Fabian Giefer (German pronunciation: [ˈɡiːfɐ]; born 17 May 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Currently a free agent, he last played for Würzburger Kickers.

Fabian Giefer
Giefer with Schalke 04 in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth (1990-05-17) 17 May 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth Adenau, West Germany
Height 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1996–1999 1. FC Oberahr
1999–2003 TuRa Lommersdorf
2003–2009 Bayer Leverkusen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2012 Bayer Leverkusen II 44 (0)
2009–2012 Bayer Leverkusen 6 (0)
2012–2014 Fortuna Düsseldorf 64 (0)
2014–2017 Schalke 04 2 (0)
2017Bristol City (loan) 10 (0)
2017–2018 FC Augsburg II 3 (0)
2017–2020 FC Augsburg 4 (0)
2020–2021 Würzburger Kickers 9 (0)
International career
2005–2006 Germany U16 4 (0)
2006–2007 Germany U17 16 (0)
2008 Germany U18 1 (0)
2010 Germany U20 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 December 2020

Club career

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Bayer Leverkusen

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Born in Adenau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Giefer began his football career at 1. FC Oberahr as his first youth club. He then move to TuRa Lommersdorf before moving to Bayer Leverkusen, where he started his professional career.[1] He would soon promoted to Bayer Leverkusen II.[2] Griefer played his first Bayer Leverkusen II match in the opening game of the season, in a 2–2 draw against Verl.[3] At Bayer Leverkusen II, Giefer spent the season competing the first choice goalkeeper role with Benedikt Fernandez and Erik Domaschke, which saw him make ten appearances.[4]

Giefer was promoted to the Bayer Leverkusen first team ahead of the 2009–10 season.[5] Having signed his first professional contract with the club he was expected to fight over a first choice goalkeeper role with René Adler.[6] Following Adler's absence, he made his Bundesliga debut on 6 November 2009 against Eintracht Frankfurt, in which he kept a clean sheet in a 4–0 win.[7][8] While Adler managed to regain his first choice goalkeeper role soon after, he went on to make two appearances for the side in the 2009–10 season against Hannover 96[9] and Borussia Mönchengladbach.[10]

In the 2010–11 season, Giefer continued to remain a second choice goalkeeper behind Adler. On 1 December 2010, he made his international debut for the UEFA Europa League, substituting Bayer's #1 goalkeeper, René Adler and the team won 1–0 against Norway's Rosenborg.[11] By the end of December, Giefer made two more appearances in all competitions: once came against Atlético Madrid[12] and another in the league against Freiburg.[13] Although he suffered an injury as the season progressed, on 10 April 2011, he made his first appearance of the season, in a 2–1 win over St. Pauli.[14][15]

In the 2011–12 season, Giefer made his first appearance of the season, but was concussed during the match, which saw Bayer 04 Leverkusen lose 2–0 on 7 August 2011.[16] After the match, Giefer stated that he did not remember anything about the last month.[17][18][19] This turned out to be his only appearance, as new arrivals of David Yelldell and Bernd Leno pushed him out of the first team, as well as, his own injury concerns.[20][21] As a result, Giefer spent most of the season playing for Bayer 04 Leverkusen II side.[22]

Fortuna Düsseldorf

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Giefer at Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2013.

On 4 June 2012, it was announced that Giefer would join Fortuna Düsseldorf with a two-year contract until 30 June 2014.[23] He revealed he turned down a move to Bayern Munich because he wanted first team action whereas he would have been a back-up to Bayern's first choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had he joined.[24]

Giefer made his competitive debut in the first round of DFB-Pokal, in a 1–0 win over Wacker Burghausen, keeping clean sheet.[25] He did well in the next game against Augsburg in the opening game of the season, where he kept a clean sheet again, in a 2–0 win.[26] Having established himself as first choice goalkeeper, Giefer kept five more clean sheets in the first six league matches until he conceded twice on 28 September 2012, in a 2–2 draw against Schalke 04.[27][28] Since then, the club's form soon slipped and began a losing streak as the season progressed. In a 3–2 loss against Augsburg on 20 January 2013, Giefer was at fault when he conceded one of the goals and after the match, he said he took a huge responsibility for his mistakes.[29] On 16 February 2013, Giefer made amends when he provided assist for Axel Bellinghausen, in a 1–0 win over Greuther Fürth.[30] Despite playing the whole game in his first season, he was unable to help the club, as they were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga next season.

