Not so long ago, Bradley Fink had stars in his eyes in more ways than one when he awoke each morning.
Signed by Borussia Dortmund in 2019 on the same day Giovanni Reyna put pen to paper, the forward’s early days saw him rub shoulders with Mats Hummels, who’d just returned to the club from Bayern Munich.
Jadon Sancho was already established in the first-team. Midway through Fink’s first season, Erling Haaland signed from RB Salzburg. Then, six months later, Jude Bellingham arrived from Birmingham City.
Having moved to Signal Iduna Park from Luzern as a 16-year-old, the Swiss never attempted to hide his light under a bushel.
‘It was my dream to run out at Luzern’s home stadium, but I think my chances of becoming professional are higher at Dortmund than they were at Luzern,’ he said.
‘My dream has now changed. My goal is to play for Dortmund in front of 80,000 spectators.’
Back then, Fink’s stated ambition looked eminently achievable. Having moved to Luzern from local side SC Cham as a nine-year-old, his scoring exploits at youth level were nothing short of ridiculous.
Bradley Fink scores in Dundee’s victory over Motherwell in the Premiership last month
Fink strikes the post in the same game against the Steelmen
He managed 40 goals in 21 games for Luzern at under-16 level – a return which, unsurprisingly, helped his team win the double.
With seven goals in as many matches for Switzerland under-17s, he was one of the rising stars for his nation at that age group. When Puma shot a new advert for a range of trainers, he was the first name on the invitation list.
Before putting a three-year contract in front of him, Dortmund apparently scouted him 15 times. They were not alone.
‘We had inquiries from 16 other clubs,’ said the player’s father Thomas.
Signing for just £166,000 in compensation, Fink made short work of justifying Dortmund’s faith in him.
His debut season with the second team was a runaway success, 12 goals and four assists registered in 18 games, making him the league’s third highest scorer. He also made his debut for the under-19s in a UEFA Youth League game against Barcelona.
‘He is on the right track,’ noted Sebastian Geppert, Fink’s youth coach at the time.
‘He is technically savvy, has good control and can also pass the ball quickly.
‘He is a good guy with rough edges. There were days when we trained in the morning, at noon and in the evening and the boys were totally exhausted. As a result, we cancelled our early morning training, but Bradley preferred to train.’
In the fullness of time, this application would be sporadically rewarded by working with some of the best emerging players on the planet.
But the task of edging Haaland out of the team – three years Fink’s senior – was akin to splitting the atom.
Fink has quickly become a fans’ favourite at Dens Park
There was assuredly no shame in failing to dislodge the Norwegian from his position as he sealed a move to Manchester City by tormenting defenders the length and breadth of Germany. A case of right place, wrong time – if ever there was one.
‘It was a very good time playing and training with the first team,’ reflected the Dundee forward ahead of Saturday’s match with Rangers.
‘Sadly, I never got my debut, but the experience of training with Haaland, Bellingham and all of them was very, very good.
‘But in the end it was a very great adventure. From that team we have loads of players that are playing football in higher leagues.’
Fink was different in style to the legendary Norwegian, relying more on his technique and nous than his strength. But there were still learnings to be taken from seeing him at work.
‘He doesn’t have 100 touches, but the touches he has he scores goals with,’ he offered.
When it became apparent that he faced mission impossible to elbow his way to the front of the strikers’ queue, Basel were the first club to recognise that Dortmund’s loss could be their gain.
Having persuaded the forward a return home on the basis that they’d grant him the openings he was denied in Germany, he signed a four-year deal there in 2022.
He did play under Sebastien Frei 25 times in the Swiss Super League in 2022-23, but with just five goals to his name, he wasn’t exactly the prolific marksman that many believed he’d be when he departed his homeland three years previously.
Unable to command a regular start, he moved for a season on loan to Grasshopper where he managed two goals in 31 league matches.
Fink found the net for Dundee at Tynecastle on league duty on September 6
His final season at Basel earned him a league winner’s medal yet just one goal in 16 league appearances.
Struggling to live up to expectations, the one-time golden boy of Swiss football agreed to a left-field move to League One Wycombe Wanderers in 2025.
If he hoped a change of environment would bring a change in fortunes, he was mistaken.
If it hadn’t been for bad luck at Adams Park, Fink would have had no luck at all.
He tore his quad muscle in the first week of pre-season. Having got himself ready for the league opener at Bradford, he did it again.
And by the time he was good to go again, Mike Dodds, the manager who’d signed him, had been sacked.
The upshot was that he immediately became a peripheral figure with just two starts in his 21 appearances last term which yielded two goals.
It was to be the misfortune of another, though, which finally opened the door to salvation at the start of this season.
The crucial ligament injury Simon Murray sustained against Aberdeen on August 15 compelled Steven Pressley to look for an alternative option up front.
Pressley felt the Swiss forward had ‘lost his way a little’ but knew there was a player of pedigree in there.
Facing a choice between sitting on the bench in Buckinghamshire or proving a point in the Scottish Premiership, Fink listened to what Pressley had to say and jumped at the opportunity.
The first impression the Dark Blues supporters had of him could not have been more favourable.
Signed only the day before the derby, he climbed off the bench to help ease Pressley’s side towards a famous 2-0 win at Tannadice.
His six appearances to date have been garlanded with goals against Hearts and Motherwell.
Just as impressive have been his link-up play and movement, traits he honed in his time mixing with football royalty at Dortmund.
Like the club whose jersey he’ll wear until next summer at least, Fink is a player who’s on the rise again. And at just 23, the zenith could still be some way off.
