Born in Amberg, Bavaria, 21-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt defender Nathaniel Brown played in the youth teams of SSV Jahn Regensburg and 1. FC Nürnberg before joining Frankfurt in 2024 where he has scored three goals in eight matches so far this season, achievements that earned him the Bundesliga’s November 2024 Rookie of the Month award. Known for his versatility on the pitch, he combines defensive and attacking qualities in a variety of positions.
It took him a few weeks to settle in at Frankfurt, Brown admits, but the team made him feel welcome and he is really happy where he is now, he says, after getting his chances to demonstrate his capabilities. His breakthrough came in the Matchday 12 game against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 where he not only scored but was also involved in another three of his side’s four goals. “…it was the most fun I had had in a game in my short career so far,” was his comment afterwards.
In our interview Brown shares some key moments from his formative years, who were the most influential people in his development, and how he realised that professional football was what he really wanted to do. He recalls his first weeks at Eintracht and how he got used to the faster pace in the top league, and talks about his expectations for the rest of the season.
How was the Bundesliga break over Christmas and New Year for you?
“The break was nice. It was good to spend time with the family for several days, but we are all looking forward to finally being able to play in the Bundesliga again and picking up three points on the weekend.”
How were your first six months in the Bundesliga? It all started very modestly when you were not even registered as a player for the UEFA Europa League and then it turned out to be a crazy six months.
“There were lots of ups and downs, but when I look back it was a really good year. I moved here and I had a tough time at the start, but that’s all part of it. This difficult period will help me in life and towards the end of the year, I experienced a really nice time as well.”
What difficulties did you initially have in gaining a foothold at your new club Eintracht Frankfurt and in the Bundesliga?
“I felt very at home here from day one, even in the period when things weren’t really going my way. I moved here together with Can Uzun which helped me out, and the team really took me in, so I have found a few new friends here. However, I needed a bit of time to be able to show my best game on the pitch. I have got past this period now and I am quite proud of myself and now I am really happy.”
Are you more the reflective type in periods like this or do you simply fly through obstacles as you would on the pitch?
“Of course, I reflected on the bad news that came my way, but I had lots of chats with the coach, and he told me that it was not all down to me and that it was also down to the circumstances. He told me I just had to keep going and that I will definitely get my chance. When you hear this, at first, you always wonder whether you will actually get your chance, but I believed in it and the coach stuck to his word and gave me my chance. I am simply happy that I could make the most of this opportunity.”
How was that moment in the first Bundesliga match when your chance finally came?
“It was a tough game in Berlin, and we were down to 10 men. I was subbed on, and things went so quickly from then that I can hardly remember how I felt. I was just happy that we were able to hold onto a point and it was just a great feeling.”
There has already been a real highlight game for you. How was the away win in Heidenheim with your involvement in four goals?
“That game was a lot of fun and we all had a great day. We all played good football, and I said in the interview afterwards that it was the most fun I had had in a game in my short career so far. I hope that that continues because enjoyment is the most important thing in football, and I definitely want to keep this.”
How do you express the fun and joy of playing on a day like this?
“The confidence and self-belief just grows with every play. You just know that you can do it and when the team performs well, you perform better as an individual. This is what makes the difference.”
You play as a left-back or left wing-back, a position that is considered to be in short supply in Germany after Philipp Lahm. What makes this role so special?
“It’s a difficult position because you need to be strong in both attack and defence. I see myself in more of an attacking role, but I cannot neglect my defensive duties, and this is something I still need to work on. I think every position in football is tough and there are no easy positions, but left back is certainly difficult. A good winger must bring speed, but they also must be solid defensively because they often play against the best dribblers and wingers on the opposition. You must be strong in defence and quick in attack.”
Which opponents have particularly impressed you in the Bundesliga?
“He didn’t play directly against me, but when I shared the pitch with him I was really impressed with Stuttgart’s Enzo Millot. His movements were really good.”
How important is speed to you and how do you train this quality which you have over other players?
“To be honest, I was never one of the quickest in my youth. It was only from U19s that I noticed I had that in me. I keep training and doing my exercises, but it’s not really something you can learn because you either have speed or you don’t. Other players have things that I don’t have, but it’s certainly an advantage to have speed.”
Were there any key moments in your youth as a footballer?
“I also had a difficult period in my youth at U16 level when I didn’t play much and thought I might just go and spend time with my friends instead. But I stuck with it and at U17 and U19 levels, I noticed that I started playing more and realised that I wanted to go professional and that I could do it. I signed my first professional contract, but it still took around nine months until I made my debut. Once I was in, I didn’t want to leave any more, and I realised that this was what I wanted to do. It was not necessarily touch and go about whether I wanted to carry on when I was younger, but the motivation isn’t there when you’re not playing as a 16-year-old. Your friends are going out at the weekend, and you start thinking about what you’re doing here if you’re not playing. I am happy that I kept going because I don’t think I would be here otherwise.”
