As the player who officially brought St. Pauli’s wretched nine-match winning streak to a close, English striker Ricky Jade Jones is being celebrated by his Bundesliga club. The former Peterborough United professional finally made his long awaited Bundesliga debut in St. Pauli’s matchday 13 encounter with 1. FC Köln. It took the 23-year-old less than 30 minutes to score his first Bundesliga goal.
The highly touted summer signing was supposed to add some spice to the Bundesliga’s highly intriguing “top speedster” race. Last year, Bochum’s “speed demon” Gerrit Holtmann and Heidenheim “pace king” Sirlord Conteh took turns breaking the record as the fastest Bundesliga player ever clocked.
And Jones? The Englishman already holds the distinction of being the fastest player clocked in the world. Jones was clocked as moving at 37.6 km/hr during an English third division match in 2024. Unfortunately, Bundesliga enthusiasts haven’t gotten a chance to witness Jones enter the domestic race.
Offseason shoulder surgery sidelined Jones up until this point. A promising pre-season was cut short. Needless to say, all those associated with Hamburg’s Kiezkicker were overjoyed to have Jones back at their disposal. The attacker’s mere presence brings hope that the team’s recent suffering will come to an end.
“Ricky brought a dynamic and a different energy to the game,” sporting director Bornemann noted in the mixed zone. “changing the fact that the game appeared effectively over.“
“To suffer an injury like that after moving to a new country was tough on him,” St. Pauli captain Jackson Irvine – recently returned from injury himself – added. “He worked really hard on his comeback and then had to wait for a few more games. I’m really happy for Ricky.“
“We finally managed to stop the losing streak,” Jones himself added. “It gives us a good feeling for the upcoming games, in which we want more results. I’m overjoyed that I was able to help the team with my goal.”
At present, Bundesliga journalists are looking forward to watching Jones take a crack at Sirlord Conteh’s speed record.
