Christian Fuchs

Christian Fuchs (German pronunciation: [ˈkrɪsti̯a(ː)n ˈfʊks]; born 7 April 1986) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a left back for Premier League club Leicester City.

For the Austrian sociologist, see Christian Fuchs (sociologist).

Christian Fuchs
Fuchs with Austria in 2016
Personal information
Full name Christian Fuchs[1]
Date of birth (1986-04-07) 7 April 1986[2]
Place of birth Neunkirchen, Austria
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position(s) Left back
Club information
Current team
 Leicester City
Number 28
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 → 1. FSV Mainz 05 (loan) 31 (0)
2011–2015 Schalke 04 99 (4)
2015– Leicester City 116 (2)
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)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:38, 28 December 2020 (UTC)

He began his senior career as a teenager at Wiener Neustadt before signing his first professional contract at 17 with SV Mattersburg, challenging for the Austrian Football Bundesliga title and taking part in European competitions. In 2008, he left for Germany, signing for VfL Bochum. After a season on loan at 1. FSV Mainz 05, he signed for FC Schalke 04 in 2011, where he contested the UEFA Champions League but suffered a serious knee injury. In 2015, he signed for Leicester, winning the Premier League in his first season at the club.

A full international for a decade starting from his debut in 2006, Fuchs earned 78 caps for Austria, making him their eighth-most capped player of all time. He played for the nation at UEFA Euro 2008 and UEFA Euro 2016, captaining them for the first time in 2010 and on a permanent basis from 2012, before retiring from international duty in 2016.

Club career

Early career

Born in Neunkirchen, Lower Austria, and his father was an amateur goalkeeper. He began as a forward at local team SVg Pitten before moving to 1. Wiener Neustädter SC at the age of 11. At the age of 15, while still an amateur and at mainstream school, Fuchs played for their senior team. When he was 17, he signed his first professional deal at SV Mattersburg, a team who despite coming from a town of 6,000 drew league record average crowds of 17,000, came third in the Austrian Football Bundesliga and played in European competition.[4]

Prior to UEFA Euro 2008, he joined the German side VfL Bochum.[5] He later described it as a useful move to play regularly while attracting attention from bigger teams.[4] In 2010, he was signed on loan by 1. FSV Mainz 05,[5] a newly promoted team who ended the season in the top five.[4]

Schalke

On 6 June 2011, Fuchs signed a contract until 30 June 2015 with Schalke 04.[6] The transfer fee is reportedly undisclosed by Schalke's sport and communications manager Horst Heldt.[6] Fuchs was assigned the number 23 shirt, previously worn by Danilo Fernando Avelar.[6]

In his time at the team from Gelsenkirchen, he competed in the UEFA Champions League, but suffered a long-term knee injury.[4]

Leicester City
Fuchs in a league match against Chelsea on 14 January 2017

On 3 June 2015, Leicester City announced the signing of Fuchs on a free transfer, signing a three-year deal with the Foxes effective from 1 July.[7] Signed under previous manager Nigel Pearson, Fuchs didn't have a regular spot in new manager Claudio Ranieri's squad until October. Fuchs made an appearance in Leicester's third round League Cup tie against West Ham United, providing an assist for Andy King's extra time winner. Following a 2–5 loss to Arsenal on 26 September,[8] Ranieri elected to shake up his defensive back four, inserting Fuchs and teammate Danny Simpson in place of Jeffrey Schlupp and Ritchie De Laet, respectively.[9] Fuchs made his first Premier League start the next week against Norwich.[10]

In his first season, Leicester finished as champions on odds of 5,000–1, making Fuchs the first Austrian to receive a Premier League winners' medal since Arsenal's Alex Manninger in 1998.[11] Following the insertion of Fuchs into the lineup on Matchday 8, Leicester City led the Premier League in clean sheets along with Arsenal, with 15. Fuchs himself led the league during this period in successful tackles with 77, while finishing second in interceptions with 98.[12]

Prior to signing for Leicester, Fuchs had an offer to play in the United States, where his family live, but he turned it down for financial reasons. He said in March 2016 "My intention is to play in the US. I have come [to Leicester] for three years. I decided that I would sign one last contract in Europe, when I left Schalke, then go to the US."[4]

On 21 October 2016, Fuchs signed a new contract with Leicester, keeping him with the club until June 2019.[13] The next day, Fuchs scored his first goal for Leicester against Crystal Palace, volleying home a corner-kick clearance by Christian Benteke for the team's final goal in a 3–1 victory.[14]

In May 2019 he signed a new one-year contract with Leicester.[15]

International career
Fuchs taking a throw-in during a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Moldova in September 2015

Fuchs made his debut for Austria on 23 May 2006 in a friendly match against Croatia, replacing Stefan Lexa for the final six minutes of the 1–4 loss at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna.

