Baum's Journey: From Tanzania to Bundesliga Star
She was four when her life moved continents. Born in Tanzania to a German father and a Tanzanian mother, Baum left East Africa for northern Germany with a ball already at her feet and a shadow already at her back.
Her older brother, Dennis, had been the first to feed that obsession. He never saw where it would take her. He died in a car accident at 17, a loss that still shapes every game she plays. His initials are stitched on her boots, his name and a quote taped to her wrist. A ritual, a reminder, a promise. Every sprint, every tackle, every shot is shared.
From village pitches to HSV
Once in Germany, the journey began in modest surroundings. MTV Ahrensbök first, then TSV Pansdorf, where she was the only girl in the team. She stayed anyway. She competed, she dribbled, she annoyed defenders who did not expect to be embarrassed by a teenager.
Hamburg soon took notice. HSV’s academy brought structure to the raw talent, and by August 2022, when most 15-year-olds are worrying about school, Baum was signing a first-team contract that tied her to the club until 2025. On paper, at least.
Those three years would change both player and club. Her first season ended with promotion to the second tier. The next step was even bigger: Hamburg back in the Frauen-Bundesliga for the first time since 2012, and a run to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal in the same year. For a teenager, she carried a heavy share of that load and never looked weighed down.
While she climbed at club level, she was racing ahead in the national setup too. Under-16s at 14. Under-17s at 15. All five games at the U20 World Cup at 17, as Germany reached the quarter-finals. Now, at 19, she is already a regular with the U23s, playing above her age group as if that is simply where she belongs.
A bold move to Leipzig
When her HSV deal ran out, the market knew exactly who she was. Bayern Munich, the club she loved as a child, wanted her. So did others. According to kicker, she could have followed the well-trodden path to Munich’s superclub comfort.
She chose disruption instead.
Baum joined RB Leipzig on a free transfer, talking about needing “a fresh start” after four years in Hamburg and being drawn to the club’s ambition. Leipzig had only just arrived in the Bundesliga in 2023. No dynasty, no guarantee of trophies, no star-studded safety net. But there was something else: minutes.
In a squad still finding its feet in the top flight, she played. A lot. Only three players logged more league minutes than the teenager last season. Leipzig finished 10th in a 14-team league, yet Baum still emerged as joint-top scorer in the Bundesliga for the club, with six goals and two assists in 23 starts.
The numbers matter, but the manner mattered more. Defenders quickly learned what was coming and still struggled to stop it.
A winger who refuses to wait
Baum stands out because she refuses to play safe. Give her the ball and she drives, always looking to push the game forward, always testing the full-back in front of her. She is quick, but it is the combination of speed, close control and daring that unsettles opponents.
She can go either way. That two-footedness makes her unpredictable: cut inside to shoot, or burst down the line and find space for a cross. For a 19-year-old, her decision-making is already sharp. Not flawless, but advanced enough that she finished joint-seventh for chances created in the Bundesliga last season, playing for a team that spent the campaign in the bottom half.
Her own goal threat is growing fast. She hits the ball viciously from range, especially with her left foot, and times her runs into the box with a striker’s instinct. Out of possession, she works. She presses with intensity, covers ground, and brings energy to the first line of defence. Coaches love that in a young forward: talent tied to effort.
Marwin Bolz, her coach at Hamburg, once described her as “determined to improve,” not only technically but physically and mentally. Those who have watched her up close echo the same theme: she does not stand still.
Rough edges with room to grow
Of course, she is not the finished article. Her pressing, while enthusiastic, still needs refinement. When to jump, when to hold, how to press without leaving gaps behind her – those are details that come with time and top-level coaching.
The same applies to her use of the ball. She is naturally direct, almost hard-wired to attack space and go at defenders. Learning when to slow the game, recycle possession and help build more patiently is the next step. In Leipzig’s more transitional environment, the urge to “go for it” made sense. In a dominant side, the rhythm will be different.
There are games where she drifts, too. Phases when she disappears from the action and then suddenly reappears with a burst of chaos. That inconsistency is normal at 19, particularly after just one season in a top division. Adjusting to the physicality of the elite level will also take time, but she has the frame and agility to grow into it.
Watch her and certain comparisons come to mind. The sharp close control and relentless dribbling bring shades of Kerolin, the Manchester City star, especially in the way both can line up across the front line and always look to make something happen. When Baum cuts inside and lashes one from distance, there is a hint of Salma Paralluelo, too, the Barcelona forward who punished Lyon in the Champions League final. Baum, though, feels more like a classic wide player than Paralluelo, who often operates as a central striker.
Europe’s elite form an orderly queue
One season in the Bundesliga has been enough to light up the radar of Europe’s giants. Bayern are back in for her. Barcelona, the reigning European champions and a team she has openly said she enjoys watching, are interested. Lyon, beaten by Barça in that Champions League final, are in the conversation as well. Manchester United and London City see an opportunity, too, with the promise of heavy minutes from day one.
Bild, though, reports that Arsenal currently lead the race.
The Gunners have just waved goodbye to several players, with England international Beth Mead among the most high-profile departures as she heads to Manchester City. That leaves head coach Renee Slegers needing width and end product. In Baum, she sees a profile that fits: direct, quick, creative, and hungry.
Arsenal’s recent history with young signings has been mixed. Talents like Kathrine Kuhl, Rosa Kafaji and Gio Queiroz arrived with high expectations but struggled for sustained first-team roles. Under Slegers, appointed permanently in January last year, there are signs of a shift. Smilla Holmberg’s progress this season suggests a clearer pathway and more trust in emerging players.
From a squad-building perspective, the fit is obvious. Slegers likes to rotate her wide players, both between games and within them. She often switches wingers around the hour mark, tailoring her choices to the demands of each match. For Baum, that could mean controlled exposure to the Women’s Super League – enough minutes to grow, not so many that she is overwhelmed.
Yet nothing is signed. Barcelona, Lyon, Bayern: all three know how to develop young talent and can offer Champions League football and a winning environment. London City or Manchester United might counter with a simpler pitch – come here, play every week, be our main weapon.
A big decision for a grounded talent
The choice now lies with Baum and those closest to her. It is a defining fork in the road, but she does not sound like someone chasing headlines.
“My goal isn’t to be a star, I mainly want to be happy with what I do,” she told Die Welt earlier this year. In the same interview, she dismissed the idea of targeting next summer’s senior World Cup, pointing instead to the home European Championship in 2029 as her long-term aim.
That is Baum in a sentence: long view, clear head, big talent.
One season in the Bundesliga has put her on the brink of a major move. The question is no longer whether she will reach the top. It is where she chooses to start that climb.
