Sebastian Polter

Sebastian Polter

Polter playing for Union Berlin in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth	(1991-04-01) 1 April 1991 (age 32)
Place of birth	Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Height	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) [1]
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Darmstadt 98 (on loan from Schalke 04)
Number	40
Youth career
1994–2003	Heidmühler FC
2003–2004	SV Wilhelmshaven
2004–2005	Werder Bremen
2005–2006	SV Wilhelmshaven
2006–2007	Eintracht Braunschweig
2007–2010	VfL Wolfsburg
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2012	VfL Wolfsburg II	68	(19)
2011–2013	VfL Wolfsburg	12	(2)
2012–2013	→ 1. FC Nürnberg (loan)	26	(5)
2012–2013	→ 1. FC Nürnberg II (loan)	2	(1)
2013–2015	Mainz 05	13	(0)
2013–2014	Mainz 05 II	7	(3)
2014–2015	→ Union Berlin (loan)	29	(14)
2015–2017	Queens Park Rangers	51	(10)
2017–2020	Union Berlin	72	(30)
2020–2021	Fortuna Sittard	32	(9)
2021–2022	VfL Bochum	33	(10)
2022–	Schalke 04	30	(5)
2024–	→ Darmstadt 98 (loan)	0	(0)
International career
2008–2009	Germany U18	6	(3)
2012	Germany U20	1	(2)
2012–2013	Germany U21 [2]	10	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 February 2024

Sebastian Polter (born 1 April 1991) is a German professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Darmstadt 98, on loan from Schalke 04

Club career

Early career

Polter played for VfL Wolfsburg II from July 2008 until June 2012. ^[3] During the 2008–09 season, Polter made 10 appearances without scoring a goal. ^[4] During the 2009–10 season, Polter scored three goals in 15 appearances. ^[5] During the 2010–11 season, Polter scored 11 goals in 25 appearances. ^[6] He played for both the first team and reserve team during the 2011–12 season. ^[7] He scored two goals in 12 appearances for the first team and five goals in 18 appearances for the reserve team. ^[7]

Polter played for 1. FC Nürnberg between July 2012 and June 2013 and for the reserve team in April 2013. ^[3] He scored five goals in 27 appearances for the first team and a goal in two appearances for the reserve team. ^[7]

Polter played for 1. FSV Mainz 05 between July 2013 and August 2014 and 1. FSV Mainz 05 II between September 2013 and June 2014. ^[3] For the first team, he played in 15 matches without scoring a goal, and for the reserve team, he scored three goals in seven appearances. ^[7]

In late August 2014, he was loaned to 2. Bundesliga club Union Berlin for the season. ^[3] He scored 14 goals in 29 appearances. ^[8]

Queens Park Rangers

In July 2015 it was announced that Queens Park Rangers had signed Polter from FSV Mainz 05 on a three-year-deal for an undisclosed fee. Polter made an instant impact on his debut scoring QPR's third goal in their 10–0 win over Italian side Verona Stars in the club's first pre-season fixture of the summer. Polter's league debut came in a 2–0 away loss to London rivals Charlton Athletic as he came on as a sub for Charlie Austin in the 84th minute. ^[9] His full debut came in a League Cup match against Yeovil Town, he scored the first goal for QPR as they secured a comfortable 3–0 victory. ^[10] He finished the 2015–16 season with seven goals in 33 appearances. ^[7] During the 2016–17 season for Queens Park Rangers, he scored 12 goals in 23 appearances. ^[7]

Union Berlin

He rejoined Union Berlin on 10 January 2017. ^[11] During the 2016–17 season for Union Berlin, he scored seven goals in 15 appearances. ^[7] He finished the 2017–18 season with 12 goals in 26 appearances. ^[12]

On 28 May 2020, Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler announced in a statement that Polter would not play for the club until the end of his contract in June, stating that Polter was the only member of the club that did not "stand up for each other and for our club," during the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[13] He had, as the sole member of the first team, refused to take a pay cut as the club was struggling financially due to the effects of the pandemic. ^[14]

Fortuna Sittard

Polter signed a two-year contract with Dutch Eredivisie club Fortuna Sittard on 17 August 2020. ^{[15] [16]}

VfL Bochum

On 13 August 2021, VfL Bochum signed Polter on a free transfer until 30 June 2023. ^[17]

Schalke 04

On 20 June 2022, Polter signed a three-year contract with Schalke 04, which promoted to the Bundesliga. ^[18]

Loan to Darmstadt 98

On 1 February 2024, Polter was loaned to Bundesliga club Darmstadt 98 until the end of the season, with the club having an option to make the move permanent. ^[19]

International career

Polter was a member of several German youth national teams and also appointed to the squad for 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Israel where Germany were eliminated at the group stage.

