Moritz Jenz

Moritz Jenz

Personal information
Date of birth	(1999-04-30) 30 April 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth	Berlin, Germany
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	VfL Wolfsburg
Number	25
Youth career
0000–2015	Tennis Borussia Berlin
2015–2020	Fulham
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2020–2021	Lausanne-Sport	32	(1)
2021–2023	Lorient	17	(1)
2022–2023	→ Celtic (loan)	11	(2)
2023	→ Schalke 04 (loan)	11	(0)
2023–	VfL Wolfsburg	22	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 May 2024

Moritz Jenz (born 30 April 1999) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg.

Career

Early career

Jenz joined English side Fulham in July 2015 after being scouted playing for Tennis Borussia Berlin.

Lausanne-Sport

On 25 August 2020, Jenz joined newly-promoted Swiss Super League side Lausanne-Sport on a permanent deal. ^[1] The following month, he made his professional debut, coming on as a late substitute in a 2–1 win over Servette. ^[2]

Lorient

On 30 August 2021, Jenz signed a five-year deal with Ligue 1 side Lorient. ^[3]

Celtic (loan)

On 19 July 2022, Jenz joined Scottish Premiership side Celtic on a season-long loan, with the club having the option of making the move permanent. ^[4] This seen Jenz reunited with his former Fulham teammate Matt O'Riley. ^[5] The following month, Jenz scored on his league debut at Ross County ^[6] On 6 September 2022, Jenz made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 3–0 home defeat against Real Madrid. ^[7]

In an interview with German website Transfermarkt, Jenz spoke of his admiration for Celtic with him quoted as saying (in German): “Celtic is old school, Celtic is mysterious, Celtic is pure football and above all Celtic is a religion. When you stand at a home game, close your eyes and get goosebumps just from the chants, you know why this club fascinates the world”. Popular with Celtic fans, he is often called by his nickname “Mercedes Jenz”. ^[8] Although Jenz expressed his desire to remain at Celtic beyond his loan spell - it would later be terminated in January after lack of playing opportunities from November onwards due to the winter arrival of Yuki Kobayashi and regular starting centreback Carl Starfelt returning from injury. ^{[9] [10]}

Schalke 04 (loan)

On 26 January 2023, Jenz joined Bundesliga club Schalke 04 on loan until the end of the season, with the move becoming permanent if his new club avoid relegation in the 2022–23 season. ^[11] Three days later, he made his debut for the club in a 0–0 draw against 1. FC Köln. ^[12] Jenz appeared in 11 matches as Schalke failed to climb out of the relegation zone, finishing in 17th. Following the season, despite Jenz expressing his desire to stay with Schalke, ^[13] the team confirmed that they would not push to sign Jenz permanently, and he would return to Lorient on 30 June. ^[14]

Wolfsburg

On 16 June 2023, Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg announced they had agreed to terms with Lorient to sign Jenz on a 4-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[15]

Personal life

Jenz was born in Germany to a Nigerian father and German mother, making him eligible to play for the Nigerian national team. However, his desire was to represent Germany at international level. ^[16]

Honours

Celtic

• Scottish Premiership: 2022–23
• Scottish League Cup: 2022–23

Career statistics

As of match played 12 May 2024. ^[17]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Lausanne-Sport	2020–21	Swiss Super League	30	1	1	0	–		–		31	1
	2021–22	Swiss Super League	2	0	0	0	–		–		2	0
	Total		32	1	1	0	–		–		33	1
Lorient	2021–22	Ligue 1	17	1	1	0	–		–		18	1
Celtic (loan)	2022–23	Scottish Premiership	11	2	0	0	2	0	6 [lower-alpha 1]	0	19	2
Schalke 04 (loan)	2022–23	Bundesliga	11	0	—		—		—		11	0
VfL Wolfsburg	2023–24	Bundesliga	22	0	1	0	—		—		23	0
Career total			93	4	3	0	2	0	6	0	104	4

1. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

References

1. "JENZ JOINS FC LAUSANNE-SPORT". Fulham F.C. 25 August 2020. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
2. "LAUSANNE SPORT VS. SERVETTE 2 - 1". Soccerway. 20 September 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
3. "MORITZ JENZ S'ENGAGE AVEC LES MERLUS" (in French). FC Lorient. 30 August 2021. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
4. "Double signing swoop as Aaron Mooy and Moritz Jenz join Celtic". Celtic FC. 19 July 2022. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
5. FC, Celtic. "Moritz Jenz: my pal, Matt O'Riley, told me I would love it at Celtic". Celtic FC. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
6. "Ross County 1-3 Celtic: Mortiz Jenz scores debut goal as Hoops win in the Highlands". Sky Sports. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
7. UEFA.com. "Celtic-Real Madrid | Line-ups | UEFA Champions League 2022/23". UEFA.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
8. "Jenz über „Religion" Celtic, Spitznamen „Mercedes" und „großen Traum" vom DFB-Debüt". www.transfermarkt.ch (in German). Retrieved 31 December 2022.
9. ""Wenn man für einen Verein wie Celtic spielt, kann man nicht meckern"". www.rbb24.de (in German). Retrieved 26 January 2023.
10. "'Thank you' - Moritz Jenz shares heartfelt farewell as he confirms Celtic exit". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
11. "Defender Moritz Jenz joins FC Schalke 04". FC Schalke04. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
12. "FC Schalke 04 - 1. FC Köln | Season 2022/2023 | Bundesliga". bundesliga.com - the official Bundesliga website. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
13. "Jenz wants to stay at Schalke 04 for years to come". Bulinews. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
14. "FC Schalke 04 bids farewell to eight first-team players". FC Schalke 04. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
15. "VfL sign Moritz Jenz". VfL Wolfsburg. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
16. "Why I dumped Nigeria for Germany, says Jenz - The Nation Newspaper". 22 September 2022.
17. "Moritz Jenz - Club matches". worldfootball.net.

External links

• Moritz Jenz at Soccerway
• Moritz Jenz – French league stats at Ligue 1 – also available in French