--- title: "Younes Ebnoutalib scores hat-trick at Union Berlin; comeback from knee injury fuels strong start" sdDatePublished: "2026-09-04T08:07:00Z" source: "https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/younes-ebnoutalib-interview-eintracht-frankfurt-childhood-dream-ronaldo-39014" topics: - name: "football" identifier: "medtop:20001065" - name: "human interest" identifier: "medtop:08000000" - name: "injury" identifier: "medtop:20000456" locations: - "Perugia" - "Berlin" - "Dortmund" - "Gießen" - "Hessen" - "Nador" - "Germany" - "Italy" - "Morocco" --- Younes Ebnoutalib scores hat-trick at Union Berlin; comeback from knee injury fuels strong start Eintracht Frankfurt's Younes Ebnoutalib: 'Matchday 1 hat-trick a childhood dream' | Bundesliga I agree that external content from JWPlayer will be shown to me. This enables personal data to be transmitted to JWPlayer and cookies to be set by JWPlayer . You can find out more about this in JWPlayer 's privacy statement | Edit cookie settings Eintracht Frankfurt's Younes Ebnoutalib: 'Matchday 1 hat-trick a childhood dream' Most players would bite your hand off to score a hat-trick on the opening weekend of a Bundesliga season, but for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Younes Ebnoutalib, his Matchday 1 treble at Union Berlin was particularly sweet. Frankfurt native Ebnoutalib had not scored in the league for his hometown club since his full debut at Borussia Dortmund in January 2026. Just four days later, the 22-year-old suffered a knee ligament injury which would restrict him to just three more cameo appearances before the end of the 2025 With a full pre-season now under his belt, the former Elversberg striker is eager to make up for lost time, as he told the Bundesliga this week… Bundesliga: Younes, despite scoring three goals against Union Berlin , their stoppage-time equaliser must have put a dampener on things. How do you reflect on that opening-day draw? Younes Ebnoutalib: “It’s definitely a great feeling to score three goals for your hometown club. As a striker, when you hit the ground running like that, it’s really nice and also good for me mentally. In the end, though, it was a bit of a shame that we didn’t get the three points.” Watch: Ebnoutalib’s Matchday 1 hat-trick Bundesliga: Did scoring those three goals fulfil something of a childhood dream? Ebnoutalib: “Yes, absolutely. I was very, very happy about it, but I can’t afford to rest on my laurels.” Bundesliga: You’ve come back from a lengthy injury lay-off. Did you ever believe you would mark your comeback in such spectacular fashion? Ebnoutalib: “Absolutely. Injuries are always difficult to deal with mentally. You just have to fight your way back, and then the hard work pays off. Like I said, you have a little dream when you score one goal. When you score two goals, you start dreaming a little bit [more].” Bundesliga: How much does it mean to play for your home city in the Bundesliga? Ebnoutalib: “It means a great deal to me. I’m very, very grateful that I got the chance to play for my home city. I don’t think there’s anything better, really. I’m back home here, I live with my family and all my friends are here. I think every boy dreams about playing for his own city. “When I drive home now and pass certain places, I can remember where I used to play football when I was little, or I pass football pitches where I used to train when I was younger. And as for the fans - it doesn’t need mentioning, but they’re world-class.” Bundesliga: You grew up in the north-west of Frankfurt, a multicultural area with significant social challenges. How did growing up there shape you? Ebnoutalib: “I had a very, very nice childhood. I spent a lot of time playing football with my friends and playing all kinds of things around my neighbourhood. We often played ’Oldies vs. Youngsters’. That’s how I learnt to assert myself against older players. It was a great time.” Bundesliga: Who were your Eintracht Frankfurt idols growing up? Ebnoutalib: “I went to watch training quite often. I have a photo with Kevin Trapp and a few other players. That was really cool. I mainly looked up to Kevin, even though he was a goalkeeper and had nothing to do with my position. But if I saw him or Timmy [Chandler] , it was like, ‘Wow.’” Watch: The top 5 saves from Ebnoutablib's Frankfurt idol Trapp Bundesliga: You took something of a scenic route to the Bundesliga. How do you look back on that journey? Ebnoutalib: “I had a lot of detours. I went to Italy [with Perugia] because I simply wanted to try playing abroad and see what it was like there. When I got there, it was a very difficult time. It didn’t really help me progress as a footballer either, but I learned a lot from it.” Bundesliga: From Gießen in the Regionalliga, you went on to make your Bundesliga 2 breakthrough with Elversberg within a year. What makes the newly promoted Bundesliga side so special? Ebnoutalib: “I really enjoyed my time at Elversberg. They always told me, ‘Don’t put yourself under pressure. Just work hard and it’ll come.’ They gave me a lot of confidence and talked to me a lot, and I still have a very good relationship with them today. It’s like a family there. “It’s difficult to say exactly what the secret to Elversberg’s success is, but I’d say they give you a lot of confidence. That’s why I developed so well there. I didn’t really feel much pressure. I felt very welcome.” Bundesliga: How big an influence did your father, who once won Olympic silver in taekwondo, have on your career? Ebnoutalib: “My biggest role models were always him and [Cristiano] Ronaldo. My father was a monster in terms of training. That’s something I picked up from him. I was good at taekwondo - very good, I’d say. But I pursued football because I enjoyed it more when I was young.” Bundesliga: What relationship do you have with your parents’ home country, Morocco? Ebnoutalib: “We often drove there when we were younger. I was also there on holiday recently and spent part of my pre-season there. I’d say I have a very, very close connection to Morocco. “I’m from Nador, or rather my father is from Nador, so that’s why we were always there. It’s a smaller town. I like the people there. They’re always kind and welcoming. They really worship you if you’ve achieved something for Morocco. It’s a really cool country.” Recommended editorial content from JWPlayer At this point you will find external content from JWPlayer that complements the article. You can show it with a click and hide it again. Watch: Kevin Trapp's top five saves Ebnoutalib treble but Eagles held Ebnoutalib to Frankfurt voted winter's best transfer Frankfurt and Dortmund share spoils in six-goal thriller