Robin Koch Explained

Robin Koch
Full Name:Robin Leon Koch[1]
Birth Date:17 July 1996
Birth Place:Kaiserslautern, Germany
Height:1.92 m
Position:Centre-back, defensive midfielder
Currentclub:Eintracht Frankfurt
Clubnumber:4
Youthyears1:2001–2003
Youthclubs1:1. FC Kaiserslautern
Youthyears2:2003–2009
Youthclubs2:SV Dörbach
Youthyears3:2009–2014
Youthclubs3:Eintracht Trier
Years1:2014–2015
Clubs1:Eintracht Trier II
Caps1:6
Goals1:0
Years2:2014–2015
Clubs2:Eintracht Trier
Caps2:23
Goals2:2
Years3:2015–2016
Clubs3:1. FC Kaiserslautern II
Caps3:27
Goals3:1
Years4:2016–2017
Clubs4:1. FC Kaiserslautern
Caps4:27
Goals4:0
Years5:2017–2020
Clubs5:SC Freiburg
Caps5:82
Goals5:4
Years6:2020–2024
Clubs6:Leeds United
Caps6:73
Goals6:0
Years7:2023–2024
Clubs7:Eintracht Frankfurt (loan)
Caps7:31
Goals7:2
Years8:2024–
Caps8:0
Goals8:0
Nationalyears1:2018–2019
Nationalteam1:Germany U21
Nationalcaps1:5
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2019–
Nationalteam2:Germany
Nationalcaps2:9
Nationalgoals2:0
Club-Update:23:19, 21 May 2024 (UTC)
Nationalteam-Update:17:23, 4 June 2024 (UTC)

Robin Leon Koch (pronounced as /de/;[2] [3] born 17 July 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and the Germany national team.[4]

Koch made his first-team debut for 1. FC Kaiserslautern after graduated from the club's youth system and also played in Bundesliga with SC Freiburg. He has previously played for Eintracht Trier II, Eintracht Trier, 1. FC Kaiserslautern II, 1. FC Kaiserslautern and SC Freiburg. He was included in the Germany U21 team before joining the first-team in November 2019. In August 2020, he signed for Leeds United ahead of their Premier League return and in 2021, represented Germany at UEFA Euro 2020.

Club career

Early career

Koch was born in Kaiserslautern and joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern's academy at the age of five, but switched to SV Dörbach when his family moved to Salmtal.[5] He joined Eintracht Trier's academy in 2009,[6] and despite the fact that "he was never seen as a superstar talent" according to his childhood best friend, he was invited to regional trials by the German Football Association in 2011.[5] He was promoted to Trier's first team in 2014,[7] and made his debut on 22 September 2014 in a 0–0 draw with TuS Koblenz. He scored his first senior goal on 22 November 2014 in a 4–2 victory over SpVgg Neckarelz; A low shot in the 25th minute to put Eintracht Trier 1–0 up.[8] He appeared in 23 league matches for Eintracht Trier across the 2014–15 season, scoring two goals,[9] whilst he also appeared 6 times for their reserve side.

1. FC Kaiserslautern

In 2015, Koch moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, initially joining their reserve side.[10] Though he was the son of Kaiserslautern legend Harry Koch, he "tried hard not to live on his father's reputation", living an "unglamorous lifestyle" and "staying off the grid" at Kaiserslautern.[7] He scored once in 26 appearances for Kaiserslautern's reserves in the 2015–16 season.[11] Koch signed his first professional contract with the club in September 2016, with the contract lasting until the summer of 2019.[12] His debut for Kaiserslautern came on 2 October 2016, starting in a 0–0 draw against Arminia Bielefeld in the 2. Bundesliga.[13] [14] He made 24 appearances for Kaiserslautern during the 2016–17 season,[15] and attracted the interest of multiple Bundesliga clubs according to his father Harry.[16]

