FC St. Pauli

While Eti's smile hasn't changed, we have to admit that the blonde hair is taking some getting used to. Our No14 is not the only player to adopt a new hairstyle - fellow forward Elias Saad and performance coach Karim Rashwan have also blonded up to go with the bright sunshine at the Passeier Valley training camp. Trend or coincidence?

And though Eti is already in his third season with the Boys in Brown, head coach Fabian Hürzeler could almost consider the 25-year-old another new recruit - the forward did, after all, miss the entire second half of last season due to injury and with it the opportunity to celebrate with his teammates on the pitch on their fabulous ten-game winning run. But Eti fought his way through rehab and recovery training, and even drew motivation from the achievements of his colleagues, as he explains: "The wins the lads racked up motivated me to get back into the team as soon as possible."

From the impressions in training and in the warm-up games so far, it now seems very likely that he'll be back celebrating on the pitch very soon. He looks quick, nimble, agile and acrobatic, as evidenced by his horizontal bicycle kick against Scottish outfit Dunfermline that saw him denied by the post. "I feel really good," says the Herford-born player before adding: "I'm not fully back to where I want to be, of course. That'll take time, but it's getting better and better. I'm giving my all at training camp every day, but I also know how to manage my body and the workload."

Etienne Amenyido's horizontal bicycle kick in the friendly against Dunfermline.

The lightning-quick striker has already demonstrated what "better" means in his 29 competitive appearances for the club. Besides the aforementioned strike in the sensational cup defeat of holders Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16 in 2021/22, Eti contributed another four goals plus four assists. His most recent goal for the Boys in Brown came last year in a 2-2 draw against SC Paderborn, who were top of the table at the time. A key strike that secured a point - Amenyido, a man for the important goals?

Nevertheless, the head coach has identified some potential in a slightly different role - Eti has often featured on the left wing in pre-season to date and also operated as a No10. "My pace is definitely my biggest strength and I can exploit that by coming in from the flank and then taking opponents on," says the Togo international, who also knows where there is room for improvement. "I have to try to read the game better and time my attacking runs more effectively so I can create better goalscoring opportunities for me and my teammates."

The only question remaining relates to the highlights in his hair. "Actually, I took the idea for the blonde hair from the former France striker Djibril Cissé. He also had a blonde beard. I'll do that next time as well," says Eti with a grin. His footballing highlight for this season is already clear. "I'm really looking forward to playing at the Bremer Brücke in Osnabrück, where I spent three years," he reveals. It is to be hoped that our No14 will turn out to be the man for the important goals there, too.

Photos: FC St. Pauli