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Maximilian Beier: Ambitious goal-getter willing to work for the team
Maximilian Beier stands in the catacombs of SIGNAL IDUNA PARK with a BVB shirt in his hand, revelling in his brace and grinning into the camera. The BVB supporters do not need to imagine the scene. For it actually already happened, back in February 2024. Maximilian Beier, then still a TSG Hoffenheim player, had just fired his club to a 3-2 away victory against the Black & Yellows. The striker then rounded off the perfect evening by asking Julian Brandt if he could have his shirt as they passed each other. A moment later, the snapshot captured the grinning Beier looking proudly into the camera with the Black & Yellow shirt in his hand.
Five and a half months later, Beier is again grinning at the camera with a BVB shirt. But this time it is not "Brandt" but rather his own name which adorns the Borussia jersey. On his first day as a BVB player, the 21-year-old recalled the shirt swap with his new team-mate, saying: "I admire him as a player, really like the way that he plays and that's why I wanted to have his shirt – so I simply asked him." Does he still have the shirt? "Of course!"
Beier has penned a deal with the Champions League finalist for the next five years – but it all started in the slightly more modest setting of his hometown of Brandenburg, where the Germany international and his friendly used to recreate Mario Götze's World Cup winning goal 10 years ago. According to Beier, it took around 1,000 attempts to perfect the cross-chest takedown-left footed goal combination. "Mario of course only needed one," said Beier of Götze's goal, which crowned Germany as World Cup winners for the fourth time in Rio, Brazil, and grins again.
"I hope that I will now see my family more often"
But let's jump back from the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro (capacity: 78,838) to Brandenburg an der Havel (population: 73,921). It was here that Beier took his first steps in football with local clubs ESV Kirchmöser and Brandenburger SC Süd 05. At the tender age of 12, he then decided to take the first big step of his footballing career: the now 1.83m-tall blonde striker made the move to the elite school at Energie Cottbus. That also meant relocating to Cottbus, which was almost 200 kilometres away, to live during the week. Beier moved out and only returned to see his family at the weekend.
Homesickness was a constant companion for the now 21-year-old, who at times even considered giving up on a possible professional career. But Beier decided together with his family that the dream should not come to an end yet – and the decision proved itself to be the right one a couple of years later. Even today, his parents and his sister are still the most important form of support for the goal-getter, who no longer has quite as far to travel to get home from Dortmund. "I hope that I will now see my family more often. That didn't always work out in Hoffenheim, but now the travel time is shorter," explained Borussia's new signing, who made the move from Cottbus to the TSG Hoffenheim Youth Performance Centre at the age of 15.
In the 2018/19 season, the youngster from Brandenburg helped the TSG B Youth team to secure second place in the Bundesliga South/Southwest and finished as top scorer with 18 goals. The talented youngster then made the Hoffenheim first-team squad for the first time back in November 2019 and got his first taste of Bundesliga life at home to Paderborn. He might have only been on the bench, but the then 17-year-old still had a huge grin plastered on his face.
On Matchday 21 of the 2019/2020 season, Beier then became the youngest player to represent TSG in the Bundesliga in the club's history at the age of 17 years, three months and 21 days, breaking the record previously set by his new team-mate Niklas Süle (17 years, eight months and eight days). The centre-forward joined second-tier Hannover on loan from 2021 to 2023, accumulating plenty of game time – Beier made 63 appearances in the second tier for the 96ers – and scoring 10 second-tier goals. The high-flyer was far from satisfied with his achievements, however: once back in Hoffenheim, he developed into an important player for TSG and finished as the club's top scorer at the end of last season with 33 goals. In addition to that, he also won two "Rookie of the Month" awards in February and March 2024 – in part thanks to the brace he scored in Dortmund.
The good performances did not escape the notice of the national team coach. Following earlier call-ups to the various junior international teams, his debut at senior level came on 3 June 2024. Beier came on as a substitute in the 59th minute of the EURO preparation match against Ukraine and almost marked his debut with a goal – only the woodwork denied Beier the perfect debut. The 21-year-old convinced not only the Germany fans, but also Julian Nagelsmann. Beier was included in the squad for the home EURO and picked up his first EURO experience when he came off the bench in the group game against Switzerland.
And the next highlight would not be a long time coming: seven weeks after making his EURO debut, Beier put pen to paper with Borussia Dortmund. The Black & Yellows and their fans seem to have made an impression on the Brandenburg native, who is most looking forward to the 80,000 supporters at the stadium: "It was brutally loud. You almost can't hear yourself speak," said Beier, who is already looking forward to his debut at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK: "When everyone is then shouting for me, that gives me a huge push."
"When I give instructions, then they are clear"
The Borussia faithful can look forward to a fast and goal-hungry player – ranked the 19th-fastest player in the Bundesliga at 35.45 km/h – who does not shy away from working hard for the team. "I work a lot defensively and also do a lot of tracking back for the team. "Offensively, I can play in every position, and I can be deployed flexibly." On the pitch, Beier describes himself as aggressive. "That's when the emotions rise up. When I give instructions, then they are clear." Away from the pitch, however, things are different and he's "more of a calm guy". The Brandenburg native also comes across as such in his first BVB interview, with no trace of nervousness. But there is no shortage of respect towards his new employer: Beier asks if he is sometimes allowed to wear blue clothing and breaks out into a grin again.
For Beier – and certainly for the Black & Yellow fans too – Beier's objectives are much more important than his clothing choices: just like BVB, he wants to compete for titles every season. "We share the same goals in that regard. So it fits." BVB fans can already look forward to Maximilian Beier and the next goals he will score at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. This time though, he will be wearing the BVB jersey as he celebrates on the pitch – and when he grins into the cameras in the stadium catacombs after the game.