David Kinsombi

Kinsombi's route to Paderborn ran through more clubs than most players see in a career twice as long. He came up through Wehen Wiesbaden and Mainz 05, where he captained the under-19 side and won three caps for Germany's under-18s, before making his professional debut for Eintracht Frankfurt in November 2014. From there the path turned restless: Karlsruher SC, a loan to Magdeburg, then Holstein Kiel, where nine goals in 49 appearances persuaded Hamburger SV to pay a reported €3 million for him in 2019.

The move to Hamburg brought his highest-profile spell, 78 appearances and 11 goals, but no promotion and no trophy followed. A free transfer to Sandhausen in 2022 kept him in the second tier, and in May 2023 he joined Paderborn on another free transfer. He has made 43 appearances for the club and scored four goals, adding to a second-division career that now runs past 220 appearances, among the most experienced in the 2. Bundesliga. A loan spell at Preußen Münster in January 2025 brought 15 further appearances and a goal before he returned to Paderborn.

Kinsombi holds dual German and Congolese citizenship. His career has, so far, produced no major team titles or individual awards, but it has one unusual footnote: his brother, Christian Kinsombi, also played in the 2. Bundesliga, and the pair were among the first brothers to appear together in the division. He has been reported as a target for Würzburger Kickers ahead of a possible 2026 move.