Maximilian Arnold

Maximilian Arnold made his senior debut for VfL Wolfsburg in 2011 at the age of 17, becoming the youngest player ever to appear for the club. Two years later he became Wolfsburg's youngest goalscorer. He has never worn another senior club's shirt: every step of his career, from the youth ranks he joined in 2009 through to the first team, has run through Wolfsburg.

That loyalty has translated into longevity. Arnold has made more than 400 appearances for the club, and in 2020 he passed Diego Benaglio to become Wolfsburg's all-time leader in total appearances and in the Bundesliga, where he passed the 260-game mark. Before reaching the first team, he had already won the German U-19 Championship with Wolfsburg's youth side, in 2009 and again in 2011. His senior honours with the club followed later, with the DFB-Pokal in the 2014–15 season and the DFL-Supercup in 2015.

His left foot has also been put to use for Germany. Arnold won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2017 and was named to the Team of the Tournament. At senior level he was capped three times for Germany between 2014 and 2021, without scoring. He later captained the German Olympic team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, earning two caps in that role.

Before Wolfsburg, Arnold's path ran through his home region: he started out at SV Strehla, moved on to SC Riesa, and then joined Dynamo Dresden's youth setup, all before Wolfsburg brought him in as a teenager.