SC Freiburg

On 22 August 2017, Koch moved to Bundesliga side SC Freiburg. The transfer fee paid to Kaiserslautern was reported as €3.5 million.[17] He made his Bundesliga debut for Freiburg on 22 October 2017 against Hertha Berlin in a 1–1 draw. He scored his first goal for the club on 13 January 2018 in a 1–1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt.[18]

Leeds United

On 29 August 2020, Koch joined newly-promoted Premier League club Leeds United on a four-year deal,[19] [20] for a transfer fee that was reported to be £13 million.[21] He was signed as a replacement for former loanee Ben White, who was deemed to be too expensive to sign permanently.[7] Koch made his Premier League debut for Leeds in the first match of the season against Liverpool on 12 September 2020, starting in the 3–4 defeat at Anfield to the reigning champions.[22] [23] Koch was described as having a 'rough debut', having given away the penalty resulting in Liverpool's first goal despite the fact that the ball deflected off his thigh, before failing to mark Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool's second. Koch was substituted in the ninth minute of a 3–1 defeat to Chelsea on 5 December after a recurrence of a knee injury suffered in the opening game of the season, and subsequently underwent knee surgery.[24] [25] He made his return to the first team as a late substitute against Fulham on 19 March 2021.[26] Following the appointment of Jesse Marsch as manager at Leeds, and a switch to zonal marking,[27] Koch appeared to take a step up in his game and became a regular starter in central defense towards the end of the 2021–22 season and into 2022–23.

Eintracht Frankfurt

On 6 July 2023, Koch joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the 2023–24 season.[28] Later that year, on 21 September, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory over Aberdeen in the Conference League.[29] On 9 January 2024, Koch agreed to join Eintracht Frankfurt on a permanent contract at the end of his loan spell, signing a contract until June 2027.[30]

International career

Youth

Having been called up to Germany's under-21 squad in October 2018,[31] Koch was part of the Germany U21's squad who finished runner up at the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship after losing the final to Spain in June 2019.[32]

Senior

Koch received his first call-up to the German senior squad in October 2019.[33] He debuted the same year on 9 October in a friendly match against Argentina, playing the whole match.[34] His competitive debut occurred on 16 November, starting in the 4–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier victory against Belarus.[35]

Koch was called up to the Germany squad on 26 August 2020 for the UEFA Nations League fixtures against Spain and Switzerland.[36] On 19 May 2021, he was selected to the squad for the UEFA Euro 2020.[37] On 7 June 2024, he was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[38]

Style of play

Koch plays mainly as a centre-back, but can also play as a defensive midfielder or as a central midfielder.[39] [40] He is described as a ball playing centre-back and his style of play has been compared to that of Javi Martínez.[41]

Personal life

He is the son of former professional footballer Harry Koch. His younger brother Louis plays for SV Alsenborn.[7]

Career statistics

Club

Club!rowspan="2"
SeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Eintracht Trier2014–15[42] Regionalliga Südwest23200232
Eintracht Trier II2014–15Rheinlandliga6060
1. FC Kaiserslautern2015–162. Bundesliga000000
2016–172. Bundesliga24000240
2017–182. Bundesliga301040
Total27010280
1. FC Kaiserslautern II2015–16Regionalliga Südwest241241
2016–17Regionalliga Südwest3030
Total27100271
SC Freiburg2017–18Bundesliga26220282
2018–19Bundesliga24110251
2019–20Bundesliga32121342
Total82451875
Leeds United2020–21Premier League1700000170
2021–22Premier League2001000210
2022–23Premier League3602010390
Total7303010770
Eintracht Frankfurt (loan)2023–24Bundesliga3123082424
Eintracht Frankfurt2024–25Bundesliga001010
Total3124082434
Career total2699131108229112

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Germany201920
202050
202110
202410
Total90

