Stefan Thesker

Stefan Thesker (born 11 April 1991) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Holstein Kiel.[1]

Stefan Thesker
Thesker with Twente in 2011.
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-04-11) 11 April 1991
Place of birth Ahaus, Germany
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Holstein Kiel
Number 5
Youth career
1995–2002 TuS Wüllen
2002–2005 Schalke 04
2005–2010 Twente
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2012 Twente 0 (0)
2011 → Fortuna Sittard (loan) 15 (0)
2012–2014 1899 Hoffenheim II 29 (1)
2012–2014 1899 Hoffenheim 6 (0)
2014–2015 Hannover 96 2 (0)
2015–2016 Greuther Fürth 20 (0)
2016 Greuther Fürth II 0 (0)
2016 → Twente (loan) 8 (2)
2016–2018 Twente 29 (0)
2018– Holstein Kiel 43 (4)
National team‡
2012–2013 Germany U21 7 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:59, 29 July 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12:25, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

Club career

Twente

Born in Ahaus, Germany, Thesker played for TuS Wüllen and Schalke 04 youth teams before moving to Netherlands, joining Twente in 2005 and subsequently signed his first professional contract four years later.[2]

After featured for the Jong FC Twente, Thesker was loaned out to Fortuna Sittard for the rest of the season in the January transfer window.[3] He made his Fortuna Sittard debut for the club on 21 January 2011, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 3–0 loss against Dordrecht.[4] He went on to make 15 appearance for Fortuna Sittard and at the end of the 2010–11 season, he returned to his parent club.[5]

1899 Hoffenheim

After seven years abroad, Thesker returned to Germany, where he signed for Bundesliga side 1899 Hoffenheim on 2 January 2012.[6] Upon signing for the club, the club's managing director Ernst Tanner commented on his move, quoting: "Stefan is a development-oriented German junior player from one of the best schools in Holland who will continue his training with us. I am convinced of its qualities and wish him all the best for the start with us."[7]

Shortly after signing for the club, Thesker was sent to the 1899 Hoffenheim II squad for the next two seasons.[8] In the 2012–13 season, he was included on the substitute bench on three occasions.[9] However, he suffered an Achilles irritation on his foot and was sidelined for several months.[10] After returning from injury, he finally made his TSG 1899 Hoffenehim debut on 9 March 2013 against Greuther Fürth, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 1–0 win.[11] Towards the end of the 2012–13 season, he appeared in the first team regularly, due to absent of Matthieu Delpierre and Patrick Ochs.[12][13]

At the start of the 2013–14 season, Thesker made two appearances for the side, which were against Nürnberg[14] and Schalke 04.[15] However, he found his first opportunities limited at the club, due to being on the substitute bench before being sidelined with torn ligament injuries.[16][17][18] Even after returning, he returned to the reserve side for the rest of the season and by the end of March, he never played for either side again, leading a high chance of leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the 2013–14 season.[19]

On 30 April 2014, it was announced Thesker had signed a pre-contract agreement with Hannover 96 and would join them on 1 July 2014 on a free transfer after rejecting a new contract at 1899 Hoffenheim.[20]

Hannover 96

After joining Hannover 96, Thesker was given a number seventeen shirt ahead of the new season.[21] However, in the club's pre-season tour, he suffered a thigh injury but soon managed to recover just in time for the start of the season.[22]

However, Thesker's first team opportunities at Hannover 96 became more limited and was subsequently played in the reserve until he was called up for the first team in late-October.[23] On 1 November 2014, he made his Hannover 96 debut coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 1–0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.[24] He also made another appearance on 7 November 2014, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 win over Hertha BSC.[25] With two appearances for the club, Thesker was expecting to leave the club in the January transfer window.[26] Despite this, he reflected his time there, stating: "It was a good time, which has brought me forward in my development, even though I have not played much"[27]

Greuther Fürth

On 5 January 2015, Thesker joined Greuther Fürth, signing a two-year contract, keeping him until 2017.[28]

Thesker made his Greuther Fürth debut on 6 February 2015, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Ingolstadt 04.[29] This is followed up by setting up a goal, which turned out to be the only goal in the game, in a 1–0 win over St. Pauli on 16 February 2015.[30] Since then, he became a first team regular for the side throughout the 2014–15 season, making eleven appearances.

