Guirassy carrying Dortmund’s hopes against Lille

Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy takes on his former side Lille in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday as seemingly the finished product, a decade in the making.

Guirassy has almost single-handedly guided a struggling Dortmund through the Champions League so far this term after signing last year from Stuttgart.

In his first season in Europe’s top competition, Guirassy has more goals than anyone else in the Champions League, with 10 in 10 matches.

That dominant showing is a far cry from Guirassy’s time at Lille, who he joined from boyhood club Laval in 2015.

Guirassy played just nine games for Lille, scoring once, and was sent out on loan to then-Ligue 2 side Auxerre, before joining Cologne in 2016.

His disappointing stint at Lille was one of several stops as he bounced around the first and second divisions in France and Germany, before exploding into form for Stuttgart last season.

As recently as two seasons ago, Guirassy, a 1.88-metre tall striker equally adept with his head as with both feet, looked on track for a career marked by missed opportunities and failed potential.

After making his top-flight debut with Lille in 2015, aged 18, Guirassy played for five different clubs in seven seasons until his move to Stuttgart in 2022.

He struggled with a series of muscle and knee injuries, which robbed him of confidence and consistency.

Only once did he hit double figures in a domestic league campaign, scoring 10 goals in 27 games for Rennes in 2020-21.

Last term, however, Guirassy hit heights he had never reached before.

He scored 28 goals in 28 Bundesliga games as Stuttgart, relegation candidates the previous season, finished second ahead of Bayern Munich.

His class and versatility in front of goal earned him a move to