Matthias Ginter facts for kids
Ginter with Germany in 2019
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 January 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | 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 | 74 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Matthias Lukas Ginter (born 19 January 1994) is a German professional footballer. He plays as a centre-back (a defender) for the Bundesliga club SC Freiburg. He also plays for the German national team.
Matthias Ginter is known for his strong defense and ability to play in different positions on the field. He has won major tournaments with the German national team, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Contents
Matthias Ginter's Football Journey
Starting Out: Youth Career
Matthias Ginter started playing football at a young age. He joined a club called SV March in 1998. In 2005, when he was 11, he moved to the youth team of SC Freiburg.
With Freiburg's under-19 team, he won the Under-19 DFB-Pokal (a German youth cup competition) twice. He won it in 2011 and again in 2012.
First Steps as a Professional Player
In January 2012, Ginter got a chance to train with SC Freiburg's main team. This happened because some players were unavailable. On 21 January 2012, just two days after his 18th birthday, he played his first professional game. He came into the game as a substitute against FC Augsburg.
In that match, Ginter scored the winning goal for his team in the 88th minute! This made Freiburg win 1–0. His goal also made him the youngest player ever to score a goal for SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga.
Playing for Borussia Dortmund
On 17 July 2014, Ginter joined Borussia Dortmund. He signed a five-year contract with the club. He played his first game for Dortmund on 13 August 2014. It was in the DFL-Supercup match against Bayern Munich, which Dortmund won 2–0.
Moving to Borussia Mönchengladbach
After three years with Dortmund, Ginter moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach on 4 July 2017. He signed a four-year deal with them. This move cost around €17 million.
Back to SC Freiburg
On 4 May 2022, Matthias Ginter returned to his first professional club, SC Freiburg. He joined them on a free transfer, meaning Freiburg didn't have to pay a transfer fee. He started playing for them again in the 2022–23 season.
Playing for Germany: International Career
Youth National Teams
Matthias Ginter played for Germany's youth national teams. He was part of the under-21 team that played in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He played in all four matches. In one game against Denmark, he scored a goal with his head, helping Germany win 3–0.
Playing for the Senior German Team
Ginter made his debut for the main German national team on 5 March 2014. He came on as a substitute in a friendly match against Chile. He was the 900th player to ever play for the German national team!
In June 2014, he was chosen for Germany's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was the youngest player in the team. Germany went on to win the World Cup that year, making Ginter a World Cup winner! Even though he was part of the winning team, he didn't play in any of the matches.
He also played for Germany at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Germany won the silver medal in football at those Olympics.
In 2017, Ginter won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup with Germany.
He was also part of the German squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Again, he didn't play in any games. 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 16 November 2019, in a match against Belarus. He was also selected for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.
In November 2022, he was chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On 1 December, he finally made his World Cup debut! He came on as a substitute in the last group stage match against Costa Rica, which Germany won 4–2.
International Goals
Matthias Ginter has scored two goals for the German national team:
| 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 |
Matthias Ginter's Life Off the Field
Family Life
Matthias Ginter got married to his wife Christina in May 2018. In 2020, their son was born on Ginter's own birthday, 19 January!
Special Recognition
In October 2021, the football club where Ginter started his career, SC March, honored him. They renamed their stadium the "Matthias-Ginter-Sportpark". This shows how much they appreciate his achievements!
Awards and Achievements
Borussia Dortmund
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup): 2016–17
- DFL-Supercup (German Supercup): 2014
Germany National Team
Germany Olympic Team
- Summer Olympic Games silver medal: 2016
Individual Awards
- Fritz Walter Medal U18 Gold: 2012 (Award for best young German players)
- Fritz Walter Medal U19 Gold: 2013
- Germany national team Player of the Year: 2019
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2019–20, 2022–23
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards – Favorite Football Player (Germany, Austria, & Switzerland) nominee: 2020
Images for kids
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Ginter with the German national team in 2019
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Ginter (right) playing for Germany in 2019
See also
In Spanish: Matthias Ginter para niños
