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Robin Koch

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Robin Koch
Personal information
Full name Robin Leon Koch[1]
Date of birth (1996-07-17) 17 July 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Kaiserslautern, Germany
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Eintracht Frankfurt
Number 4
Youth career
2001–2003 1. FC Kaiserslautern
2003–2009 SV Dörbach
2009–2014 Eintracht Trier
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Eintracht Trier II 6 (0)
2014–2015 Eintracht Trier 23 (2)
2015–2016 1. FC Kaiserslautern II 27 (1)
2016–2017 1. FC Kaiserslautern 27 (0)
2017–2020 SC Freiburg 82 (4)
2020–2024 Leeds United 73 (0)
2023–2024 → Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) 31 (2)
2024– Eintracht Frankfurt 10 (0)
International career‡
2018–2019 Germany U21 5 (0)
2019– Germany 11 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Germany
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 2019
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:25, 10 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 07:57, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

Robin Leon Koch (German pronunciation: [ˈʁɔbɪn ˈkɔx];[3][4] born 17 July 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and the Germany national team.[5]

Koch made his first-team debut for 1. FC Kaiserslautern after graduated from the club's youth system and also played in Bundesliga with SC Freiburg. He has previously played for Eintracht Trier II, Eintracht Trier, 1. FC Kaiserslautern II, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and SC Freiburg. He was included in the Germany U21 team before joining the first-team in November 2019. In August 2020, he signed for Leeds United ahead of their Premier League return and in 2021, represented Germany at UEFA Euro 2020.

Club career

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Early career

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Koch was born in Kaiserslautern and joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern's academy at the age of five, but switched to SV Dörbach when his family moved to Salmtal.[6] He joined Eintracht Trier's academy in 2009,[7] and despite the fact that "he was never seen as a superstar talent" according to his childhood best friend, he was invited to regional trials by the German Football Association in 2011.[6] He was promoted to Trier's first team in 2014,[8] and made his debut on 22 September 2014 in a 0–0 draw with TuS Koblenz.[5] He scored his first senior goal on 22 November 2014 in a 4–2 victory over SpVgg Neckarelz; A low shot in the 25th minute to put Eintracht Trier 1–0 up.[5][9] He appeared in 23 league matches for Eintracht Trier across the 2014–15 season, scoring two goals,[10] whilst he also appeared 6 times for their reserve side.

1. FC Kaiserslautern

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In 2015, Koch moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, initially joining their reserve side.[11] Though he was the son of Kaiserslautern legend Harry Koch, he "tried hard not to live on his father's reputation", living an "unglamorous lifestyle" and "staying off the grid" at Kaiserslautern.[8] He scored once in 26 appearances for Kaiserslautern's reserves in the 2015–16 season.[12] Koch signed his first professional contract with the club in September 2016, with the contract lasting until the summer of 2019.[13] His debut for Kaiserslautern came on 2 October 2016, starting in a 0–0 draw against Arminia Bielefeld in the 2. Bundesliga.[14][15] He made 24 appearances for Kaiserslautern during the 2016–17 season,[16] and attracted the interest of multiple Bundesliga clubs according to his father Harry.[17]

SC Freiburg

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On 22 August 2017, Koch moved to Bundesliga side SC Freiburg. The transfer fee paid to Kaiserslautern was reported as €3.5 million.[18] He made his Bundesliga debut for Freiburg on 22 October 2017 against Hertha Berlin in a 1–1 draw.[5] He scored his first goal for the club on 13 January 2018 in a 1–1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.[19]

Leeds United

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On 29 August 2020, Koch joined newly-promoted Premier League club Leeds United on a four-year deal,[20][21] for a transfer fee that was reported to be £13 million.[22] He was signed as a replacement for former loanee Ben White, who was deemed to be too expensive to sign permanently.[8] Koch made his Premier League debut for Leeds in the first match of the season against Liverpool on 12 September 2020, starting in the 3–4 defeat at Anfield to the reigning champions.[23][24] Koch was described as having a 'rough debut',[23] having given away the penalty resulting in Liverpool's first goal despite the fact that the ball deflected off his thigh, before failing to mark Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool's second.[24] Koch was substituted in the ninth minute of a 3–1 defeat to Chelsea on 5 December after a recurrence of a knee injury suffered in the opening game of the season, and subsequently underwent knee surgery.[25][26] He made his return to the first team as a late substitute against Fulham on 19 March 2021.[27] Following the appointment of Jesse Marsch as manager at Leeds, and a switch to zonal marking,[28] Koch appeared to take a step up in his game and became a regular starter in central defence towards the end of the 2021–22 season and into 2022–23.

