Mika Biereth: Monaco's Hybrid of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane

Before he departed from Sturm Graz, Biereth had been in excellent form, recording at least one goal contribution in his last five matches across all competitions.

The 21-year-old tallied five goals and three assists during that span, carrying that momentum into his first three appearances with Monaco. Although Biereth is having an outstanding 2024-25 season, his professional career didn’t start that way.

Biereth, born in London, England, developed through Arsenal's youth system but never made a first-team appearance despite being on the bench four times as an unused substitute during the 2021–22 season.

In 2022, he departed the Gunners and embarked on a series of loan spells with RKC Waalwijk, Motherwell, and Sturm Graz. It was at Sturm Graz that Biereth finally settled, finding a permanent home and starting to thrive.

The Erling Haaland and Harry Kane comparison

He made a total of 47 appearances during his time with Die Schwoazn, scoring 23 goals and registering nine assists. Biereth scored against a Ligue 1 McDonald's club just before joining Monaco, finding the net in a 3-2 loss to LOSC Lille while playing for Sturm Graz.

The Monaco standout gained his goal-scoring confidence in 2024, and in an interview with The iPaper last March, he shared the two world-class players he often compares himself to: Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane.

“Like Haaland, all I really care about is scoring goals. If you’d offer me two touches of the ball and two goals I’d take that. For me, it’s all about scoring goals.”

“[But] there are different aspects of the game when scoring goals isn’t possible when the ball is deep so then it’s about combining, linking the play, holding the ball up like Kane does. Those are the two different variables on the pitch.”

Despite his short time at Sturm Graz, Biereth felt it was the right moment to take the next step in his career, which is why he eagerly seized the chance to join Monaco.

"I think my career at Graz was good and it was time for me to take a new step. AS Monaco has great ambitions, and as soon as I heard about the club’s interest in me, I immediately wanted to come and that was all I had in mind! I want to continue the legacy of the strikers who have played here."

Monaco have been home to some top goal-scorers over the years, including Radamel Falcao, George Weah, and Kylian Mbappé. Now, Biereth will aim to make his mark as the next player to impress at Stade Louis II.

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