Samed Yeşil (born 25 May 1994) is a professional footballer who plays for English club Liverpool as a striker.
Yeşil was born in Düsseldorf, but grew up in Krefeld. He started playing football in local club CFR Links, aged just six and then he played for BV 04 Düsseldorf. At age of eleven he was offered trial at Bayer 04 Leverkusen, which he accepted. In 2010 he reached the final of German Junior championship, which his team lost 0-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt. Next season he scored 22 goals in 24 matches for B-Junioren (U17/U16) and was moved one level up.
Yeşil scored 57 goals in 71 matches in the Bayer Leverkusen youth teams between 2010 and 2012. Yeşil made five appearances for the Leverkusen first team in his breakthrough year of 2012–13.
Liverpool signed Yeşil for a price believed to be £1 million on 30 August 2012 after attracting the attention of manager Brendan Rodgers, who moved quickly to secure the 18-year-old's signature.
Yeşil's first game for Liverpool was in an Under-21 match against Chelsea, with the Reds winning 4-1. Yeşil shortly after got his first call-up to the senior squad after being announced as a part of the squad that would play against BSC Young Boys of Switzerland. He was named as a substitute and was unused. On 26 September Yesil made his senior debut in the Football League Cup game against West Bromwich Albion. He also appeared in the fourth round tie against Swansea City, Liverpool succumbing to a 3-1 defeat.
On 7 December 2012 after coming back from injury, Yeşil scored his first goal in a Liverpool shirt with a half-volley lob over the goalkeeper to put Liverpool 3-1 up in a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace at The Academy in the U21's Professional Development League, after coming off the bench as a substitute. In February, after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament on international duty with Germany U19 team he was sidelined for rest of the season.
On 7 October 2013, Yeşil made his comeback as a substitute in a 5-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the U21 Premier League. He then again ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in training and was out of the season. Yeşil made his return from injury coming on as a substitute on 19 August 2014 in a U21 Premier League game against Sunderland. On 12 September 2014, Yesil scored his first goal since his return from injury in a 4-0 win over West Ham. After suffering further injury setbacks, he made his first start in 6 months against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on 17 April 2015, scoring twice as Liverpool U21s won 3-1.
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