Eintracht Frankfurt

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On 6 July 2023, Koch joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the 2023–24 season.[29] Later that year, on 21 September, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory over Aberdeen in the Conference League.[30] On 9 January 2024, Koch agreed to join Eintracht Frankfurt on a permanent contract at the end of his loan spell, signing a contract until June 2027.[31]

International career

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Youth

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Having been called up to Germany's under-21 squad in October 2018,[32] Koch was part of the Germany U21's squad who finished runner up at the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship after losing the final to Spain in June 2019.[33]

Senior

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Koch received his first call-up to the German senior squad in October 2019.[34] He debuted the same year on 9 October in a friendly match against Argentina, playing the whole match.[35] His competitive debut occurred on 16 November, starting in the 4–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier victory against Belarus.[36]

Koch was called up to the Germany squad on 26 August 2020 for the UEFA Nations League fixtures against Spain and Switzerland.[37] On 19 May 2021, he was selected to the squad for the UEFA Euro 2020.[38] On 7 June 2024, he was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[39]

Style of play

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Koch plays mainly as a centre-back, but can also play as a defensive midfielder or as a central midfielder.[40][41] He is described as a ball playing centre-back and his style of play has been compared to that of Javi Martínez.[42]

Personal life

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He is the son of former professional footballer Harry Koch.[18] His younger brother Louis plays for SV Alsenborn.[8]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of match played 10 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Eintracht Trier 2014–15[43] Regionalliga Südwest 23 2 0 0 — — 23 2
Eintracht Trier II 2014–15 Rheinlandliga 6 0 — — — 6 0
1. FC Kaiserslautern 2015–16[43] 2. Bundesliga 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2016–17[43] 2. Bundesliga 24 0 0 0 — — 24 0
2017–18[43] 2. Bundesliga 3 0 1 0 — — 4 0
Total 27 0 1 0 — — 28 0
1. FC Kaiserslautern II 2015–16[43] Regionalliga Südwest 24 1 — — — 24 1
2016–17[43] Regionalliga Südwest 3 0 — — — 3 0
Total 27 1 0 0 — — 27 1
SC Freiburg 2017–18[43] Bundesliga 26 2 2 0 — — 28 2
2018–19[43] Bundesliga 24 1 1 0 — — 25 1
2019–20[43] Bundesliga 32 1 2 1 — — 34 2
Total 82 4 5 1 — — 87 5
Leeds United 2020–21[44] Premier League 17 0 0 0 0 0 — 17 0
2021–22[45] Premier League 20 0 1 0 0 0 — 21 0
2022–23[46] Premier League 36 0 2 0 1 0 — 39 0
Total 73 0 3 0 1 0 — 77 0
Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) 2023–24[c][43] Bundesliga 31 2 3 0 — 8[d] 2 42 4
Eintracht Frankfurt 2024–25 Bundesliga 10 0 2 0 — 3[e] 0 15 0
Total 41 2 5 0 — 11 2 57 4
Career total 279 9 14 1 1 0 11 2 307 12
  1. ^ Includes DFB-Pokal, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Part of this season was spent on loan from Leeds United
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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As of match played 16 November 2024[5]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Germany 2019 2 0
2020 5 0
2021 1 0
2024 3 0
Total 11 0

