest that Wolfsburg had acquired Felix merely to accommodate Lukas. The brothers subsequently clarified in an October 2021 interview with Kicker that the transfers had been negotiated independently. Lukas even suggested that Wolfsburg might have approached Felix before opening discussions about his own return.

Lukas was an established striker expected to contribute immediately. Felix was a promising youngster who still needed to prove himself.

Two brothers, one national-team dream

The siblings had followed similar paths through their formative years. Both were born in Hamburg before their family relocated to Manchester. They progressed through Manchester City’s youth academy and represented England internationally at various youth levels.

Lukas eventually switched to Germany, establishing himself as an influential member of Stefan Kuntz’s successful U21 side. In October 2021, the older brother was already discussing his ambition to participate in the 2022 World Cup. His younger sibling had only recently made his Bundesliga debut, appearing as a substitute against Union Berlin.

Felix nevertheless harbored international ambitions of his own. The midfielder confirmed that discussions had taken place with the German Football Association regarding a potential change of allegiance. The following year, he made his debut for Germany’s U21s.

In September 2022, Felix scored against England’s U21s at Sheffield’s Bramall Lane and reiterated that representing Germany had been the correct decision. His ultimate ambition was to play alongside Lukas in the senior national team.

It seemed an attainable objective at the time. Lukas had already earned senior international recognition, and Felix was gradually beginning to establish himself at Wolfsburg. The younger brother’s initial progress nevertheless remained slow.

He made 16 Bundesliga appearances during his first Wolfsburg campaign, starting only once. His technical qualities were apparent, but he had yet to demonstrate how they might translate into sustained success at the highest level.

The arrival of Niko Kovac ahead of the 2022/23 season would prove instrumental in changing that.

Niko Kovac helps Felix discover his Bundesliga identity

Kovac’s first few months in Wolfsburg were hardly straightforward. The former Bayern coach needed time to establish a stable tactical structure, experiment with different midfield partnerships, and extract more consistent performances from a squad possessing considerable individual talent.

Felix was among those who eventually benefited from the adjustments. The first major signs of progress came in October 2022.

Kovac singled out the midfielder following Wolfsburg’s 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen, identifying him as one of the team’s most impressive performers. One week later, Felix scored twice in a 4-0 victory over Bochum.

The October 29 brace delivered both his first and second Bundesliga goals. More importantly, it offered evidence that the previously overlooked youngster was beginning to find his feet. Kovac’s assessment after the match provided the explanation.

The Wolfsburg trainer noted that Felix had previously struggled to establish a rhythm because he had been used in too many different positions. His physical development was also progressing, allowing his technical abilities to become increasingly evident in midfield.

Kovac continued refining his role throughout the season. Nmecha operated both as a deeper central midfielder and in more advanced positions. His ability to combine with teammates, receive possession under pressure, and carry the ball into attacking areas gradually became essential to Wolfsburg’s developing game.

The younger brother’s growing influence coincided with a difficult period for Lukas. After struggling for goals, the striker suffered a serious patellar tendon injury in November 2022. He subsequently lost ground in Wolfsburg’s attacking hierarchy as Jonas Wind and other alternatives established themselves.

The contrasting trajectories were becoming increasingly apparent. Felix eventually received his first senior Germany call-up in March 2023. Remarkably, the two brothers had yet to appear together for the senior national team. Lukas’s seven international appearances had already been completed by the time Felix earned his first.

The former Manchester City youngster was now beginning to establish an independent reputation.

And Borussia Dortmund were watching closely.

A €30 million transfer brings a new set of expectations

Dortmund invested approximately €30 million to acquire Nmecha in the summer of 2023. Jude Bellingham’s departure to Real Madrid had left a significant vacancy in the BVB midfield. Nmecha arrived with an entirely different skill set from the English international, but his physical and technical attributes offered considerable potential.

The move also represented a dramatic change in circumstances. Felix was no longer the inexperienced youngster Wolfsburg had signed without paying a transfer fee. He had become a substantial investment expected to contribute immediately at one of Germany’s biggest clubs.

His first campaign at the Westfalenstadion proved difficult. Recurring injury problems repeatedly interrupted his development, while the challenge of establishing himself within Edin Terzic’s tactical arrangements created further complications.

Nmecha’s positional versatility sometimes proved as much of a problem as an advantage. He possessed the strength and ball-winning ability to operate deeper in midfield, but his capacity to carry possession forward and threaten opposition defences suggested that a purely defensive role might not make the best use of his qualities.

Gradually, however, the situation improved.

During the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, Nmecha began demonstrating greater consistency in a deeper midfield role. His performances suggested that Dortmund finally possessed a player capable of combining defensive security with progressive passing and ball-carrying.

The improvement had already begun when a familiar figure arrived to oversee the next stage of his development.

Kovac reunites with his former Wolfsburg protégé

Niko Kovac’s appointment as Dortmund head coach in February 2025 reunited Nmecha with the manager who had overseen his original Bundesliga breakthrough. The Croatian knew precisely what the midfielder could offer. He also understood that restricting Nmecha to a single positional interpretation would overlook some of the player’s greatest strengths.

Speaking in March 2025, Kovac offered a revealing assessment of Nmecha’s abilities and long-term prospects.

“Of course he can also play in the number 10 role,” Kovac explained at the time. “But with his physicality, presence, technical skill, vision, and interpretation of the position, he is a future player for the number six or eight. He is the future of this club.”

By the summer of 2025, Get German Football News’ comprehensive Dortmund tactical preview described Nmecha as something of a silent, unsung hero. The midfielder’s capacity to win possession and immediately initiate attacking moves rendered him a vital component of Kovac’s approach. His increasingly influential performances naturally began attracting attention from abroad.

Inter and Manchester United were linked with Nmecha in 2025. Dortmund subsequently extended his contract through 2030, while Newcastle United’s reported interest during the summer of 2026 generated discussion of a potential nine-figure transfer fee.

Dortmund praise a midfielder “entering his prime”

“In terms of his talent, his qualities, and his technique, he’s one of the best midfielders in the world,” BVB sporting director Nils Ole Book told Sky Germany after Saturday’s win. “If he adds finishing to his game, there aren’t many who are better.”

“It’s already his second brace of the season,” Kovac remarked at the post-match press conference. “But there’s also his presence, dynamism, and technical ability. He can solve many situations quickly with his body movements. Things like that and his acceleration help him make everyone around him better.

“I believe, he just turned 26, and is entering his prime,” Kovac continued. “Last season, there were five games near the end [of the campaign] in which we didn’t have him and, accordingly, you could see how our game thinned out somewhat. With him, our game has a totally new dimension.”

The final observation is particularly revealing. It reflects a development considerably more significant than the occasional spectacular goal. Nmecha has become a midfielder whose absence affects the entire structure of Dortmund’s play. His athleticism, technical security, positional versatility, and ability to accelerate attacking transitions have made him extraordinarily difficult to replace.

That was hardly a foreseeable outcome when the younger Nmecha brother followed Lukas to Wolfsburg in 2021.

Felix is now an established German international valued at €65m.

GGFN | Peter Weis