Niclas Füllkrug

Niclas Füllkrug

Füllkrug with Werder Bremen in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Niclas Füllkrug
Date of birth	(1993-02-09) 9 February 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth	Hanover, Germany
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Borussia Dortmund
Number	14
Youth career
1996–2005	TuS Ricklingen
2005–2006	Sportfreunde Ricklingen
2006–2012	Werder Bremen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2014	Werder Bremen II	26	(10)
2012–2014	Werder Bremen	23	(2)
2013–2014	→ Greuther Fürth (loan)	21	(6)
2014–2016	1. FC Nürnberg	54	(17)
2016–2019	Hannover 96	75	(21)
2019–2023	Werder Bremen	90	(45)
2023–	Borussia Dortmund	27	(12)
International career‡
2010	Germany U18	1	(0)
2011–2012	Germany U19	7	(5)
2012–2014	Germany U20	9	(3)
2022–	Germany	15	(11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:34, 21 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:05, 26 March 2024 (UTC)

A Werder Bremen youth star, Füllkrug started his senior career with the club's reserves. Following appearances with the first team in the Bundesliga and a loan to 2. Bundesliga side Greuther Fürth in the 2013–14 season, he moved to 1. FC Nürnberg. His performances at Nürnberg earned him a move to Hannover 96 in 2016. In April 2019, Füllkrug's return to Werder Bremen for the 2019–20 season was announced. In 2022, he was selected for the German squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Werder Bremen, and Greuther Fürth loan

 

Füllkrug spent eight years with TuS Ricklingen in the Ricklingen district of Hanover, where he was coached by his father. During his time there he scored an average of 160 goals per season. When he joined Werder Bremen at the age of 14 in summer 2006, he rejected offers from five Bundesliga clubs and Hannover 96.

Having progressed through Werder Bremen's youth system, Füllkrug began his senior career with the club's reserves.

On 24 August 2013, he joined Greuther Fürth on a one-year loan deal. On 2 November 2013, he scored four goals including a 12-minute hat-trick for his new club during a spectacular 6–2 away win at Erzgebirge Aue. Having scored six goals in 18 appearances, he sustained a ligament rupture in his right ankle in a 2–0 win against VfL Bochum which was expected to keep him out of action for three to four weeks.

1. FC Nürnberg

In 2014, Füllkrug joined 1. FC Nürnberg permanently having agreed a "long-term" contract, with a reported duration of three years. Werder Bremen secured an option to re-sign him for a fixed fee.

Hannover 96

Füllkrug joined Hannover 96 on a four-year contract in July 2016. Nürnberg received a reported transfer fee of €2 million plus 1 million in possible bonuses.

He failed to score in his first eight Bundesliga appearances for Hannover 96 but hit a hat-trick against Mainz 05 on 13 January 2018 in a run of goals that got his name mentioned with a call up to the Germany national squad. He scored 14 goals in his first season with the club.

In summer 2018, Borussia Mönchengladbach offered €18 million for Füllkrug, and he also had offers from English clubs. However, Hannover decided to keep Füllkrug and in August it was announced that he had agreed to a contract extension until 2022.

On 30 September 2018, in a match against Eintracht Frankfurt, he was substituted off with an ankle injury, but was able to play in the following match, a 3–1 win against VfB Stuttgart which moved Hannover up from the last place in the league table. He also featured in a 2–2 away draw against Bayer Leverkusen and a 2–1 home defeat against FC Augsburg despite suffering from pain in his knee. He did not play in Hannover 96's loss in the second round of the DFB-Pokal on 30 October due to knee problems relating back to an injury sustained in 2013. Manager André Breitenreiter stated that the issue had been plaguing Füllkrug for years and that the pain was so severe before the cup match that Füllkrug did not feel "safe". After consulting a specialist Füllkrug returned to training on 20 November and started in four consecutive matches.

A few days after Füllkrug missed a match against SC Freiburg due to knee problems, it was announced that the injury was severe and he would likely be out for the rest of the season. The injury required surgery and was revealed to be cartilage damage to his right knee, the third injury of this kind of his career. He previously suffered cartilage damage at Werder Bremen (January 2013, right knee) and 1. FC Nürnberg (March 2015, left knee).

Return to Werder Bremen

In April 2019, it was announced Füllkrug would return to former club Werder Bremen for the 2019–20 season. There were conflicting reports of the fee paid to Hannover 96 with Deichstube reporting €6.3 million plus a possible 500,000 in bonuses and Sportbuzzer claiming 7 million. 1. FC Nürnberg also profited from the transfer through a 10% sell-on clause. On 26 September 2020, he scored his second Bundesliga hat-trick in a 3–1 away win against Schalke 04. In the 2021–22 2. Bundesliga, he scored 19 goals which helped his club to be promoted back to the Bundesliga. In the beginning of the 2022–23 Bundesliga, he scored 10 goals in 14 matches, which urged the Germany national coach Hansi Flick to call him up for the World Cup in November. He eventually managed to score 16 goals in that season to finish as joint top scorer along with Christopher Nkunku.

Borussia Dortmund

On 31 August 2023, Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund announced the signing of Füllkrug on a three-year contract, for a reported fee of €13 million + €2 million in add-ons. On 29 September, he scored his first goal at the club in a 3–1 away win over Hoffenheim. On 7 November, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 2–0 victory over Newcastle United. On 28 January 2024, he netted his first hat-trick, including two penalties, in a 3–1 victory over Bochum. On 17 April 2024, he netted a goal to tie the game against Atletico Madrid and eventually help them progress to the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League.

In November 2022, Füllkrug was called up for the Germany national team for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. He made his debut in a friendly against Oman as a substitute and scored in the process. Coincidentally, he also became the oldest outfield player to make his debut for Germany in 20 years, aged 29 years and 280 days after Martin Max who was 33 years and 253 days old when he made his debut for Germany in 2002. On 27 November, he scored his first World Cup goal for Germany in a 1–1 draw against Spain. On 1 December, he scored a goal in a 4–2 win over Costa Rica. However, Germany was eliminated from the group stage as they finished third on goal difference.

Füllkrug's nickname is "Lücke" (German for "gap") because of his front teeth. He has a wife named Lisa, and a daughter born in 2019. His sister, Anna-Lena, plays as a striker for Hannover 96, while his grandfather Gerd used to play for SV Arminia Hannover.

Following an accident at Werder Bremen's training ground he once ended up hospitalised with the tooth of his teammate wedged in his forehead.

Club

As of match played 21 April 2024