He was part of the Austrian international squad as they co-hosted UEFA Euro 2008 alongside Switzerland. He made only one appearance in the group stage elimination, playing the entirety of the 1–0 loss to Germany in their last match of the tournament.[16]

On 11 August 2010, in the absence of regular skipper Marc Janko, Fuchs captained his nation for the first time in a 0–1 friendly loss to the Swiss in Klagenfurt.[17] That 17 November, he scored his first international goal, equalising in a 1–2 home friendly loss to Greece.[18]

Fuchs received the armband on a permanent basis at the behest of manager Marcel Koller on 13 August 2012.[19] He played all 10 games as they qualified for UEFA Euro 2016, the first time they did so, and featured in every minute of the group stage elimination in France. Afterwards, he retired from international play with a total of 78 caps, declaring "I am very proud of the 10 years that I have spent with the national team. I did everything with passion and, as I said, I am very, very proud."[20]

Personal life
Fuchs, his wife, and their children, October 2015

Fuchs' wife Raluca Gold-Fuchs, with whom he has a stepson, son, and daughter, is a businesswoman formerly of Goldman Sachs. She lives with their children in Manhattan and Fuchs sees them once a month.[4] He runs a public relations company and a football academy in the same city, and plans to move there permanently after his football career.[4][21]

The Leicester Mercury described Fuchs as "not your stereotypical footballer...[he] has more strings to his bow than an orchestra".[4] He is noted for his online video series "No Fuchs Given", a play on his surname and the English-language obscenity "fuck"; the series consists of himself and teammates doing unusual football-related challenges, such as him and Robert Huth shooting the ball as hard as possible at each other's backsides.[4] He also has a stated dream to become an NFL placekicker and has demonstrated his skills on the BBC's NFL coverage.[22] His surname "Fuchs" is the German word for "Fox".

Career statistics

Club
As of 28 December 2020.[23]
Club League Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
App. Goals App. Goals App. Goals App. Goals App. Goals App. Goals
Wiener Neustadt Austrian Landesliga 2002–03 12000———120
SV Mattersburg Austrian Bundesliga 2003–04 13010———140
2004–05 25220———272
2005–06 35152———403
2006–07 35641—20—417
2007–08 33200———332
Total 14111123—20—15514
VfL Bochum Bundesliga 2008–09 22200———222
2009–10 31420———334
Total 53620———556
Mainz 05 Bundesliga 2010–11 31040———350
Schalke 04 Bundesliga 2011–12 29230—11210444
2012–13 29020—61—371
2013–14 16020—70—250
2014–15 25200—51—303
Total 99470—294101368
Leicester City Premier League 2015–16 3200020——340
2016–17 36220009010482
2017–18 2502020——290
2018–19 301041——81
2019–20 1102040——170
2020–21 90001050—150
Total 116270131140101513
Career total 452233231314542054431

International

[24]

Fuchs (left) and Martin Hinteregger in a European qualifier against Russia in Vienna, 15 November 2014
National TeamYearApp.Goals
Austria 200640
2007100
2008100
200950
201071
2011110
201240
201390
201450
201570
201660
Total781

International goals
Score and result lists the Austria national team's goals first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.17 November 2010Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria Greece
1–1
1–2
Friendly

Honours

Schalke 04

Leicester City

Austria U17

Individual

References
  1. "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  2. "Premier League Player Profile Christian Fuchs". Barclays Premier League. 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  3. "Christian Fuchs". Leicester City F.C. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  4. Tanner, Rob (12 March 2016). "Leicester City EXCLUSIVE: Why Christian Fuchs is no ordinary footballer". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  5. "Fuchs kommt" (in German). VfL Bochum. 25 June 2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  6. "Schalke sign Austria skipper Fuchs". Eurosport. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  7. "Leicester City sign Christian Fuchs on free transfer from Schalke". BBC Sport. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  8. Abraham, Timothy (26 September 2015). "Ranieri must plug leaky defence". BBC Sport.
  9. Sharpe, James (3 October 2015). "Jamie Vardy and Jeff Schlupp score as City bounce back with win". Leicester Mercury. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015.
  10. "Fuchs Hails Foxes' Defensive Resilience". Leicester City Football Club. 7 October 2015.
  11. "Leicester City: The ridiculous statistics". Football 365. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  12. Harding, James (19 May 2016). "Team of the Season – Christian Fuchs". Fantasy Football Scout.
  13. "Christian Fuchs: Leicester City defender agrees new three-year deal". BBC Sport. 21 October 2016.
  14. "Christian Fuchs scores stunner as Foxes ease to win". Mirror. 22 October 2016.
  15. "Leicester's Christian Fuchs signs new deal as Danny Simpson & Shinji Okazaki leave". BBC Sport. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  16. "ÖFB (Austrian Football Association) Media Centre – Stegersbach" (PDF). oefb.at. Österreichischer Fußball-Bund (ÖFB). 7 June 2008. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  17. "Zu harmlos für die Schweiz" [Too harmless for Switzerland] (in German). ORF. 13 August 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  18. "Debüttreffer reicht nicht" [First goal not enough] (in German). UEFA. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  19. "Fußball: Christian Fuchs neuer Nationalteam-Kapitän" [Football: Christian Fuchs is new national team captain]. Die Presse (in German). 13 August 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  20. Turner, Stephen (29 June 2016). "Leicester's Christian Fuchs quits internationals after Austria exit". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  21. "Christian Fuchs is living the dream with Leicester City. Next, why not the NFL?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  22. Young, Henry; Thomas, Alex (24 October 2016). "Christian Fuchs: Austrian is 'serious' about trying out as NFL kicker". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  23. "Christian Fuchs » Club matches". worldfootball.net.
  24. "Christian Fuchs". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  25. Christian Fuchs at Soccerway
  26. "Christian Fuchs: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  27. https://web.archive.org/web/20030625083540/http://www.uefa.com/Competitions/Under17/Teams/Team=8/index.html
  28. "Bundesliga Historie 2010/11" (in German). kicker.
  29. "Bundesliga Historie 2011/12" (in German). kicker.
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