Niko Kijewski

Ten years at one club is rare in the lower reaches of German football, and Niko Kijewski managed it at Eintracht Braunschweig. He arrived in 2014 as a youth player, moved into the senior set-up a year later, and spent his first two seasons largely with the reserve side before establishing himself in the first team. By the time he left, he had made more than 150 senior appearances.

The high point came in the 2019–20 season. Kijewski played 31 matches in the 3. Liga as Braunschweig went up to the 2. Bundesliga. He had already tasted the division: in 2016–17 the club finished third and went into the promotion play-offs against VfL Wolfsburg.

The route there ran through his home region. Born in Osnabrück, he started at VfL Büren before joining VfL Osnabrück in 2011, where he stayed three years.

Germany called him up through the youth grades — one cap at U16 level in 2011, eight at U18 across 2013 and 2014, and nine at U19 between 2014 and 2015. He was named in the U19 squad for the 2015 UEFA European Under-19 Championship but did not get on the pitch during the tournament. No senior caps followed.

In July 2024 the Braunschweig chapter closed. Kijewski moved to SC Verl as a free agent, joining a new dressing room for the first time in a decade.