ALEXANDER “Zander” Bicknell recently signed with the Fortuna Köln Under-17 football team in Germany.

Bicknell, 16, has been at boarding school in Germany since he was 14, and has played for Bonner SC U-16s and U-17s in Bonn.

The hard-working player, who trains almost daily and usually plays two matches per week, scored in his last friendly match before making the switch to Fortuna Köln.

He has hit the ground running at his new club which he said has made him feel welcome from day one.

“I’ve really been enjoying it a lot with my new club and I hope to keep striving as I move forward. The coaches and players have been very welcoming,” Bicknell said.

He is delighted that the hard work he has put in is paying off.

“I have worked extremely hard to get on a Bundesliga U-17 team and I will continue to work overtime to accomplish my dreams, step by step.

“My main goal is to make it to a team in one of the top five European leagues and then see how far I will go after that. I believe I am on the right path at the moment,” he said.

Bicknell is a former member of Phoenix Academy and has been allowed to train with Waterhouse football team in Jamaica while on holidays from boarding school.

The young Bicknell thanked some of the coaches who have been instrumental in his development in the sport so far.

“My coaches have been so important to my development. Craig Butler of Phoenix Academy who spent years developing my game, Filip at Bonner SC, Marcel Gayle at Waterhouse, Emil Pollman who has spent endless hours helping me in Germany, and my current coach Philipp Kaß at Fortuna Köln.”

Bicknell, who played a few games in the recently concluded Manning Cup schoolboy football competition for Mona High, is eyeing moving up in the teams at Fortuna Köln, with playing in the Bundesliga fully in his focus.

“I don’t like to predict my future but my goal is to move up to the U-19 team and then the first team in the near future,” he said.

Alexander has two older brothers, Jacob and Blaise, who represent Jamaica in tennis.

— Dwayne Richards