When Nicolas Kuhn joined Ajax as an 18-year-old, a piece of advice from his coach at the Dutch club’s renowned youth academy resonated particularly strongly with me.
Michael Reiziger, a former Champions League winner who became Kuhn’s mentor, gathered his team around him to deliver a simple but impactful pearl of wisdom.
“Michael was a great guy and I remember him talking to us about our careers that day at Ajax,” the Celtic winger recalled.
He said: “You will all be professionals, it is only up to you where you will land.”
“Every race takes a different path, but right now I’m on a good path and I want to keep it that way.”
Kuhn’s journey has been tortuous at times, taking him through the youth systems of RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich before and after his two-year stint with Ajax.
Kuhn (right) celebrates with Matt O’Riley after scoring in last weekend’s league win over Hibs.
The winger scored to send Celtic on their way to back-to-back Premier League wins.
He failed to make his way into the first team at all of those clubs, but finally did so with his move to Rapid Vienna in 2022.
His first half-season with Celtic after the Scottish champions paid £3m to sign him in January this year was a limited success, with Kuhn scoring three times in 18 appearances as he helped Brendan Rodgers’ side to a domestic double.
The 24-year-old appears to be firing on all cylinders this season. After a spectacular pre-season, which included a brace in the win over Manchester City in North Carolina, he has scored in both of Celtic’s league wins over Kilmarnock and Hibs so far.
Kuhn feels he is now ready to fulfil the potential that led him to win the prestigious Fritz Walter Medal, named after Germany’s 1954 World Cup-winning captain and awarded to their country’s outstanding young players.
He earned the U19 award in 2019, joining an illustrious roll of honour that includes Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Mario Gotze and Kai Havertz.
Kuhn has started the new season in fine form, scoring in both of his top-flight appearances.
The 24-year-old also found the net in the champions’ opening-day win over Kilmarnock.
“This award is a very important thing in Germany,” Kuhn said. “I was very proud and honoured to have been chosen for the gold medal in 2019.”
‘I never saw it as added pressure for me. I just saw it as recognition for what I had done in the lower categories.
‘It was a great achievement at the time, but now I want to prove why I won that award. I still have ambitions to play for Germany alongside those other lads.
“I have played in all the youth categories in Germany, from the U-15s to the U-20s. I have always been one of the leaders of the teams. I have sometimes been captain and of course I want to prove it one day on the big stage.”
If Kuhn is to achieve the full international recognition he craves, making an impact in the Champions League will certainly help.
He is eager to make his debut in the tournament as Celtic await the group stage draw later this month.
“I can’t wait for the Champions League,” he said. “It was one of the reasons I came to Celtic.
‘I’m looking forward to the draw to see who we’ll be drawn against in the tournament. There are a lot of great teams that could be drawn against us. I wish we could play them all.
“I would like to play against Leipzig or Bayern Munich, two of my former clubs. However, I cannot choose a team that I like more than any other.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing in the UEFA Youth League with Leipzig and Ajax. It was great to test myself against teams from different countries and I had some good experiences.
‘We travelled to different cities and played against top teams. I enjoyed that tournament, I did well and now I’m looking forward to experiencing the real Champions League with Celtic.
“Playing against Manchester City and Chelsea in the United States this pre-season also gave us an idea of what we can expect against opponents like those.”
Celtic’s attention remains focused on domestic matters for the moment as they host Hibs in the Premier Sports Cup last 16 this evening.
It was a title they failed to secure last season, when they were knocked out at the same stage of the tournament at Kilmarnock. Kuhn admits Celtic’s players are more keen to make amends and secure another domestic treble this time around.
“I wasn’t here at the time, but there is a lot of motivation in the team to do well in all competitions this season, including this one,” he added.
‘That’s our goal and we’re all looking forward to approaching this match with a lot of energy and, hopefully, getting a win.
“We all feel good and are ready for the match. Personally, I feel confident and we want to put in another good performance.”
Kuhn managed just three goals in 18 appearances for the club in the second half of last season.
“We have to show the same energy on the pitch that we showed last weekend against Hibs. But this is a different game, it’s a cup tie, a one-off game and we have to get through. However, we are prepared for that and we have been playing very well.”
The draw could mark a second ‘debut’ for Adam Idah after the Irish striker completed his £9.5m return to Celtic from Norwich City on a permanent basis this week following his successful loan spell in the second half of last season.
“We were very happy to see Adam back because we had a great time together,” said Kuhn. “We were all hoping he would come back. Adam offers us a lot. He is a different kind of striker and he scored a lot of important goals in important games.
“It’s always good to have more quality in the team and he’s a great character too. Adam is fun to be around and we’re happy he’s a permanent Celtic player.”
