Vitaly Janelt joined the RB Leipzig academy in 2014, at the age of 16, having started his journey to becoming a professional footballer at his hometown club Hamburg for four years prior.

After a handful of appearances for RB Leipzig II, the midfielder joined 2 Bundesliga side Bochum, first on loan for 2016/17 and 2017/18, then permanently for the next two seasons.

“That was tough for me, it was hard to get consistency,” he said in the Long Read in late 2023. “But, to be honest, I wasn’t performing at my best and I wasn’t consistent enough back then. I just needed another chance to do something. I needed a new beginning.”

That new beginning came at Brentford in October 2020. He adapted to English football far quicker than expected and was almost ever-present in the Bees’ promotion-winning season.

In the play-off semi-final second leg against Bournemouth, he scored with a long-range strike that seemed to hang in the air forever, which helped secure safe passage to the, ultimately successful, play-off final at Wembley.

Eight days later, he had another medal around his neck, having been part of Germany Under-21s Euro 2021-winning squad in Slovenia.

Over the course of the next two seasons, he proved himself to be a keystone for Brentford - and signed a fresh four-year deal at the start of April 2022.

Rarely injured, he showed his ability to not only work tirelessly in the middle of the park, but his willingness to fill in at left-back, right-back or in the centre of defence when called upon - and to perform well in such situations.

In 2023/24, Janelt played in every single one of Brentford’s league games - again, sometimes away from defensive midfield - which helped him become the first Bees player in history to reach 100 Premier League games for the club.

He also won the club’s Players’ Player of the Season award that term.