Christian Fuchs facts for kids
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Fuchs with Austria in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Fuchs | ||
| Date of birth | 7 April 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Neunkirchen, Austria | ||
| Height | 1.87 m | ||
| Playing position | Left back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 2002–2003 | Austria U17 | 24 | (6) |
| 2003–2005 | Austria U19 | 7 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | Austria U21 | 10 | (3) |
| 2006–2016 | Austria | 78 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2023– | Charlotte FC (assistant) | ||
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Christian Fuchs (born on 7 April 1986) is an Austrian former professional footballer. He played as a left back, which is a defensive position on the left side of the field.
Christian started his senior football journey as a teenager. He played for Wiener Neustadt before signing his first professional contract at 17 with SV Mattersburg. There, he even competed for the Austrian Football Bundesliga title and played in European tournaments. In 2008, he moved to Germany to play for VfL Bochum. After a loan spell at Mainz 05, he joined Schalke 04 in 2011. With Schalke, he played in the UEFA Champions League, which is a big European club competition.
In 2015, Christian Fuchs made a big move to Leicester City in England. In his very first season, his team famously won the Premier League title, which was a huge surprise! After leaving Leicester in 2021, he played for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC in the United States for one season.
Christian also played for his country, the Austria national team, for ten years. He earned 78 caps, which means he played in 78 international matches. He represented Austria at major tournaments like UEFA Euro 2008 and UEFA Euro 2016. He even captained the team from 2012 until he retired from international duty in 2016.
Contents
Christian Fuchs' Football Journey
Starting Out in Austria
Christian Fuchs was born in Neunkirchen, Austria. His dad was a goalkeeper in amateur football. Christian actually started playing as a forward for his local team, SVg Pitten. When he was 14, he moved to 1. Wiener Neustädter SC. By age 15, he was already playing for their senior team, even though he was still an amateur and going to school.
At 17, he signed his first professional contract with SV Mattersburg. This team, from a small town, was very popular. They finished third in the Austrian Football Bundesliga and even played in European competitions.
Before UEFA Euro 2008, Christian moved to Germany to play for VfL Bochum. He felt this was a good step to play regularly and get noticed by bigger clubs. In 2010, he was loaned to 1. FSV Mainz 05, a team that had just been promoted. They had a great season, finishing in the top five.
Playing for Schalke 04
On 6 June 2011, Christian Fuchs signed a contract with Schalke 04 until June 2015. He was given the number 23 shirt.
During his time at Schalke, a club from Gelsenkirchen, he played in the UEFA Champions League. This is one of the most exciting club football competitions in the world. However, he also had a serious knee injury while playing for them.
Leicester City: Premier League Champions!
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On 3 June 2015, Leicester City announced that Christian Fuchs was joining them for free. He signed a three-year deal starting from 1 July. He didn't become a regular player right away, but by October, he was a key part of the team. He even assisted a winning goal in a League Cup match against West Ham United.
After a tough loss, the manager decided to change the defense. Christian Fuchs became a regular starter in the Premier League. In his first season, Leicester City achieved something amazing: they won the Premier League title! This was a huge surprise, as they were given very low odds of winning at the start of the season. Christian became the first Austrian player since 1998 to win a Premier League medal. After he joined the starting lineup, Leicester City had one of the best defenses in the league, keeping many clean sheets.
Christian had an offer to play in the United States, where his family lives, but he chose Leicester. He said he planned to play in Europe for a few more years before moving to the US.
On 21 October 2016, Christian signed a new contract with Leicester, keeping him until June 2019. The very next day, he scored his first goal for Leicester against Crystal Palace. It was a great volley from a corner kick!
He signed new one-year contracts in May 2019 and June 2020. On 21 May 2021, it was announced that Christian would be leaving Leicester after the 2020–21 season.
Moving to the USA: Charlotte FC
On 7 June 2021, Christian Fuchs announced he would join Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team Charlotte FC. Since Charlotte FC wouldn't start playing in MLS until 2022, Christian first joined USL Championship side Charlotte Independence on loan for the rest of 2021. He played regularly for Charlotte FC in their first MLS season in 2022. On 5 January 2023, he announced his retirement from professional football.
A New Chapter: FSA Pro
In November 2023, Christian Fuchs played in the playoffs for FSA Pro. This team is part of Fox Soccer Academy, which Christian owns and runs.
Playing for Austria
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Christian Fuchs made his first appearance for the Austria national team on 23 May 2006. It was a friendly match against Croatia.
He was part of the Austrian team when they co-hosted UEFA Euro 2008 with Switzerland. He played in one match during that tournament, a 1–0 loss to Germany.
On 11 August 2010, Christian captained his country for the first time in a friendly match against Switzerland. On 17 November that year, he scored his first international goal against Greece.
Christian became the permanent captain of the Austrian team on 13 August 2012. He played in all ten games as Austria qualified for UEFA Euro 2016, which was a big achievement for them. He played every minute of their matches in France. After the tournament, he retired from international football with a total of 78 caps. He said he was "very proud of the 10 years" he spent with the national team.
Becoming a Coach
After retiring as a player, Christian Fuchs moved into coaching. On 6 January 2023, it was announced that he would become an assistant coach for Charlotte FC for their 2023 season.
Life Off the Pitch
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Christian Fuchs is married to Raluca Gold-Fuchs. They have a stepson, a son, and a daughter. His wife is a businesswoman.
Christian also runs a public relations company and a football academy in the United States. He plans to move there permanently after his football career.
People have described Christian Fuchs as "not your stereotypical footballer" because he has many interests outside of the game. He even has a dream of becoming an NFL placekicker (a type of player in American football) and has shown his kicking skills on TV. His last name, "Fuchs," is the German word for "Fox", which is a fun coincidence since he played for Leicester City, whose nickname is "The Foxes."
Honours
Christian Fuchs has won several important titles and awards during his career:
With Schalke 04
- DFL-Supercup: 2011 (a German super cup)
With Leicester City
- Premier League: 2015–16 (the top English football league)
- FA Cup: 2020–21 (a major English cup competition)
With Austria U17
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship third place: 2003
Individual Awards
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2010–11, 2011–12 (chosen as one of the best players in the German league)
