.jpg) Fuchs withAustria in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Fuchs[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1986-04-07)7 April 1986 (age 39)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Neunkirchen, Austria | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Left-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Newport County (manager) | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2001 | SVg Pitten | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Wiener Neustadt | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Wiener Neustadt | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2008 | SV Mattersburg | 141 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | VfL Bochum | 53 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | →Mainz 05 (loan) | 31 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Schalke 04 | 99 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2021 | Leicester City | 116 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Charlotte FC | 26 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | →Charlotte Independence (loan) | 15 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | FSA Pro | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 493 | (27) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Austria U17 | 24 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Austria U19 | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Austria U21 | 10 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–2016 | Austria | 78 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Newport County | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Christian Fuchs (Austrian German:[ˈkrɪsti̯a(ː)nˈfʊks]; born 7 April 1986) is an Austrian former professionalfootballer who is currently themanager ofEFL League Two clubNewport County. Fuchs played as aleft back and he was part of theLeicester City2015–16 Premier League winning squad.
He began his senior career as a teenager atWiener Neustadt before signing his first professional contract at 17 withSV Mattersburg, challenging for theAustrian Football Bundesliga title and taking part in European competitions. In 2008, he left for Germany, signing forVfL Bochum. After a season on loan atMainz 05, he signed forSchalke 04 in 2011, where he contested theUEFA Champions League but suffered a serious knee injury. In June 2015, he signed for Leicester, winning thePremier League in his first season at the club. After leaving Leicester in June 2021, he spent one season with Charlotte FC, before retiring from professional football in January 2023.
A full international from 2006 to 2016, Fuchs earned 78 caps forAustria. He represented the nation at theUEFA Euro 2008, and theUEFA Euro 2016,captaining them for the first time in 2010 and on a permanent basis from 2012, before retiring from international duty in 2016.
Born inNeunkirchen,Lower Austria, his father was an amateurgoalkeeper. He began as aforward at local team SVg Pitten before moving to1. Wiener Neustädter SC at the age of 14. At the age of 15, while still an amateur and at mainstream school, Fuchs played for their senior team. When he was 17, he signed his first professional deal atSV Mattersburg, a team who despite coming from a town of 6,000 drew league record average crowds of 17,000, came third in theAustrian Football Bundesliga and played in European competition.[4]
Prior toUEFA Euro 2008, he joined GermanBundesliga sideVfL Bochum.[5] He later described it as a useful move to play regularly while attracting attention from bigger teams.[4] In 2010, he was signed onloan by1. FSV Mainz 05,[5] a newly promoted team who ended the season in the top five.[4]
On 6 June 2011, Fuchs signed withSchalke 04 on a deal until June 2015.[6] The transfer fee was reportedly undisclosed by Schalke's sport and communications managerHorst Heldt.[6] Fuchs was assigned the number 23 shirt, previously worn byDanilo Fernando Avelar.[6]
His first goal for the club was afree kick in the Bundesliga against Mainz. In his time at the team fromGelsenkirchen, he competed in theUEFA Champions League, but suffered a long-term knee injury.[4]
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On 3 June 2015,Premier League sideLeicester City announced the signing of Fuchs on afree transfer, signing a three-year deal with the Foxes effective from 1 July.[7] Signed under previous managerNigel Pearson, Fuchs didn't have a regular spot in new managerClaudio Ranieri's squad until October. Fuchs made an appearance in Leicester's third round League Cup tie againstWest Ham, providing an assist forAndy King's extra time winner. Following a 5–2 loss toArsenal on 26 September,[8] Ranieri elected to shake up his defensive back four, inserting Fuchs and teammateDanny Simpson in place ofJeffrey Schlupp andRitchie De Laet respectively.[9] Fuchs made his first Premier League start the next week againstNorwich City.[10]
In his first season, Leicester finished as champions on odds of 5,000–1, making Fuchs the first Austrian to receive a Premier League winners' medal since Arsenal'sAlex Manninger in 1998.[11] Following the insertion of Fuchs into the lineup on Matchday 8, Leicester City led the Premier League in clean sheets along with Arsenal, with 15. Fuchs himself led the league during this period in successful tackles with 77, while finishing second in interceptions with 98.[12]
Prior to signing for Leicester, Fuchs had an offer to play in the United States, where his family live, but he turned it down. He had said in March 2016, "My intention is to play in the US. I have come [to Leicester] for three years. I decided that I would sign one last contract in Europe, when I left Schalke, then go to the US."[4]
On 21 October 2016, Fuchs signed a new contract with Leicester, keeping him with the club until June 2019.[13] The next day, Fuchs scored his first goal for Leicester againstCrystal Palace, volleying home a corner-kick clearance byChristian Benteke for the team's final goal in a 3–1 victory.[14]
On 8 May 2019, Fuchs signed a new one-year contract with Leicester.[15]
On 18 June 2020, Leicester announced that they had triggered a one-year contract extension for Fuchs.[16]
On 21 May 2021, Leicester announced that Fuchs would leave the club at the expiration of his contract at the end of the2020–21 season.[17]
On 7 June 2021, it was announced that Fuchs would joinMajor League Soccer expansion sideCharlotte FC.[18] On 27 July 2021, With Charlotte due to play MLS from the 2022 season, Fuchs joinedUSL Championship sideCharlotte Independence for the remainder of 2021.[19] After playing as a regular with Charlotte in their expansion season, Fuchs announced on 5 January 2023 he would be retiring from professional football.[20]
In November 2023, Fuchs appeared in the playoffs for FSA Pro, theUnited Premier Soccer League side of Fox Soccer Academy, which Fuchs owns and runs.[21]
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Fuchs made his debut for theAustria national team on 23 May 2006 in a friendly match againstCroatia, replacingStefan Lexa for the final six minutes of the 4–1 loss at theErnst-Happel-Stadion inVienna.
