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Matthias Ginter
Matthias Ginter 2019.jpg
Ginter with Germany in 2019
Personal information
Full name Matthias Lukas Ginter
Date of birth (1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 (age 31)
Place of birth Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
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)
*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)

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.

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

2019-06-11 Fußball, Männer, Länderspiel, Deutschland-Estland StP 2205 LR10 by Stepro
Ginter (right) playing for Germany in 2019

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

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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

Appearances and goals by national team and year
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.
List of international goals scored by Matthias Ginter
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

Germany National Team

Germany Olympic Team

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

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