Christopher Wolfgang Georg August Schindler (German pronunciation: [ˈkʁɪstɔfɐ ˈʃɪndlɐ]; born 29 April 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back.[4] After beginning his career with 1860 Munich, he moved to English club Huddersfield Town in 2016, with whom he secured promotion to the Premier League. He joined Nürnberg in 2021 and has also played for Germany's U21s.

Christopher Schindler
Schindler with 1860 Munich in 2013
Personal information
Full name Christopher Wolfgang Georg August Schindler[1]
Date of birth (1990-04-29) 29 April 1990 (age 34)[2]
Place of birth Munich, West Germany[3]
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
1999–2009 1860 Munich
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2013 1860 Munich II 39 (3)
2010–2016 1860 Munich 152 (4)
2016–2021 Huddersfield Town 175 (5)
2021–2024 1. FC Nürnberg 56 (1)
International career
2011–2012 Germany U21 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 May 2024

Club career

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Schindler began his career with his hometown team, TSV 1860 Munich.[5] He was named captain of the team after Julian Weigl was suspended to the second squad and fined for disciplinary reasons early in the 2014–15 season.[6]

After making over 200 appearances for 1860 Munich's first and second teams, Schindler joined English Championship club Huddersfield Town on 29 June 2016. He signed a three-year contract, with Huddersfield paying an undisclosed then-club record fee, reported to be around £1.8 million. Schindler joined Chris Löwe, Michael Hefele, Martin Cranie and Mark Hudson as former captains at the club.[7][8] He made his debut for the Terriers in a 2–1 Championship win over Brentford on 6 August 2016, the opening game of the season.[citation needed] Schindler scored his first goal for the club, a header, in a 1–0 win over Ipswich Town on 1 October 2016.[9]

On 29 May 2017, Schindler scored the winning penalty in the 2017 Championship play-off final in a penalty shootout against Reading, which promoted Huddersfield Town to the Premier League.[10] He signed a new three-year contract with the club on 24 July 2017, with the option of an additional year, after making 48 appearances in the 2016–17 season.[11]

On 10 August 2018, Schindler signed another new contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2021, with the option of a further year. He had played all but one game of the Terriers' games in the 2017–18 season, in which Huddersfield secured Premier League survival. Head coach David Wagner commented that "he took to the Premier League as if he had played in it all his life".[12]

He won the club's player of the year award in 2017–18 and 2018–19, becoming the first back-to-back winner of the award since Peter Clarke in 2011.[13]

On 11 May 2021, it was announced that Schindler would be leaving Huddersfield Town at the end of his contract, after five years at the club. The club's chairman Phil Hodgkinson said that "he will always be considered among the greats at Huddersfield Town".[13] 1. FC Nürnberg reported his signing the same day, on a free transfer.[4]

International career

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Schindler is a former youth international, having played four games for the Germany national under-21 football team in 2011 and 2012.[14]

Career statistics

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As of match played 5 December 2020[3][14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1860 Munich II 2009–10 Regionalliga Süd 20 1 20 1
2010–11 Regionalliga Süd 12 2 12 2
2012–13 Regionalliga Bayern 7 0 7 0
Total 39 3 39 3
1860 Munich 2010–11 2. Bundesliga 16 1 0 0 16 1
2011–12 2. Bundesliga 30 1 2 0 32 1
2012–13 2. Bundesliga 18 0 3 0 21 0
2013–14 2. Bundesliga 26 0 2 0 28 0
2014–15 2. Bundesliga 29 1 2 0 2 0 33 1
2015–16 2. Bundesliga 33 1 3 0 36 1
Total 152 4 12 0 2 0 166 4
Huddersfield Town 2016–17 Championship 44 2 0 0 1 0 3[a] 0 48 2
2017–18 Premier League 37 0 1 0 1 0 39 0
2018–19 Premier League 37 1 0 0 1 0 38 1
2019–20 Championship 45 2 1 0 0 0 46 2
2020–21 Championship 12 0 0 0 1 0 13 0
Total 175 5 2 0 4 0 3 0 184 5
Career total 366 12 14 0 4 0 5 0 389 12
  1. ^ Appearances in championship play-offs

Honours

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Huddersfield Town

References

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  1. ^ "Squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Christopher Schindler: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b "C. Schindler: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Von der Insel ins Frankenland – Schindler kommt aus Huddersfield". 1. FC Nürnberg (in German). 11 May 2021. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Schindler, Christopher" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  6. ^ "Weigl-Binde dauerhaft weg! Wer nun übernimmt" (in German). tz.de. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  7. ^ Threlfall-Sykes, David (29 June 2016). "TRANSFER: SCHINDLER ARRIVES FOR CLUB RECORD FEE". Huddersfield Town. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Christopher Schindler: TSV 1860 Munich defender joins Huddersfield Town". BBC Sport. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Ipswich Town 0-1 Huddersfield Town - BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Huddersfield reach Premier League after penalty shoot-out win over Reading". The Guardian. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  11. ^ "Christopher Schindler: Huddersfield Town defender signs three-year deal". BBC Sport. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Christopher Schindler: Huddersfield defender signs new contract". BBC Sport. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b Tomlinson, Adam (11 May 2021). "CHRISTOPHER SCHINDLER SET TO LEAVE TOWN". Huddersfield Town. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Christopher Schindler Profile". worldfootball.net.
  15. ^ Woodcock, Ian (29 May 2017). "Huddersfield Town 0–0 Reading". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
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