Ezechiel Banzuzi shines at RB Leipzig amid growing midfield competition

Ezechiel Banzuzi has established himself as a regular in RB Leipzig’s midfield under head coach Martin Demichelis, starting all five of the club’s Bundesliga matches this season.

The 21-year-old capped his strong start by scoring his first competitive goal for Leipzig in the 6-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, finding the net after just 46 seconds. It came in his 35th appearance for the club.

“I had already missed several chances to score my first goal. But I stayed patient and kept believing in myself,” Banzuzi said, according to kicker.

His role has changed significantly under Demichelis. Last season, he started only twice in the Bundesliga and played 578 minutes in total. This term, he has already accumulated 403 minutes.

The coach values the 1.91-metre midfielder’s mix of physical presence and technical quality. Banzuzi has been preferred alongside Neil El Aynaoui, with Nicolas Seiwald waiting for opportunities.

Competition is set to increase after Rocco Reitz returned from a six-week injury layoff against Frankfurt, replacing Banzuzi in the 73rd minute.

Banzuzi also made his DR Congo debut against Uganda earlier this month after switching from the Netherlands.