Janni Serra

Early career

Janni-Luca Serra was born in Springe, Lower Saxony, and began playing soccer in the youth teams of SG Bredenbeck-Holtensen, where he is still an honorary member. Initially playing as a defender, he moved to the youth department of Hannover 96 at the age of 10, where he trained for a total of three years, interrupted by a move to TSV Havelse. As a 16-year-old, he was signed by Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund to play for the club's youth teams. After winning one championship with the under-17s and two with the under-19s, Serra made his debut for Borussia Dortmund II on 30 July 2017, in a home game against Rot-Weiss Essen in the Regionalliga West. During his time at Dortmund II, he also began to eventually establish himself as a striker. During the winter break of the 2017–18 season, BVB loaned him to 2. Bundesliga club VfL Bochum, where he gained experience in professional football in twelve brief appearances.

Holstein Kiel

For the 2018–19 season, Serra moved permanently to the 2. Bundesliga, joining newly promoted club Holstein Kiel on a three-year contract until 2021. Under coach Tim Walter, Serra became a regular starter right away, making 30 league appearances in his first season (25 of which were starting appearances). He also played in all three cup matches. He scored his first goal in professional football on 22 September 2018, with a last minute header in a 2–2 draw against his former club VfL Bochum. With a total of 11 goals, he was…

Serra has made 31 appearances for four different DFB junior national teams so far, including ten for the German under-17s (with whom he finished second at the 2015 European Championship) and four for the under-19s. On 21 July 2016, he tore his ACL during a match at the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and underwent a total of four surgeries during the remainder of 2016. He made his comeback on the pitch in April 2017 in the Under-19 Bundesliga. On 1 September 2017, Serra made his first appearance for the under-21 national team, coached by Stefan Kuntz, against Hungary.

As of 23 May 2021

Serra has an older brother (Nikola) and a younger brother (Petja), both of whom are also soccer players. His late father Ralf also used to play low-level soccer and worked for the Lower Saxony Football Association as a coach. Serra is of distant Sardinian descent.