Chris Jan Führich

Chris Führich's path to the top of German football ran through more clubs than most players manage in a full career. After leaving Schalke 04's academy for Borussia Dortmund, then Bochum and Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, he rebuilt his career at 1. FC Köln before returning to Dortmund's second team and going out on loan to Paderborn 07, who paid €700,000 to sign him permanently.

Stuttgart took the gamble in July 2021, paying around €3 million for the forward, with Dortmund keeping a sell-on clause. It paid off: in the 2023–24 Bundesliga season, Führich finished as joint-top assist provider with ten, a campaign in which Stuttgart finished second in the league table.

His breakthrough at international level came later. Führich made his senior debut for Germany on 12 October 2023 against the United States and has since gone on to earn caps at UEFA Euro 2024, though his appearances for the national side remain limited.

Domestically, he has become a fixture in Stuttgart's attack, and his club career reached a high point in the 2024–25 season when he started as VfB won the DFB-Pokal, beating Arminia Bielefeld 4–2 in the final on 24 May 2025.