One teammate even felt "ashamed"! Former BVB striker Youssoufa Moukoko rescues FC Copenhagen after a historically poor season

Youssoufa Moukoko secured European football for FC Copenhagen on the final day of the season, netting the decisive 2-1 goal against Brøndby in stoppage time with a five-metre backheel. 

Moukoko, normally reticent on social media, proudly shared the moment afterwards. In stoppage time he struck again to seal a 3-1 win and secure Copenhagen's spot in the second qualifying round of the Conference League. That scenario was possible only because of the quirks of Denmark's Superliga format, which may puzzle German fans. 

FCK had been having a disastrous season for a long time – and Moukoko, too, had been struggling to find his form. The club had started the campaign as reigning double winners, and expectations were even higher, thanks in part to the German striker, whose €5 million transfer fee immediately placed him third on the club's all-time most expensive signings list. 

Yet the campaign unravelled: after the main round, the twelve Superliga clubs are split into championship and relegation groups, and FCK's seventh-place finish meant they were relegated to the relegation pool for the first time, having won only eight of 22 matches. Moukoko featured in 18 of those matches, though his tally of three goals was very modest for a supposed top signing. 

"I know that's not my level," Moukoko told kicker last autumn, even as Danish tabloids had already labelled him a "flagrant mis-signing". Exactly what his level is, however, remains an open question for the striker. 

In his youth, Moukoko tore through BVB's youth ranks, convincing the Black and Yellows they had a future star. The step to senior football proved problematic: the speed advantage he once enjoyed vanished, and his once-reliable finishing touch now produces far fewer goals than it did against age-group opponents. "My body wasn't ready for the professional game yet," Moukoko explained, acknowledging the injuries that kept disrupting his progress. 

When fit, he was granted only brief cameos, and he could not displace established forwards such as Donyell Malen, Sébastien Haller, Karim Adeyemi, Niclas Füllkrug, Maximilian Beier or Serhou Guirassy. A loan move to Nice in 2024/25 was meant to provide more game time and rebuild his confidence, yet the experiment quickly faltered on the pitch. 

From early February until the end of the campaign he was completely sidelined, having failed to make any meaningful impact. "I was poor; you have to say that," he admitted. Surprisingly, though, Moukoko drew an extremely positive conclusion from his year on the Côte d'Azur: "Nice was the best thing that could have happened to me." He added that the experience taught him patience and helped him judge his performances more realistically. 

It soon became clear that Nice had no intention of signing the BVB loanee on a permanent basis. With no prospects in Dortmund either, Moukoko pushed for a move away. FC Copenhagen may not have been his dream club, but the Superliga's more modest level offered Moukoko a chance to rediscover his form—so the FCK hierarchy believed. 

When the going was tough, however, Moukoko was not solely to blame; the entire squad underperformed. "This is embarrassing and a black day for us," admitted Copenhagen boss Jacob Neestrup as the team slipped into the relegation play-offs. 

"I am deeply ashamed. This is hell," said Thomas Delaney, another former Dortmund man, putting it even more bluntly. Moukoko found himself in the eye of the storm, facing heavy criticism because of the expectations fuelled by his transfer fee – until, suddenly, he began to deliver. 

In the relegation play-offs, the 21-year-old scored six goals in six games, helping Copenhagen finish top of the table and comfortably avoid relegation. Although finishing seventh in the final table marked FCK's worst campaign in 26 years, winning the relegation play-offs meant the team still had a chance of European football – thanks to the Superliga format. In the subsequent play-off derby against Brøndby, Moukoko struck twice to secure the victory for his club. 

"I know I'm going to help this team," Moukoko had vowed back in autumn 2025, and he redeemed that promise in May. He remains under contract with FC Copenhagen until 2030; last winter's departure rumours are now history, just like his record as Germany's youngest World Cup player.