Matthias Ginter facts for kids
Ginter with Germany in 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Matthias Lukas Ginter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 19 January 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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SC Freiburg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 28 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2005 | SC March | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2012 | SC Freiburg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | SC Freiburg | 70 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2017 | Borussia Dortmund | 67 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 154 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | SC Freiburg | 89 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Germany U18 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Germany U19 | 5 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | Germany U21 | 18 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Germany U23 | 5 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014– | Germany | 51 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:26, 23 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:42, 12 June 2023 (UTC) |
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Matthias Lukas Ginter (born January 19, 1994) is a German professional footballer. He plays as a centre-back (a central defender) for the Bundesliga club SC Freiburg. Ginter also plays for the German national team.
Contents
Matthias Ginter's Club Journey
Starting His Career
Matthias Ginter started playing football at a club called SV March. In the 2005–06 season, he joined the youth team of SC Freiburg. He helped their under-19 team win the Under-19 DFB-Pokal (a German cup competition) in both 2011 and 2012.
In January 2012, Ginter began training with Freiburg's main team. This happened because some players had left during the winter break. On January 21, 2012, Ginter played his first professional game. He came into the match in the 70th minute against FC Augsburg. In the 88th minute, he scored the winning goal from a free-kick. This goal helped his team win 1–0. Ginter scored this goal just two days after his 18th birthday. This made him the youngest player ever to score a goal for SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga.
Playing for Borussia Dortmund
On July 17, 2014, Ginter signed a five-year contract with Borussia Dortmund. He played his first game for them on August 13. He played the whole match as Dortmund won the DFL-Supercup (a German super cup) 2–0 against Bayern Munich.
Moving to Borussia Mönchengladbach
On July 4, 2017, Ginter joined Borussia Mönchengladbach. This move was worth about €17 million. He played for them for five seasons.
Returning to SC Freiburg
On May 4, 2022, SC Freiburg announced that Ginter would return to the club. He joined them on a free transfer for the 2022–23 season. This was a special return, as Freiburg was the club where he started his youth career.
International Career for Germany
Youth Teams
Ginter played for the German under-21 team. He was part of the team at the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic. He played in all four matches. In one game against Denmark, Ginter scored a goal with his head. This helped Germany win 3–0.
Senior National Team
On March 5, 2014, Ginter played his first game for the senior German national team. He came on as a substitute in the 90th minute in a friendly match against Chile. Germany won that game 1–0. He was the 900th player to play for the German national team.
In June 2014, Ginter was chosen for Germany's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was the youngest player on the team. Germany went on to win the tournament, but Ginter did not play in any matches.
He was also part of the German team that won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Ginter also won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup with Germany.
On June 4, 2018, Ginter was again selected for Germany's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He did not play in any matches at this tournament either. This made him the only outfield player in German history to be part of two World Cup teams without playing a single minute.
Ginter scored his first goal for Germany on November 16, 2019. This was in a match against Belarus.
He was also chosen for the squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.
In November 2022, Ginter was named in the final team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On December 1, he finally made his World Cup debut. He came on as a substitute in the last group stage match against Costa Rica. Germany won that game 4–2.
Personal Life
In May 2018, Matthias Ginter married his wife, Christina. In 2020, their son was born on Ginter's own birthday, January 19.
In October 2021, the football club where Ginter started his career, SC March, renamed their stadium. It is now called "Matthias-Ginter-Sportpark" in his honor.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | DFB-Pokal | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| SC Freiburg | 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 42 | 3 | |||
| Total | 70 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 81 | 5 | |||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 1 | — | 40 | 4 | |||
| 2016–17 | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| Total | 67 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 102 | 4 | ||
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 34 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 5 | ||
| 2018–19 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 2 | ||||
| 2019–20 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | 34 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 46 | 2 | |||
| 2021–22 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 154 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 0 | — | 179 | 11 | |||
| SC Freiburg | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 34 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | 47 | 5 | |
| 2023–24 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 89 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 17 | 0 | — | 115 | 8 | |||
| Career total | 380 | 22 | 38 | 4 | 58 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 477 | 28 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | |||
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 51 | 2 | |
- As of match played March 25, 2023. Germany score listed first, score column indicates score after each Ginter goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 November 2019 | Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany |  Belarus |
1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 2 | 10 October 2020 | NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine |  Ukraine |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A |
Awards and Achievements
Borussia Dortmund
- DFB-Pokal: 2016–17
- DFL-Supercup: 2014
Germany National Team
Germany Olympic Team
- Summer Olympic Games silver medal: 2016
Individual Awards
- Fritz Walter Medal U18 Gold: 2012 (This award is for top young German football players)
- Fritz Walter Medal U19 Gold: 2013
- Germany national team Player of the Year: 2019
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2024–25
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards – Favorite Football Player (Germany, Austria, & Switzerland) nominee: 2020
See also
In Spanish: Matthias Ginter para niños