However, ahead of the 2015–16 season, Thesker found himself out of the first team and was placed on the substitute bench after Benedikt Röcker was preferred instead.[31] In a 3–2 loss against St. Pauli on 16 August 2015, he set up one of the goals in his first appearance of the season.[32] He managed to regain his first team place soon after in late-October.[33] In the first half of the season, he made nine appearances.

Twente (second spell)

On 28 January 2016, Thesker returned to Twente on loan until the end of the season.[34]

Three days after signing for the club, on 31 January 2016, he made his Twente debut, playing 60 minutes, in a 3–1 win over Utrecht.[35] After being sidelined for two months, due to his diagnosis with cancer,[36] he made his return for the reserve side, in a 0–0 draw against Brabant United U21 on 15 March 2016.[37] Five days after returning to playing, Thesker scored his first two goals in a 2–2 draw against AZ Alkmaar, having come on as a second-half substitute.[38] He finished the 2015–16 season with eight appearances and two goals.

On 17 August 2016, Thesker signed a three-year contract with the club on a permanent basis.[39] He went on to be captain for the side, having been appointed as a captain from the start of the season, succeeding Felipe Gutiérrez.[40] His first game after signing for the club on a permanent basis came in the opening game of the season, where he set up the only goal for the club, in a 2–1 loss against Excelsior.[41] Since making his debut for the club, he continued to be a first team regular. Although he was sidelined on three occasions,[42][43][44] Thesker finished his first season making 30 appearances in all competitions and helping the club finish in 7th place in the league.[45]

Holstein Kiel

In June 2018, Thesker joined 2. Bundesliga side Holstein Kiel on a three-year contract until 2021.[46]

International career

On 9 August 2012, Thesker was called up by Germany U21, along with teammates, Sebastian Rudy and Kevin Volland.[47] Thesker did impressively well on his Germany U21 debut when he set up two goals, in a 6–1 win over Argentina U20.[48]

Thesker was then called up by Germany U21 again for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[49] At the tournament, he started all three matches that Germany U21 eliminated from the Group Stage.[50] He went on to make seven appearances for the Germany U21.

Personal life

In December 2015, Thesker found himself in a controversy when he was captured on video by Nuremberg fan, scolding a bouncer several times and mocking his salary.[51] This caused an embarrassment for the club, who apologised on his behalf.[52] As a result, Thesker, himself, apologised for his actions and begged for forgiveness, as well as, being faced with a fine.[53] Not only that, Thesker was also demoted to the reserve side.[54]

In February 2016, Thesker announced that he diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to have a tumor removed at the surgery.[55] It came after when he was noticed the diagnosis one day before his debut against Utrecht on 29 January 2016.[56] Thesker also reflected his time at the hospital and received supporter from team-mates and family.[57]

In January 2017, Thesker overcame his cancer, making a full recovery and hoping he could return to football.[58]

On 14 March 2020, Thesker tested positive for COVID-19.[59]

