Almugera Kabar: Dortmund’s Emerging Left Back Wonderkid
Borussia Dortmund are known for many things, such as the Yellow Wall and the fact that they are one of several German clubs that sees You’ll Never Walk Alone sung before kick-off in matches at the Westfalenstadion.
They are also well-known as being a team that regularly works hard to develop young players and turn them into superstars. The likes of Jude Bellingham, Mario Götze and Marco Reus all played for the club as youngsters before going on to become household names in their own right, known by football fans everywhere.
Even when it feels as though things aren’t quite right for Der BVB, there are still more than a couple of decent young players who give the supporters something to get behind and get excited about.
The current squad is no exception, with a few names unknown to all but the most passionate of Dortmund fans right now, yet names that are likely to be setting European football alight in the coming years.
Almugera Kabar is one such name, with the German-born left-back looking to tie down what has been a problem position in the past.
Who is Almugera Kabar?
Almugera Raouf Mohammed Kabar was born in the German city of Bremen on the sixth of February 2006. A player of Libyan descent, he entered the SV Hüsten 09 Academy as a youngster and made his way through the ranks, impressing those that saw him play at virtually every level.
As a result, he was signed by the Hammer SpVg Academy in 2016, who worked to continue his development and get him ready for a move to a bigger club, as well as a possible international career with either Germany or Libya, depending on his preference.
🚨 Big news from Borussia Dortmund! 🚨
Almugera Kabar, the young left-back eyed by AC Milan, commits his future to BVB until 2028! 🟡⚫️
Is he the next big star from Dortmund’s academy? 🌟#BorussiaDortmund #AlmugeraKabar pic.twitter.com/RR9dkLAxD8
— Transfer Site (@TransferSite) February 20, 2025
In the summer of 2019, Borussia Dortmund moved to add him to the list of talented youngsters who are part of the club’s Academy. He once again impressed at the youth level, meaning that in 2021 he was selected to be part of the Germany Under-16s side, playing nine games and scoring three goals before being moved up to the Under-17s the following year.
He has impressed in every age group for Germany through to the Under-19s, making five appearances for them in 2024 and likely to make more in higher age groups.
Part of the Next Generation of Talent
In the October of 2023, the Guardian produced an article that looked at the top 60 players who had been born in 2006. Names such as Jon Martín at Real Sociedad and Lucas Bergvall, who was playing for the Swedish side Djurgården at the time but has since moved to Tottenham Hotspur, were on the list.
Also on it was Almugera Kabar, making it thanks to his performances for the Germany Under-17s side during the European Under-17 Championship that had been played in the June of that year and which Germany won.
@bvb.talente Almugera Kabar (🇩🇪’06) in the U17 World Cup. #BVB #BVBU19 @almu_ka ♬ Big John is king – LL8
It is perhaps the case that Dortmund supporters have grown so used to the club producing incredible talent that Kabar’s name appearing in the Guardian’s list wasn’t all that surprising, but it shows the extent to which he is valued both inside and outside of Germany.
The left-back may well find his services being requested by clubs other than Der BVB if his development continues at the same pace, given the fact that left-back is one of the toughest positions to find a decent player for at most clubs around the world.
Breaking Through at Dortmund
A big part of the reason why Borussia Dortmund are so good at getting so many players to sign on at their Academy is that they are happy to offer youngsters a path through into the first team.
There is an argument that Kabar is a really good example of that, having been given a huge boost in confidence in the summer of 2024 when Der BVB chose to forgo the chance to sign a new left-back in favour of promoting the player from the Academy. The club’s Sporting Director, Lars Ricken, referred to it as a ‘brave decision’.
Kick-off in Dortmund delayed by 15mins due to traffic around the Westfalenstadion, which it would appear the Bayer Leverkusen ultras have been caught up in.
15 extra mins for Yannik Lührs (21) and Almugera Kabar (18) to prepare for their debuts at the centre of BVB‘s decimated defence.
— Matt Ford (@matt4d.bsky.social) 10 January 2025 at 19:26
The fact that he stands at six foot one suggests that he’s already prepared for the physical demands of life in the German top-flight, whilst his position as the captain of the Dortmund Under-19 side means that he has the mental maturity to go with it.
Such is the extent to which he is respected within the ranks at the Westfalenstadion that he was given a new contract on the fourth of May 2023 that keeps him tied down until 2026. He has already made several first team appearances.