In the 2013–14 season, Giefer continued to be the club's first choice goalkeeper, where he kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Energie Cottbus in the opening game of the season.[31] He was ever-present goalkeeper at the club until he received a straight red card for conceding a penalty in a 3–0 loss against Erzgebirge Aue on 24 November 2013.[32] After serving a suspension, Giefer returned to the first team on 9 December 2013, where he kept a clean sheet again, in a 1–0 win over Kaiserslautern.[33][34] He appeared at the substitute bench three times, as the season progressed, Giefer went on to make 31 appearances in all competitions.[35]

Schalke 04

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It was announced on 6 December 2013 that Giefer would join Schalke 04 next season.[36] In May 2014, the move was confirmed, as he signed a four-year contract and was assigned the squad number 34.[37]

However, at the start of the season, Giefer suffered a setback when he suffered injuries and was sidelined for months.[38][39] After returning to training, he spent the rest of the year as a substitute behind Ralf Fährmann.[40] He made his Schalke 04 debut on 31 January 2015 when he kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Hannover 96[41] and made another appearance in the next game on 3 February 2015, in a 1–1 draw against Bayern Munich.[42] he suffered an injury again during the match and was out for the rest of the season.[43][44]

In the 2015–16 season, Giefer continued to rehabilitate from his injury in the first half of the season.[45] After returning to full training around January, Giefer appeared on the substitute bench between February and March.[46] Giefer suffered another injury that kept him out for the rest of the season.[47] After returning to training, Giefer made a rare appearance for the club in a year, where he played the whole game, in a 2–0 loss against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Europa League match.[48] At the end of the 2016–17 season, Giefer was among players to have their future discussed ahead of the 2017–18 season.[49]

Loan to Bristol City

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On 19 January 2017, Bristol City announced the loan signing of Giefer until the end of the season.[50]

Giefer made his Bristol City debut on 21 January 2017, where he played the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Nottingham Forest.[51] After making his debut, he was given a handful of first team appearances until he suffered an eye injury, and he subsequently lost his place to reserve goalkeeper, Frank Fielding.[52] He remained on the substitute bench for the rest of the season until he returned to the starting line-up in the last game of the season, in a 1–0 loss against Birmingham City.[53] Following this, Giefer returned to his parent club.[54]

FC Augsburg

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On 8 June 2017, after leaving Schalke 04, Giefer joined FC Augsburg, signing a four-year contract, keeping him until 2021.[55] He played the first game for his new club on 25 August for the reserve team, FC Augsburg II, against Bayern Munich II in the Regionalliga; Augsburg won 5–1.[56] On the first team, Giefer was mainly a backup behind Marwin Hitz as well as Tomáš Koubek, and later even Andreas Luthe, making him fourth on the depth chart. He only appeared in the first-team squad on the last match day in his last season at the club, 2019–20.

Würzburger Kickers

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After making only four competitive appearances in three years, Giefer terminated his contract in Augsburg at the beginning of August 2020 and signed a two-year deal with Würzburger Kickers, who had recently been promoted to the 2. Bundesliga.[57]

International career

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After representing the Germany youth team for five years, Giefer was called up by Germany U20 in November 2010.[58] He made his Germany U20 debut, where he played until he was sent-off, in a 2–1 win over Italy U20 on 17 November 2010.[59]

Two years on, Giefer was called up by Germany U21, but withdrew and was replaced by Kevin Trapp.[60]

Personal life

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In April 2016, Giefer was fined and had to collect points for dangerous driving.[61] He is married to the German model Annabell Trah.

Career statistics

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As of 4 August 2020[62]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bayer Leverkusen II 2007–08 Oberliga Nordrhein 1 0 1 0
2008–09 Regionalliga West 10 0 10 0
2009–10 13 0 13 0
2010–11 10 0 10 0
2011–12 10 0 10 0
Total 44 0 44 0
Bayer Leverkusen 2007–08 Bundesliga 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2009–10 3 0 0 0 3 0
2010–11 2 0 0 0 2 0 4 0
2011–12 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 6 0 0 0 2 0 8 0
Fortuna Düsseldorf 2012–13 Bundesliga 34 0 3 0 37 0
2013–14 2. Bundesliga 30 0 1 0 31 0
Total 64 0 4 0 68 0
Schalke 04 2014–15 Bundesliga 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2015–16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016–17 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Total 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
Bristol City 2016–17 Championship 10 0 1 0 0 0 11 0
FC Augsburg II 2017–18 Regionalliga Bayern 3 0 3 0
FC Augsburg 2018–19 Bundesliga 4 0 0 0 4 0
2019–20 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 4 0 0 0 4 0
Würzburger Kickers 2020–21 2. Bundesliga 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 133 0 5 0 3 0 141 0

