Lukas Nmecha

Manchester City

During a football tournament at his primary school team in Wythenshawe, he was scouted by Manchester City, where he played for their youth ranks for over a decade, before making his debut on 19 December 2017 in the EFL Cup. On his debut he scored the third penalty for Manchester City in their penalty shootout win over Leicester City. He made his Premier League debut on 29 April 2018, as a late substitute for Gabriel Jesus against West Ham United at the London Stadium. He was involved in several games during Manchester City's first team squad for the 2018–19 pre season tour in the U.S. to compete in the 2018 International Champions Cup. He scored his first goal at first team level on 29 July 2018 in the pre season friendly against Bayern Munich in a 3–2 win.

Preston North End (loan)

Nmecha was loaned to EFL Championship club Preston North End for the 2018–19 season on 9 August 2018, and made his debut for the club two days later, starting in a 1–0 defeat away to Swansea City. Nmecha would later describe it as a "horrible game" and a "shock" as he had "never received so many long balls before in my life". It took until his 23rd appearance for the club, a 1–1 draw with Aston Villa to score his first goal for the club, with Nmecha admitting it "probably should have come before now", though he got his second goal in the following match, a 2–1 defeat to Rotherham United. In total, he scored 4 times in 25 starts and 19 substitute appearances…

Born in Hamburg to a German mother and a Nigerian father, but raised in England, Nmecha was eligible to play for Nigeria, Germany and England.

England

In October 2014, Nmecha scored for the England Under-17 team in a qualifier against Macedonia. Nmecha was included in the England under-19 squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He scored the only goal of the game in the semi-final against the Czech Republic and also scored the winner in the final against Portugal. On 18 May 2018, Nmecha received a call up to the England U21 team by manager Aidy Boothroyd, for the Toulon Tournament. On 9 June 2018, he came on as a substitute in the 2018 Toulon Tournament final as England defeated Mexico to retain the title. In November 2018, he scored for the England Under-20 team against Germany.

Germany

In March 2019, Nmecha declared for Germany and was included in their U21 squad for the first time. He made his debut as a 59th minute substitute during the 2–1 victory over England at Bournemouth on 26 March 2019. On 6 June 2021, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Portugal in the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Final, and finished the competition as top scorer with four goals. Nmecha made his debut for the senior national team on 11 November 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein.

Nmecha's main position is as a centre forward, though he has also played as a winger on either side. He is 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall and noted for his strength and his hold-up play, with Nmecha liking to drop deep to link play. He is often thought of as an all-round striker, with Kevin Schwank of Bild claiming in 2022 that "in Germany everyone raves about Lukas because he is a complete striker", and German national team teammate Thomas Müller claiming that Nmecha "is a player who comes very close to the ideal striker". His style of play has therefore been compared to that of Mario Gómez. He has also been praised for his finishing ability, with his former manager at Middlesbrough, Jonathan Woodgate, claiming that Nmecha was "one of the best finishers I’ve played with or managed".

The son of a German mother and an Igbo Nigerian father, Nmecha – and his younger brother Felix – were born in Hamburg but moved to England with their family in 2007. After honing their skills in the Hamburg borough of Altona, the switch to Manchester brought the young Nmechas to the attention of Premier League team Manchester City. Both went on to join the club's academy.