First VfB, then France? The unexpected explosion in performance of Enzo Millot By Emmanuel Schneider, Stuttgart October 2nd, 2024, 5:44 p.m. For TV expert Didi Hamann, he is currently “probably the best” player in the Bundesliga: Enzo Millot’s doors are open at VfB Stuttgart and in Europe open. Also soon in the French national team? Anything but an exaggeration: Enzo Millot is in the form of his life. All you need is a quick look at the last two weeks of football. At the Santiago Bernabéu he drove VfB Stuttgart to a brilliant first half. There he made the Real stars sweat a lot. Five days later, in the 5-1 win against Borussia Dortmund, he tricked several BVB defenders into two scenes. Especially before the 4-1 win, the Frenchman Nico Schlotterbeck and Co. danced so hard on the edge of the touchline that he actually sent in an application for “Let’s Dance”. One-two-step, two assists, one goal. Bow. Exit. A week later against Wolfsburg, he initially missed a penalty, but put in the follow-up. It is his third goal in the young season and he has two assists. And this Tuesday evening against Sparta Prague, the 22-year-old is one of the best, perhaps the best Stuttgart player on the pitch. In the first Champions League home game in 14 years, he headed in a cross from Maximilian Mittelstädt in the 7th minute. The Frenchman is already scoring with this part of his body. After the game against BVB, Deniz Undav joked in the mixed zone that this was absolutely not his teammate’s strength. Sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth praised him after the draw against Prague: “He scores a header goal, he doesn’t do that very often and is extraordinary.” In addition to a dream pass to Undav, Millot also had the chance to make it 2-1 and was named player of the game. Even Hamann raves Sky expert Didi Hamann already counts Millot as one of the best players in the league. The offensive player is currently at the forefront. “The boy is probably the best player in the Bundesliga at the moment. He didn’t have any vacation, he was at the Olympics. He played a great season last year and now he’s playing the football he plays here,” enthused the ex-Bayern player. Pro last week. When asked about this superlative, sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth said on Tuesday: “He is currently doing very, very well. Today again, he was player of the game. He is a very good Bundesliga player.” The Frenchman’s development at VfB is actually impressive. Even to this extent, it was not necessarily foreseeable. Millot took his first steps at AS Monaco, where he also celebrated his professional debut in Ligue 1. But it was only at VfB Stuttgart that he made his real breakthrough. In the summer of 2021 he moved from the Côte d’Azur to the Neckar. The development in Swabia was by no means linear. Under firefighter Bruno Labbadia he was even completely left out at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. The worlds of the sometimes headstrong Frenchman and the tough trainer dog Labbadia collided in the relegation battle, both rattling against each other. Labbadia ordered the first running sessions early in the morning, which was met with little enthusiasm. Millot hardly saw any playing time and ended up partially in the stands. Labbadia’s quote is almost legendary: “The training performance at the moment doesn’t match what we need.” Strange from today’s perspective. The rest is history: The Labbadia project failed and under his successor Sebastian Hoeneß, Millot’s star really rose. Significant: Millot scored the decisive goal on Hoeneß’s debut (in the cup against Nuremberg). The reasons for the rapid development? Hoeneß’ offensive playing system brings out the midfielder’s abilities. “The fact that Sebastian Hoeneß took over as head coach at VfB with his playing philosophy certainly suited me. I was able to gain more and more playing time and play many games in a row. That helped me with my development,” Millot told the VfB stadium magazine. The successful relegation in 2023 against HSV was also crucial. “As a team, we mastered a great pressure situation and managed to stay in the league. That gave us all a lot of strength, including me personally.””Extraordinary qualities” Millot often (not always) repaid the new freedom and trust. Dan-Axel Zagadou and Serhou Guirassy also looked after their young colleague as big brothers. The ego should be tamed somewhat. Since then, the midfielder has shone with his technique and ball handling. He’s a real gambler. Teammate Deniz Undav also sees it that way. “He is one of our best players, technically very, very good. He is an outstanding kicker,” said the double goalscorer after the 5-1 gala against BVB to sport.de, among others . “I think he has taken another step forward compared to the previous season. He has shown that since the first matchday. He is one of the best players in terms of performance, from the first matchday to the current matchday. I hope he can carry on doing this.” Millot is “safe on the ball, always has a good idea, always wants to gamble.” Coach Hoeneß also emphasized how important Millot was in working against the ball. In addition to the offensive half lane and the center, he can also play on the six behind. “The boy is blessed with extraordinary qualities, really unbelievable,” said Hoeneß about the unleashed Millot. This season, Millot seems even more stable than before. It seems as if he has taken the next step. “I’ve been playing a bit more offensively lately, that could be a reason. We’re also relatively variable and courageous in our attacking game, the processes are getting better and better,” said Millot, assessing his development in the new season in the club magazine. The next million-dollar transfer? That is also noticed in his homeland. He was allowed to compete for the French junior team at the Olympics in the summer. In the quarter-finals he did receive an unnecessary red card in a heck of a match with the Argentinians after the final whistle. The kick-off from coach and idol Thierry Henry worked. In the final against Spain, Millot was allowed to play – and scored. But it wasn’t enough for victory. Nevertheless: The youngster proudly brought his silver medal to Mercedesstrasse, immediately started training again and was already in the starting line-up in the Supercup against Bayer Leverkusen, scoring a remarkable 1-1 equalizer. He was recently even appointed captain of the U21 by former world and European champion Henry. And who knows: if Millot continues to perform in the league and the Champions League, which is also being followed closely in France, the next step would be to the A -Team actually only logical. Didier Deschamps has incredible prominence and quality as competition there. PSG stars Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola as well as Bayern signing Michael Olise are just a few of them. However: Atletico star Antoine Griezmann recently announced his departure from the national team, also to make room for the new generation. Millot can confidently count himself among them. It remains to be seen whether he will find a place in the squad or even the starting eleven for the title contender for the 2026 World Cup. But no one should be surprised if Millot gets his chance. VfB transferred almost two million euros to Monaco in 2021. It has now catapulted its market value to over 30 million euros. In the coming years he will probably be VfB Stuttgart’s next multi-million transfer. At the beginning of the year he extended his contract until 2028. However: According to media reports, there is an exit clause that is said to be between 25 and 30 million euros. Millot could almost become a bargain for top German or European clubs. In the present, however, he wants to continue to cause a sensation with VfB in the league and the Champions League and get his first win in the premier class. He has one game in particular firmly in his sights. After the draw for the league phase, Millot cheered loudest for one team: Paris St. Germain. The team with the greatest appeal in its homeland. PSG travels to Stuttgart in January. They will be warned about Millot. Many French fans will be watching. Best stage for self-promotion for national coach Didier Deschamps.
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First VfB, then France?: Enzo Millot’s unexpected explosion in performance
