Moritz Nicolas: From the loan to the Gladbacher tram goalkeeper!

Moritz Nicolas: From the loan to the Gladbacher tram goalkeeper!

Moritz Nicolas established itself in the current season of the Bundesliga as an indispensable regular goalkeeper by Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 27-year-old, who was born on October 21, 1997 in Gladbeck, switched to the U23 of the club in 2015 and, after several borrowings, rose to Union Berlin, VfL Osnabrück, Viktoria Cologne and Roda Kerkrade. His return in the summer of 2023 fell in terms of the injury -related downtime of his predecessor Jonas Omlin, who failed for large parts of the season due to a shoulder injury.

After returning, Nicolas managed to overtake Omlin in the goalkeeper hierarchy. Since Omlin's further injury in September 2024, coach Gerardo Seoane has had no concerns to create Nicolas as a permanent goalkeeper. Responsibility and the season seem to do him well; In the previous 18 games of the season, he impressively led his team to victory.

outstanding services

Nicolas' services on the pitch speak for themselves. His idea in the game against Hoffenheim, which ended 2-1 for Gladbach on December 21, 2024, was particularly remarkable. He also shone with strong parades in the duel against Bayern Munich on January 11, which was lost 0-1. His impressive game against Eintracht Frankfurt confirmed his class again. Even if the match ended 1-1 on February 8, 2025, Nicolas showed excellent reflexes and contributed decisively to the division of points.

The discussion about a possible nomination for the German national team increases in intensity. There are currently some uncertainties in the goal for national coach Julian Nagelsmann, since Marc-André Ter Stegen is not constant due to repeated injuries. Nicolas could thus be an interesting option, especially in view of its parade quota of 73.1 percent, which positions him in fourth place in the Bundesliga.

statistics and successes

At first glance, his individual statistics also convince: Nicolas has so far posted 894 ball contacts, which brings him eighth in the league. In addition, he has a remarkable pass rate of 91.6 percent in his own half (fifth place) and the second best pass rate for passports in the opposing half with 47.1 percent. However, a small drop of bitterness remains, because the balance sheet for penalty parades is still expandable - this season he has not parried any of five attempted penalty.

A total of Nicolas has played 46 games in the Bundesliga so far, 45 of them with Borussia Mönchengladbach, and achieved 14 wins. His development from the young player to one of the most important players in the Bundesliga shows not only his physical, but also his mental strength and reliability.