Ekitiké receives France U21 call-up
His strong start to the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign has earned Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké a call-up to the French U21s. The 22-year-old was nominated to replace Arnaud Kalimuendo on head-coach Gérald Baticle's FFF-Juniors. The France U21s will face Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina in forthcoming 2025 UEFA U21 European Championship qualifiers.
Ekitiké's success in the young German footballing campaign began with a brace and registered an assist in Eintracht's opening round DFB Pokal victory over Eintracht Braunschweig. In a recent league win over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Ekitiké scored one goal and assisted another in the 4-1 victory. The player's performances in the young season have already led to quite a bit of buzz in German footballing circles.
Ekitiké has not yet been capped at his country's highest youth level, but is regarded by many to be on the fast track to the France national team. Eintracht paid a reported €16.5 million to acquire the PSG loanee on a permanent basis this summer. Including last spring's loan stint, Ekitiké has now amassed seven goals in 19 appearances for the SGE across all competitions.