References

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  1. ^ "Fabian Giefer: Everything you need to know about Schalke goalkeeper and Bristol City target". Bristol Post. 16 July 2017. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Sieben neue in Kirstens Kader" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 4 July 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  3. ^ "SC Verl - Bayer 04 II 2:2 (1:2)" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 16 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  4. ^ "Training mit stark reduziertem Kader" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 8 October 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  5. ^ "Trainingsstart mit neuen und alten Bekannten" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 29 June 2009. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Torhüter Giefer erhält Profivertrag bei Bayer 04" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 7 August 2009. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  7. ^ "1, 2, 3 - nach elf Minuten war alles vorbei" (in German). kicker.de. 6 November 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
  8. ^ "Interview mit Rüdiger Vollborn" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 6 November 2009. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Kaplan krönt seinen Startelf-Einstand" (in German). Kicker.de. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Bor. M'gladbach - Bayer 04 1:1 (0:1)" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 8 May 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Sam eiskalt im Kühlschrank" (in German). kicker.de. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Forlan & Co verpassen die letzte Ausfahrt" (in German). kicker.de. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  13. ^ "Kießling legt auf, Helmes schlägt zu" (in German). kicker.de. 19 December 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  14. ^ "Ballack fliegt nicht mit" (in German). kicker.de. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Kießling und Bender drehen die Partie" (in German). kicker.de. 10 April 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  16. ^ "Tuchels Elf überrennt Bayer 04 Leverkusen" (in German). kicker.de. 7 August 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  17. ^ "Giefer loses month's memory". ESPN FC. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  18. ^ "Giefer: "Kompletter Filmriss"". kicker. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  19. ^ "Bayers Pannen-Torwart fehlt "ein Monat Erinnerung"". Die Welt. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  20. ^ "Die Bayern denken auch an Giefer" (in German). kicker.de. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  21. ^ "Doppelschichten vor den nächsten Höhepunkten" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 30 August 2011. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Zweite ringt Rot-Weiss Essen nieder". Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 15 October 2011. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  23. ^ "Fortuna verpflichtet Torhüter Fabian Giefer" (in German). 4 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ "Giefer: I turned down Bayern Munich". Goal.com. 19 December 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  25. ^ "Reisinger kegelt seinen Ex-Klub raus" (in German). kicker.de. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  26. ^ "Joker Schahin wird zum Schwaben-Schreck" (in German). kicker.de. 25 August 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  27. ^ "Giefer bleibt fraglich, Schahin darf hoffen" (in German). kicker.de. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  28. ^ "Schahin krönt leidenschaftliche Aufholjagd" (in German). kicker.de. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  29. ^ "Nach Fehlern gegen Augsburg: "Alles ist gut" bei Fabian Giefer" (in German). Goal.com. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  30. ^ "Bellinghausens Tunnel bringt den Heimsieg" (in German). kicker.de. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  31. ^ "Nur Reisinger kann Almer überwinden" (in German). kicker.de. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  32. ^ "3:0-SiegErzgebirge Aue haut Fortuna weg" (in German). Bild.de. 24 November 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  33. ^ "Fortunen-Keeper Giefer für ein Spiel gesperrt" (in German). kicker.de. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  34. ^ "Hoffer beschert Reck einen Traumeinstand" (in German). kicker.de. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  35. ^ "Fortuna und die offenen Baustellen" (in German). kicker.de. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  36. ^ "Deal perfekt! Giefer wechselt zu Schalke" (in German). kicker.de. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  37. ^ "S04 verpflichtet Fabian Giefer von Fortuna Düsseldorf" (in German). FC Schalke 04. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  38. ^ "Giefer, Goretzka, Sam, ObasiSchalkes Verletzten-Plage" (in German). Bild.de. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  39. ^ "Giefer bei Autounfall leicht verletzt" (in German). kicker.de. 7 September 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  40. ^ "Giefer und Wetklo: Das Duell hinter Fährmann" (in German). kicker.de. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  41. ^ "Huntelaars Blackout trübt die Schalker Laune" (in German). kicker.de. 31 January 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  42. ^ "Bayern Munich 1-1 Schalke: Howedes halts 10-man Bavarians". Goal.com. 3 February 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  43. ^ "Giefer verletzt: Nächste Chance für Wellenreuther" (in German). kicker.de. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  44. ^ "Alles schlimmer bei Fabian GieferSchalke-Keeper fällt noch Wochen aus" (in German). Bild.de. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  45. ^ "Schalkes Rückkehr zu "deutscher" Torwartschule" (in German). kicker.de. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  46. ^ "Giefers Wunsch: "Jetzt mal gesund bleiben"" (in German). kicker.de. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  47. ^ "Giefer schuftet für Neustart" (in German). Bild.de. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  48. ^ "Schalke hakt 0:2-Niederlage gegen Salzburg rasch ab" (in German). Bild.de. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  49. ^ "Christian Heidel über Planungen und Verträge" (in German). FC Schalke 04. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  50. ^ Baker, Adam. "Giefer joins on loan from Schalke". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  51. ^ "Nottingham Forest 2 - 0 Bristol City". BBC Sport. 21 January 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  52. ^ "Fielding replaces injured Giefer in goal". Bristol City F.C. 6 March 2017. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  53. ^ "REPORT: BRISTOL CITY 0-1 BIRMINGHAM CITY". Bristol City F.C. 7 May 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  54. ^ "LITTLE DEPARTS ASHTON GATE". Bristol City F.C. 17 May 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  55. ^ "Vertrag bis 2021: Giefer sucht sein Glück in Augsburg". kicker. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  56. ^ "Übersicht FC Augsburg II - Bayern München II". sport.de. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  57. ^ "Fabian Giefer wechselt vom FC Augsburg an den Dallenberg". Würzburger Kickers (in German). 3 August 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  58. ^ "Neun Leverkusener bei Länderspielen" (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 16 November 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  59. ^ "Terrazzino leitet Erfolg ein" (in German). kicker.de. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  60. ^ "Trapp erkrankt, Giefer kommt nach" (in German). kicker.de. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  61. ^ "Fabian GieferSchalke-Torwart sammeltPunkte in Flensburg" (in German). Bild.de. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  62. ^ "Fabian Giefer » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
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