He was part of the Austrian international squad as they co-hostedUEFA Euro 2008 alongsideSwitzerland. He made only one appearance in the group stage elimination, playing the entirety of the 1–0 loss to Germany in their last match of the tournament.[22]
On 11 August 2010, in the absence of regular captainMarc Janko, Fuchs captained his nation for the first time in a 1–0 friendly loss to the Swiss inKlagenfurt.[23] That 17 November, he scored his first international goal, equalising in a 2–1 home friendly loss toGreece.[24]
Fuchs received the armband on a permanent basis at the behest of managerMarcel Koller on 13 August 2012.[25] He played all ten games as they qualified for theUEFA Euro 2016, the first time they did so, and featured in every minute of thegroup stage elimination in France. Afterwards, he retired from international football with a total of 78 caps, declaring "I am very proud of the 10 years that I have spent with the national team. I did everything with passion and, as I said, I am very, very proud."[26]
After retiring from professional football, Fuchs stayed at Charlotte FC and was appointed as an assistant coach underChristian Lattanzio on 6 January 2023.[27]
On 20 November 2025, Fuchs secured his first management position on being appointed byEFL League Two sideNewport County after the dismissal of previous managerDavid Hughes.[28][29]
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Fuchs' wife, Raluca Gold-Fuchs, with whom he has a stepson, son, and daughter, is a businesswoman based inNew York, formerly ofGoldman Sachs.[4] He runs a public relations company and a football academy in New York, and in 2016 he stated he planned to move there permanently after his football career.[4][30]
TheLeicester Mercury described Fuchs as "not your stereotypical footballer...[he] has more strings to his bow than an orchestra".[4] He is noted for his online video series "No Fuchs Given", a play on his surname and the English-language obscenity "fuck"; the series consists of himself and teammates doing unusual football-related challenges, such as him andRobert Huth shooting the ball as hard as possible at each other's backsides.[4] In 2016 he stated his desire to become anNFLplacekicker and demonstrated his skills on theBBC's NFL coverage.[31]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wiener Neustadt | 2002–03 | Austrian Landesliga | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| SV Mattersburg | 2003–04 | Austrian Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2004–05 | Austrian Bundesliga | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 2 | ||||
| 2005–06 | Austrian Bundesliga | 35 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | 40 | 3 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Austrian Bundesliga | 35 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 41 | 7 | |||
| 2007–08 | Austrian Bundesliga | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 141 | 11 | 12 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 155 | 14 | ||||
| VfL Bochum | 2008–09 | Bundesliga | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 2 | |||
| 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 53 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 55 | 6 | |||||
| Mainz 05 (loan) | 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 0 | |||
| Schalke 04 | 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 11[d] | 2 | 1[e] | 0 | 44 | 4 | |
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 6[d] | 1 | — | 37 | 1 | |||
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 7[d] | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 1 | — | 30 | 3 | |||
| Total | 99 | 4 | 7 | 0 | — | 29 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 8 | |||
| Leicester City | 2015–16 | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 36 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9[d] | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 48 | 2 | |
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[g] | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 116 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 152 | 3 | ||
| Charlotte Independence (loan) | 2021 | USL Championship | 15 | 1 | — | — | — | 2[h] | 1 | 17 | 2 | |||
| Charlotte FC | 2022 | Major League Soccer | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 493 | 27 | 34 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 45 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 589 | 36 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 2006 | 4 | 0 |
| 2007 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 78 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 November 2010 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria |  Greece | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
Schalke 04
Leicester City
Austria U17
Individual
Managerial positions | |||||||
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Austria squads | |||||||||||||
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