Sebastian Polter

German footballer (born 1991)

Sebastian Polter
Polter playing for Union Berlin in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-04-01) 1 April 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Darmstadt 98
(on loan from Schalke 04)
Number 40
Youth career
1994–2003 Heidmühler FC
2003–2004 SV Wilhelmshaven
2004–2005 Werder Bremen
2005–2006 SV Wilhelmshaven
2006–2007 Eintracht Braunschweig
2007–2010 VfL Wolfsburg
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2012 VfL Wolfsburg II 68 (19)
2011–2013 VfL Wolfsburg 12 (2)
2012–2013 → 1. FC Nürnberg (loan) 26 (5)
2012–2013 → 1. FC Nürnberg II (loan) 2 (1)
2013–2015 Mainz 05 13 (0)
2013–2014 Mainz 05 II 7 (3)
2014–2015 → Union Berlin (loan) 29 (14)
2015–2017 Queens Park Rangers 51 (10)
2017–2020 Union Berlin 72 (30)
2020–2021 Fortuna Sittard 32 (9)
2021–2022 VfL Bochum 33 (10)
2022– Schalke 04 30 (5)
2024– → Darmstadt 98 (loan) 9 (0)
International career
2008–2009 Germany U18 6 (3)
2012 Germany U20 1 (2)
2012–2013 Germany U21[2] 10 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 April 2024

Sebastian Polter (born 1 April 1991) is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Darmstadt 98, on loan from Schalke 04

Club career

Early career

Polter played for VfL Wolfsburg II from July 2008 until June 2012.[3] During the 2008–09 season, Polter made 10 appearances without scoring a goal.[4] During the 2009–10 season, Polter scored three goals in 15 appearances.[5] During the 2010–11 season, Polter scored 11 goals in 25 appearances.[6] He played for both the first team and reserve team during the 2011–12 season.[7] He scored two goals in 12 appearances for the first team and five goals in 18 appearances for the reserve team.[7]

Polter played for 1. FC Nürnberg between July 2012 and June 2013 and for the reserve team in April 2013.[3] He scored five goals in 27 appearances for the first team and a goal in two appearances for the reserve team.[7]

Polter played for 1. FSV Mainz 05 between July 2013 and August 2014 and 1. FSV Mainz 05 II between September 2013 and June 2014.[3] For the first team, he played in 15 matches without scoring a goal, and for the reserve team, he scored three goals in seven appearances.[7]

In late August 2014, he was loaned to 2. Bundesliga club Union Berlin for the season.[3] He scored 14 goals in 29 appearances.[8]

Queens Park Rangers

In July 2015 it was announced that Queens Park Rangers had signed Polter from FSV Mainz 05 on a three-year-deal for an undisclosed fee. Polter made an instant impact on his debut scoring QPR's third goal in their 10–0 win over Italian side Verona Stars in the club's first pre-season fixture of the summer. Polter's league debut came in a 2–0 away loss to London rivals Charlton Athletic as he came on as a sub for Charlie Austin in the 84th minute.[9] His full debut came in a League Cup match against Yeovil Town, he scored the first goal for QPR as they secured a comfortable 3–0 victory.[10] He finished the 2015–16 season with seven goals in 33 appearances.[7] During the 2016–17 season for Queens Park Rangers, he scored 12 goals in 23 appearances.[7]

Union Berlin

He rejoined Union Berlin on 10 January 2017.[11] During the 2016–17 season for Union Berlin, he scored seven goals in 15 appearances.[7] He finished the 2017–18 season with 12 goals in 26 appearances.[12]

On 28 May 2020, Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler announced in a statement that Polter would not play for the club until the end of his contract in June, stating that Polter was the only member of the club that did not "stand up for each other and for our club," during the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] He had, as the sole member of the first team, refused to take a pay cut as the club was struggling financially due to the effects of the pandemic.[14]

Fortuna Sittard

Polter signed a two-year contract with Dutch Eredivisie club Fortuna Sittard on 17 August 2020.[15][16]

VfL Bochum

On 13 August 2021, VfL Bochum signed Polter on a free transfer until 30 June 2023.[17]

Schalke 04

On 20 June 2022, Polter signed a three-year contract with Schalke 04, which promoted to the Bundesliga.[18]

Loan to Darmstadt 98

On 1 February 2024, Polter was loaned to Bundesliga club Darmstadt 98 until the end of the season, with the club having an option to make the move permanent.[19]

International career

Polter was a member of several German youth national teams and also appointed to the squad for 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Israel where Germany were eliminated at the group stage.