Career statistics

As of 24 February 2024 ^[7]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup [lower-alpha 1]		League Cup [lower-alpha 2]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
VfL Wolfsburg II	2008–09	Regionalliga Nord	10	0	—		—		10	0
	2009–10	Regionalliga Nord	15	3	—		—		15	3
	2010–11	Regionalliga Nord	25	11	—		—		25	11
	2011–12	Regionalliga Nord	18	5	—		—		18	5
	Total		68	19	—		—		68	19
VfL Wolfsburg	2011–12	Bundesliga	12	2	0	0	—		12	2
1. FC Nürnberg (loan)	2012–13	Bundesliga	26	5	1	0	—		27	5
1. FC Nürnberg II (loan)	2012–13	Regionalliga Bayern	2	1	—		—		2	1
Mainz 05	2013–14	Bundesliga	13	0	2	0	—		15	0
Mainz 05 II	2013–14	Regionalliga Südwest	7	3	—		—		7	3
Union Berlin (loan)	2014–15	2. Bundesliga	29	14	0	0	—		29	14
Queens Park Rangers	2015–16	Championship	31	6	0	0	2	1	33	7
	2016–17	Championship	20	4	0	0	3	0	23	4
	Total		51	10	0	0	5	1	56	11
Union Berlin	2016–17	2. Bundesliga	15	7	0	0	—		15	7
	2017–18	2. Bundesliga	24	12	2	0	—		26	12
	2018–19	2. Bundesliga	20	9	1	2	—		21	11
	2019–20	Bundesliga	13	2	0	0	—		13	2
	Total		72	30	3	2	—		75	32
Fortuna Sittard	2020–21	Eredivisie	32	9	2	1	—		34	10
VfL Bochum	2021–22	Bundesliga	33	10	3	1	—		36	11
Schalke 04	2022–23	Bundesliga	19	2	2	0	—		21	2
	2023–24	2. Bundesliga	11	3	2	0	—		13	3
	Total		30	5	4	0	—		34	5
Darmstadt 98 (loan)	2023–24	Bundesliga	4	0	0	0	—		4	0
Career total			380	108	15	4	5	1	399	113

1. Appearances in DFB-Pokal and KNVB Cup.
2. Appearances in EFL League Cup.

References

1. "Sebastian Polter". FC Schalke 04. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
2. "U 21-Männer: Sebastian Polter" [U 21-men: Sebastian Polter] (in German). DFB. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
3. "Sebastian Polter". World Football. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
4. "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
5. "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
6. "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
7. "Sebastian Polter » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
8. "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
9. "Charlton 2–0 QPR". BBC Sport. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
10. "Yeovil 0–3 QPR". BBC Sport. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
11. ""Wie eine Heimkehr": Polter zurück bei Union Berlin". kicker.de (in German). kicker. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
12. "Sebastian Polter". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
13. "Polter won't play for Union in the Bundesliga". Union Berlin. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
14. France, Sam (28 May 2020). "Polter exiled from Union Berlin squad for failing to uphold 'fundamental community values' of Bundesliga club | Goal.com". GOAL.
15. "Fortuna Sittard en Sebastian Polter vinden elkaar in tweejarig contract". Fortuna Sittard (in Dutch). 17 August 2020.
16. "Fortuna neemt in opspraak geraakte spits Polter over van Union Berlin". NU (in Dutch). 17 August 2020.
17. "Sebastian Polter joins VfL". VfL Bochum. 13 August 2021.
18. "FC Schalke 04 sign Sebastian Polter". Schalke 04. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
19. "FC Schalke 04 loan out Sebastian Polter to SV Darmstadt 98". Schalke 04. 1 February 2024.

External links

• Profile at the FC Schalke 04 website
• Sebastian Polter at fussballdaten.de (in German)
• Sebastian Polter at Soccerbase