References
  1. Stefan Thesker at WorldFootball.net
  2. "Spelers tekenen opleidingscontract" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 17 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  3. "Thesker op huurbasis naar Fortuna Sittard" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  4. "3-0 zege in eigen huis (incl video)" (in Dutch). FC Dordrecht. 22 January 2011. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  5. "Huurlingen keren terug bij FC Twente" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  6. "TSG verpflichtet Thesker - Sigurdsson geht zu Swansea" (in German). kicker.de. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  7. "Stefan Thesker unter Vertrag – Ausleihe von Sigurdsson zu Swansea City" (in German). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Website. 2 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  8. "Kapitän Andreas Beck im Interview Teil 2" (in German). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Website. 19 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  9. "Coach Kramer lobt seine Offensive" (in German). kicker.de. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  10. "Spiel gegen Schalke ausverkauft - Müller: "Wollen Engagement und Leidenschaft sehen"" (in German). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Website. 2 November 2012. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  11. "Roberto Firmino leitet Fürther Debakel ein" (in German). kicker.de. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  12. "Weis: "Es ist mutig vom Trainer"" (in German). kicker.de. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  13. "Gisdol: "Saison ist nicht zu Ende"" (in German). kicker.de. 11 May 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  14. "Nürnbergs Joker stechen - TSG lässt Punkte liegen" (in German). kicker.de. 10 August 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  15. "Kurioses Torfestival im Kraichgau" (in German). kicker.de. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  16. "Rosen feilt nun am Kader für die Zukunft" (in German). kicker.de. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  17. "Thesker fällt bis Jahresende aus" (in German). kicker.de. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  18. "Thesker fällt erneut wochenlang aus" (in German). kicker.de. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  19. "Beck muss sich bis Ende April entscheiden" (in German). kicker.de. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  20. "Karaman und Thesker verlassen die TSG" (in German). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  21. "Die Trikotnummern der neuen Saison" (in German). Hannover 96. 1 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  22. "Injury woes increase" (in German). Hannover 96. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  23. "Sakai und Pander fallen aus" (in German). kicker.de. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  24. "Nur Madlung trifft - ins eigene Tor!" (in German). kicker.de. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  25. "Kiyotake findet den richtigen Dreh" (in German). kicker.de. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  26. "Hannover 96 verkleinert den Kader: Geht auch Jan Schlaudraff?" (in German). kicker.de. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  27. "Fürths Neuzugang Thesker"Ich hoffe, dass es mit der 1. Liga klappt..."". Bild.de. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  28. "Thesker wechselt zum Kleeblatt" (in German). Greuther Fürth. 5 January 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  29. "1860 verlässt der Mut - FCH jubelt dank Niederlechner" (in German). kicker.de. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  30. "Przybylko trifft nach 573 Minuten ohne Tor" (in German). kicker.de. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  31. "Linker Verteidiger für Gießelmann Diesen Startplatz liebt Thesker nicht" (in German). Bild.de. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  32. "Fürth: "Gassi" vorerst auf Eis" (in German). kicker.de. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  33. "Ruthenbeck hat "Bock" auf Kaiserslautern" (in German). kicker.de. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  34. "Stefan Thesker op huurbasis naar FC Twente" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  35. "Trots dat ik hier mag spelen" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 31 January 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  36. "Persoonlijk drama voor Stefan Thesker" (in German). FC Twente. 31 January 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  37. "Gelijkspel Jong FC Twente, Stefan Thesker maakt rentree" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 15 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  38. "Bijzondere comeback Stefan Thesker zorgt voor laat punt" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 20 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  39. "Stefan Thesker tekent voor drie jaar" (in German). FC Twente. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  40. "Thesker nieuwe aanvoerder FC Twente" (in Dutch). De Telesport. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  41. "Excelsior beloont zichzelf tegen Twente" (in Dutch). Goal.com. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  42. "Ede en Ter Avest ontbreken, Thesker vraagteken voor duel met ADO" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  43. "Mooie uitdaging in laatste duel voor de winterstop" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 16 December 2016. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  44. "N.E.C. is opportunistisch en voorin gevaarlijk" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 17 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  45. "FC Twente eindigt op zevende plek" (in Dutch). FC Twente. 14 May 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  46. "Thesker unterschreibt bis 2021 in Kiel". kicker Online (in German). 24 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  47. "Drei Hoffenheimer im U21-Aufgebot" (in German). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. 9 August 2012. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  48. "Hoffe-Jungs überzeugen bei U21-Gala gegen Argentinien" (in German). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. 15 August 2012. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  49. "Andreas Beck für DFB-Team nominiert - Volland, Rudy und Thesker bei U21-EM" (in German). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. 16 May 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  50. "U21-EM: RUDY TRIFFT BEI SIEG GEGEN RUSSLAND, VOLLAND MIT ASSIST" (in German). TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. 13 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  51. "Stefan Thesker Fürth-Profi rastetvor Nobel-Disco aus" (in German). Bild.de. 21 December 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  52. "SpVgg entschuldigt sich bei RB - Unruhe um Thesker" (in German). kicker.de. 21 December 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  53. "Nach Disko-Eklat: Thesker muss spenden und wird abgemahnt" (in German). kicker.de. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  54. "Zur U23 Fürth schiebt den Disco-Rüpel ab" (in German). Bild.de. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  55. "Tumor-OP bei Ex-Fürther Thesker" (in German). Bild.de. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  56. "Krebs-Operation bei Stefan Thesker" (in German). kicker.de. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  57. "Voetballer oog in oog met de dood" (in Dutch). De Limburger. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  58. "Thesker overwon kanker: Was niet meer met voetbal bezig" (in Dutch). Voetbal Centraal. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  59. ONLINE, RP. "Erster Bundesliga-Profi: SCP-Spieler Kilian und Kiels Thesker positiv getestet - Kein weiterer Befund beim FCN". RP ONLINE (in German). Retrieved 14 March 2020.
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