How does it feel to play for Eintracht Frankfurt?
“It’s an unbelievable feeling every time. When I walk onto the pitch and look at the fans to the right, it’s a feeling I have rarely experienced. The fans at Nürnberg were also really good, but when the stadium here is full, it’s really something else. It’s unbelievable.”
What was the biggest challenge for you in gaining a foothold in the Bundesliga?
“The first week I was here was difficult because I realised that everything is played at a quicker pace and is more physical. The mental aspect was the toughest because we were doing possession drills, and everything just went much quicker and the quality was so high. Of course, the quality in the second division is also there, but you really notice that you are playing at the highest level here. This was the mental challenge, but you get used to the tempo after two or three weeks. However, it’s still unbelievably quick when I play in the Bundesliga now and it’s physically very demanding, but I’m getting used to it.”
You suddenly had teammates and opponents that you previously only knew from the PlayStation or television. How did that feel?
“It was a strange feeling because I’m mad about football and I always watched the Bundesliga. I am on every football app, and I am a big fan, so it’s a strange feeling when you’re standing in front of someone who you have only otherwise seen on television. It’s a cool feeling. Unfortunately, I didn’t play against Bayern or Dortmund, but I was in the squad against Leverkusen, and it was cool to see players like Frimpong. On the Frankfurt side, of course I was impressed with Mario Götze, and Omar Marmoush’s development has also been incredible. Every player has quality and it’s great to be able to play with players like this.”
Who shaped and influenced you on your way to becoming a professional?
“I have only known the people here for a few months, but there were definitely a few of the older players at Nürnberg who influenced me, such as Enrico Valentini, Jannes Horn, and Jan Gyamerah. They are great lads and I chatted a lot to them because they are a bit older. In my youth, I didn’t just have one coach but several different ones, such as Andreas Wolf and Cristian Fiél, who is now at Hertha and who gave me my debut. Dino Toppmöller is also a great coach now. My parents are just proud of me, but they don’t really know much about football, which is good because when I go home, we don’t talk about it that much. My mum is just very proud of me and is happy when I get to play.”
What role did your family play in your path for becoming a footballer?
“There was no football tradition in our family, and I initiated it myself. I like this because when I go home, we talk a little about football, but it’s not the number one topic of conversation. This does me a lot of good because I am able to just switch off and don’t have to constantly talk about football with my friends. It was difficult to convince my mum in the beginning, but now she watches Bundesliga football even when I’m not there. She is now very interested in football, and even more so when I’m playing. When she’s at home with my little brother, they watch some games together.”
How do you assess the first half of the season, especially considering the small dip at the end of the year?
“We were a little bit unlucky, but I think it’s part of football because not every game can go how the previous games went. At the start of the season, all the luck was on our side, whereas the final game was just unfortunate. However, we shouldn’t talk down the first half of the season just because of one or two games, including the Leipzig game. We have had a great season so far and if someone had offered us that before the season, we would have gladly accepted.”
What sets Eintracht apart and what style of football do you want to play?
“We have become a proper team and it’s great fun to go into the dressing room because we all get on so well. We simply have a lot of quality and some really good players. We have different types of players, so we can react to anything, and that’s what makes us so dangerous. We play a lot on the counterattack because we have two very fast forwards, but we still want to have the ball. We want to play on the front foot and score as many goals as possible and concede as few as possible. It’s easy to say, but that is what we stand for.”
How is your relationship with the two top strikers, Marmoush and Ekitiké?
“I try to provide them with as many assists as possible. It depends on the individual how you can help them the best.”
Is it almost more important and emotional for a player like you to assist a goal than to score it yourself?
“I am always happy with an assist because it almost feels like a goal, but I have realised this season that scoring a goal is just something else entirely. Providing an assist is nice, but there is no better feeling than scoring a goal.”
What was it like to score your first Bundesliga goal?
“I just stood there and put the ball in the back of the net. I just celebrated and it’s so hard to explain. You are just so happy, and you see all your teammates coming towards you and they are happy for you too. I often can’t remember how I scored the goal and it’s just so difficult to describe this moment afterwards. Maybe it’s difficult for me because I don’t score that many goals, so the answer might be different if you ask a forward. It’s always an unbelievable moment for me.”
What are your expectations for the Bundesliga in 2025?
“We want to keep going in the same way as the first half of the season. We want to keep playing our attractive football, play on the front foot, and score goals to bring the fans onto our side. These are our main aims and then we will see what’s possible. We definitely want to play attractive football. The first game back is against St. Pauli, which will be a very tough game. I played against them with Nürnberg and although you can’t compare the two, we will want to be dominant from the first second. We want to show what Frankfurt is about and we want to win.”
What dreams and visions do you have in football?
“I want to play as high as possible. It’s difficult to say because I don’t look too far ahead, and I just concentrate on going from week to week and day to day. I will just work on myself and then we will see how far I can go.”