Career statistics

As of 26 April 2024[7]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[a] League Cup[b] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
VfL Wolfsburg II 2008–09 Regionalliga Nord 10 0 — — 10 0
2009–10 Regionalliga Nord 15 3 — — 15 3
2010–11 Regionalliga Nord 25 11 — — 25 11
2011–12 Regionalliga Nord 18 5 — — 18 5
Total 68 19 — — 68 19
VfL Wolfsburg 2011–12 Bundesliga 12 2 0 0 — 12 2
1. FC Nürnberg (loan) 2012–13 Bundesliga 26 5 1 0 — 27 5
1. FC Nürnberg II (loan) 2012–13 Regionalliga Bayern 2 1 — — 2 1
Mainz 05 2013–14 Bundesliga 13 0 2 0 — 15 0
Mainz 05 II 2013–14 Regionalliga Südwest 7 3 — — 7 3
Union Berlin (loan) 2014–15 2. Bundesliga 29 14 0 0 — 29 14
Queens Park Rangers 2015–16 Championship 31 6 0 0 2 1 33 7
2016–17 Championship 20 4 0 0 3 0 23 4
Total 51 10 0 0 5 1 56 11
Union Berlin 2016–17 2. Bundesliga 15 7 0 0 — 15 7
2017–18 2. Bundesliga 24 12 2 0 — 26 12
2018–19 2. Bundesliga 20 9 1 2 — 21 11
2019–20 Bundesliga 13 2 0 0 — 13 2
Total 72 30 3 2 — 75 32
Fortuna Sittard 2020–21 Eredivisie 32 9 2 1 — 34 10
VfL Bochum 2021–22 Bundesliga 33 10 3 1 — 36 11
Schalke 04 2022–23 Bundesliga 19 2 2 0 — 21 2
2023–24 2. Bundesliga 11 3 2 0 — 13 3
Total 30 5 4 0 — 34 5
Darmstadt 98 (loan) 2023–24 Bundesliga 9 0 0 0 — 9 0
Career total 384 108 15 4 5 1 404 113
  1. ^ Appearances in DFB-Pokal and KNVB Cup.
  2. ^ Appearances in EFL League Cup.

References

  1. ^ "Sebastian Polter". FC Schalke 04. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  2. ^ "U 21-Männer: Sebastian Polter" [U 21-men: Sebastian Polter] (in German). DFB. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d "Sebastian Polter". World Football. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sebastian Polter » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Charlton 2–0 QPR". BBC Sport. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  10. ^ "Yeovil 0–3 QPR". BBC Sport. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  11. ^ ""Wie eine Heimkehr": Polter zurück bei Union Berlin". kicker.de (in German). kicker. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Polter won't play for Union in the Bundesliga". Union Berlin. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  14. ^ France, Sam (28 May 2020). "Polter exiled from Union Berlin squad for failing to uphold 'fundamental community values' of Bundesliga club | Goal.com". GOAL.
  15. ^ "Fortuna Sittard en Sebastian Polter vinden elkaar in tweejarig contract". Fortuna Sittard (in Dutch). 17 August 2020.
  16. ^ "Fortuna neemt in opspraak geraakte spits Polter over van Union Berlin". NU (in Dutch). 17 August 2020.
  17. ^ "Sebastian Polter joins VfL". VfL Bochum. 13 August 2021.
  18. ^ "FC Schalke 04 sign Sebastian Polter". Schalke 04. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  19. ^ "FC Schalke 04 loan out Sebastian Polter to SV Darmstadt 98". Schalke 04. 1 February 2024.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sebastian Polter.
  • Profile at the FC Schalke 04 website
  • Sebastian Polter at fussballdaten.de (in German)
  • Sebastian Polter at Soccerbase Edit this at Wikidata
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SV Darmstadt 98 – current squad