Christian Fuchs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Christian Fuchs

Fuchs with Austria in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Christian Fuchs
Date of birth	(1986-04-07) 7 April 1986 (age 39)
Place of birth	Neunkirchen, Austria
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Left-back
Team information
Current team	Charlotte FC (assistant)
Youth career
1992–2001	SVg Pitten
2001–2002	Wiener Neustadt
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2003	Wiener Neustadt	12	(0)
2003–2008	SV Mattersburg	141	(11)
2008–2011	VfL Bochum	53	(6)
2010–2011	→ Mainz 05 (loan)	31	(0)
2011–2015	Schalke 04	99	(4)
2015–2021	Leicester City	116	(2)
2021–2022	Charlotte FC	26	(3)
2021	→ Charlotte Independence (loan)	15	(1)
2023	FSA Pro	0	(0)
Total		493	(27)
International career
2002–2003	Austria U17	24	(6)
2003–2005	Austria U19	7	(1)
2005–2006	Austria U21	10	(3)
2006–2016	Austria	78	(1)
Managerial career
2023–	Charlotte FC (assistant)
Medal record Representing  Austria Men's football UEFA European Under-17 Championship Third 2003
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Christian Fuchs (born on April 7, 1986) is a former professional football player from Austria. He played as a left-back. Today, he is an assistant coach for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC. He was a key player when Leicester City won the 2015–16 Premier League title.

Fuchs started his senior career as a teenager with Wiener Neustadt. At 17, he signed his first professional contract with SV Mattersburg. There, he competed for the Austrian Football Bundesliga title and played in European competitions. In 2008, he moved to Germany to play for VfL Bochum. After a loan spell at Mainz 05, he joined Schalke 04 in 2011. He played in the UEFA Champions League with Schalke. In June 2015, he signed with Leicester City and won the Premier League in his first season. After leaving Leicester in June 2021, he played one season for Charlotte FC. He officially retired from professional football in January 2023.

Christian Fuchs played for the Austrian national team from 2006 to 2016. He earned 78 caps, which means he played in 78 international matches. He represented Austria in the UEFA Euro 2008 and UEFA Euro 2016 tournaments. He first captained the team in 2010 and became the permanent captain in 2012. He retired from international duty in 2016.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting Out in Austria

Christian Fuchs was born in Neunkirchen, Lower Austria. His father was an amateur goalkeeper. Christian started playing as a forward for his local team, SVg Pitten. When he was 14, he moved to 1. Wiener Neustädter SC. At 15, while still a student, Fuchs played for their senior team.

At 17, he signed his first professional contract with SV Mattersburg. This team came from a small town but attracted large crowds. They finished third in the Austrian Football Bundesliga and played in European competitions.

Moving to Germany

Before the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, Fuchs joined the German Bundesliga team VfL Bochum. He felt this move helped him play regularly and get noticed by bigger clubs. In 2010, he was loaned to 1. FSV Mainz 05. This team had just been promoted and finished the season in the top five.

Time at Schalke 04

On June 6, 2011, Fuchs signed a contract with Schalke 04 until June 2015. He was given the number 23 shirt. His first goal for the club was a free kick against Mainz in the Bundesliga. During his time at Schalke, he played in the UEFA Champions League. However, he also had a serious knee injury.

Success with Leicester City

Fuchs (right) playing against Chelsea in January 2017

On June 3, 2015, Premier League team Leicester City announced they had signed Fuchs. He joined on a free transfer and signed a three-year deal starting July 1. He did not immediately become a regular player under new manager Claudio Ranieri.

Fuchs played in Leicester's League Cup match against West Ham. He helped Andy King score the winning goal in extra time. After a 5–2 loss to Arsenal on September 26, Ranieri changed his defense. Fuchs and Danny Simpson became regular starters. Fuchs made his first Premier League start the next week against Norwich City.

In his first season, Leicester City won the Premier League title. This was a huge surprise, as they were given 5,000–1 odds to win. Fuchs became the first Austrian player to win a Premier League medal since Alex Manninger in 1998. After Fuchs joined the starting lineup, Leicester City had many clean sheets. Fuchs also led the league in successful tackles during this period.

Before joining Leicester, Fuchs had an offer to play in the United States, where his family lives. He had planned to play one last contract in Europe before moving to the US. On October 21, 2016, Fuchs signed a new contract with Leicester until June 2019. The next day, he scored his first goal for Leicester against Crystal Palace. It was a volley from a corner kick.

Fuchs signed another one-year contract with Leicester on May 8, 2019. On June 18, 2020, Leicester extended his contract for another year. On May 21, 2021, Leicester announced that Fuchs would leave the club when his contract ended.

Playing in the United States

On June 7, 2021, it was announced that Fuchs would join Major League Soccer expansion team Charlotte FC. Since Charlotte FC would start playing in MLS in 2022, Fuchs joined USL Championship team Charlotte Independence for the rest of 2021. He played regularly for Charlotte FC in their first MLS season. On January 5, 2023, Fuchs announced his retirement from professional football.

In November 2023, Fuchs played in the playoffs for FSA Pro. This is a team in the United Premier Soccer League that is part of Fox Soccer Academy, which Fuchs owns.

International Matches

Fuchs playing in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Moldova in September 2015

Fuchs played his first game for the Austria national team on May 23, 2006. It was a friendly match against Croatia. He was part of the Austrian team that co-hosted UEFA Euro 2008 with Switzerland. He played in one match during the group stage.

On August 11, 2010, Fuchs captained Austria for the first time. This was in a friendly match against Switzerland. On November 17, he scored his first international goal against Greece.

Fuchs became the permanent captain of the national team on August 13, 2012. He played in all ten games as Austria qualified for UEFA Euro 2016. This was the first time Austria qualified for the tournament on their own. He played every minute of their group stage matches in France. After the tournament, he retired from international football. He played a total of 78 matches for his country.

Coaching Career

On January 6, 2023, it was announced that Christian Fuchs would become an assistant coach for Charlotte FC for their 2023 season.

Personal Life

Fuchs, his wife, and their children in October 2015

Christian Fuchs is married to Raluca Gold-Fuchs. She is a businesswoman. They have a stepson, a son, and a daughter. Fuchs also runs a public relations company and a football academy. He plans to move to the United States permanently after his football career.

The Leicester Mercury newspaper described Fuchs as "not your stereotypical footballer." He is known for his online video series where he and his teammates do fun football challenges. He also has a dream to become an NFL placekicker and has shown his skills on BBC's NFL coverage.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fuchs goal.

List of international goals scored by Christian Fuchs

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	17 November 2010	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Greece	1–1	1–2	Friendly

Awards and Achievements

Schalke 04

• DFL-Supercup: 2011

Leicester City

• Premier League: 2015–16
• FA Cup: 2020–21

Austria U17

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship third place: 2003

Individual

• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2010–11, 2011–12

See also

In Spanish: Christian Fuchs para niños