Honours

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Germany U21

References

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  1. ^ "Robin Koch". DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Robin Koch". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  3. ^ Krech, Eva-Maria; Stock, Eberhard; Hirschfeld, Ursula; Anders, Lutz Christian (2009). Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch [German Pronunciation Dictionary] (in German). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 675, 878. ISBN 978-3-11-018202-6.
  4. ^ Dudenredaktion; Kleiner, Stefan; Knöbl, Ralf (2015) [First published 1962]. Das Aussprachewörterbuch [The Pronunciation Dictionary] (in German) (7th ed.). Berlin: Dudenverlag. p. 514. ISBN 978-3-411-04067-4.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Robin Koch". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Ganz der Vater ..." Volksfreund. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Robin Koch | Laufbahn | Spielerprofil". kicker. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d Hay, Phil; Honigstein, Raphael. "Robin Koch's journey from Germany to Bielsa's Leeds". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Robin Koch löst die Bremse". eintracht-trier.com (in German). SV Eintracht Trier 05. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Robin Koch | Spieler Einsätze | Eintracht Trier | Regionalliga Südwest 2014/15". kicker.
  11. ^ "EINTRACHT-ECKE". Volksfreund (in German). 19 May 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Robin Koch | Spieler Einsätze | 1. FC Kaiserslautern II | Regionalliga Südwest 2015/16".
  13. ^ "2. Bundesliga: 1. FC Kaiserslautern bindet Robin Koch". Sport1.de. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  14. ^ Sperk, Oliver (2 October 2016). "Robin Koch in der Startelf des 1. FC Kaiserslautern – Pfalz". Die Rheinpfalz (in German). Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  15. ^ Konzok, Horst; Sperk, Oliver (2 October 2016). "FCK scheitert wieder an sich selbst – FCK". Die Rheinpfalz (in German).
  16. ^ "Robin Koch | Spieler Einsätze | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2. Bundesliga 2016/17". kicker. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Vater: Koch hat Angebote aus Bundesliga | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Wende: Lauterns Koch doch nach Freiburg". kicker Online (in German). 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Freiburgs Robin Koch: "Das war ein ganz besonderer Moment für mich"". bundesliga.com (in German). Bundesliga. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  20. ^ "Leeds United seal deal for Robin Koch". leedsunited.com. 29 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Robin Koch joins Premier League side Leeds United". scfreiburg.com. 29 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Leeds beat Tottenham to clinch £13m Koch signing". Goal. 30 August 2020.
  23. ^ a b "Liverpool 4–3 Leeds United: 'Premier League return magnificently chaotic for Marcelo Bielsa's club'". BBC Sport. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  24. ^ a b Hunter, Andy (12 September 2020). "Liverpool finally sink Leeds with Mo Salah hat-trick in thriller". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Robin Koch: Leeds defender to have knee surgery after being injured at Chelsea". Sky Sports. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  26. ^ "Robin Koch: Leeds defender out for three months after knee surgery". BBC Sport. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Fulham 1-2 Leeds". BBC. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Robin Koch shares biggest difference at Leeds United under Jesse Marsch". MOTLeedsNews. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Robin Koch verstärkt Defensive" [Robin Koch strengthens defense] (in German). Eintracht Frankfurt. 6 July 2023.
  30. ^ "Robin Koch köpft Eintracht Frankfurt zum Sieg über Aberdeen" (in German). hessenschau.de. 21 September 2023.
  31. ^ "Robin Koch: Leeds United defender signs permanent Eintracht Frankfurt deal". BBC. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Neu bei der U 21: Mittelstädt, Koch und Sabiri". German Football Association (in German). Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  33. ^ a b "Spain 2=1". UEFA. 28 August 2020.
  34. ^ "Löw nominiert auch Rudy und Koch nach". Kicker (in German). 7 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  35. ^ "Robin wer? Blitz-Debütant Koch plötzlich "verdammt gut"" [Robin who? Blitz debutant Koch suddenly "damn good"]. Münstersche Zeitung (in German). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  36. ^ Blahak, Mirko (16 November 2019). "Fußball: Ex-Trierer löst mit Nationalelf das EM-Ticket". Volksfreund (in German). Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  37. ^ "Niklas Süle and Florian Neuhaus called up to Germany squad to face Spain and Switzerland". Bundesliga. 26 August 2020.
  38. ^ "EM-Kader offiziell: Löw beruft Müller, Hummels und Volland". Kicker (in German). 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  39. ^ "UEFA Euro 2024: All squads and players full list". Olympics. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  40. ^ "How Robin Koch compares to Ben White as Leeds United step up interest in defender". Leeds Live. 28 August 2020.
  41. ^ "Robin Koch: Meet Freiburg's Latest National Team Player". Fussballstadt. 28 August 2020.
  42. ^ "Robin Koch: Who is Germany's international defender starring for Freiburg?". Bundesliga. 28 August 2020.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Robin Koch". kicker (in German). Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  44. ^ "Games played by Robin Koch in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  45. ^ "Games played by Robin Koch in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  46. ^ "Games played by Robin Koch in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
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