Honours

Germany U21

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Robin Koch . DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga . 1 January 2024.
  2. Book: Krech . Eva-Maria . Deutsches Aussprachewörterbuch . Stock . Eberhard . Hirschfeld . Ursula . Anders . Lutz Christian . Walter de Gruyter . 2009 . 978-3-11-018202-6 . Berlin . 675, 878 . German . German Pronunciation Dictionary.
  3. Book: Dudenredaktion . Das Aussprachewörterbuch . Kleiner . Stefan . Knöbl . Ralf . Dudenverlag . 2015 . 978-3-411-04067-4 . 7th . Berlin . 514 . German . The Pronunciation Dictionary . First published 1962.
  4. Web site: Robin Koch . 4 October 2016 . WorldFootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL.
  5. Web site: Ganz der Vater .... 16 March 2011. Volksfreund. 29 May 2022.
  6. Web site: Robin Koch | Laufbahn | Spielerprofil. kicker. 29 May 2022.
  7. News: Robin Koch's journey from Germany to Bielsa's Leeds. Phil. Hay. Raphael. Honigstein. The New York Times . 29 May 2022.
  8. Web site: 24 November 2014 . Robin Koch löst die Bremse . 25 October 2020 . eintracht-trier.com . SV Eintracht Trier 05 . de-DE.
  9. Web site: Robin Koch | Spieler Einsätze | Eintracht Trier | Regionalliga Südwest 2014/15. kicker.
  10. News: 19 May 2015 . EINTRACHT-ECKE . de . Volksfreund . 29 August 2020.
  11. Web site: Robin Koch | Spieler Einsätze | 1. FC Kaiserslautern II | Regionalliga Südwest 2015/16 .
  12. Web site: 30 September 2016 . 2. Bundesliga: 1. FC Kaiserslautern bindet Robin Koch . 29 August 2020 . Sport1.de.
  13. Web site: Sperk . Oliver . 2 October 2016 . Robin Koch in der Startelf des 1. FC Kaiserslautern – Pfalz . 29 August 2020 . Die Rheinpfalz . de.
  14. Web site: Konzok . Horst . Sperk . Oliver . 2 October 2016 . FCK scheitert wieder an sich selbst – FCK . Die Rheinpfalz . de.
  15. Web site: Robin Koch | Spieler Einsätze | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2. Bundesliga 2016/17. kicker. 29 May 2022.
  16. Web site: Vater: Koch hat Angebote aus Bundesliga | Goal.com. www.goal.com. 29 May 2022.
  17. News: 22 August 2017 . Wende: Lauterns Koch doch nach Freiburg . German . kicker Online . 22 August 2017.
  18. Web site: Freiburgs Robin Koch: "Das war ein ganz besonderer Moment für mich". de. 31 August 2020. 14 January 2018. Bundesliga. bundesliga.com.
  19. Web site: 29 August 2020 . Leeds United seal deal for Robin Koch. leedsunited.com.
  20. Web site: 29 August 2020 . Robin Koch joins Premier League side Leeds United. scfreiburg.com.
  21. Web site: 30 August 2020 . Leeds beat Tottenham to clinch £13m Koch signing. Goal.
  22. Web site: 12 September 2020 . Liverpool 4–3 Leeds United: 'Premier League return magnificently chaotic for Marcelo Bielsa's club' . 14 September 2020 . BBC Sport . en-GB.
  23. News: Hunter . Andy . 12 September 2020 . Liverpool finally sink Leeds with Mo Salah hat-trick in thriller . en-GB . The Observer . 14 September 2020 . 0029-7712.
  24. Web site: 8 December 2020 . Robin Koch: Leeds defender to have knee surgery after being injured at Chelsea . 14 March 2021 . Sky Sports . en.
  25. Web site: 9 December 2020 . Robin Koch: Leeds defender out for three months after knee surgery . 14 March 2021 . BBC Sport . en-GB.
  26. News: Fulham 1-2 Leeds . . 19 March 2021 . 21 May 2021.
  27. News: Robin Koch shares biggest difference at Leeds United under Jesse Marsch . MOTLeedsNews . 17 March 2022 . 9 October 2022.
  28. Web site: 6 July 2023 . Robin Koch verstärkt Defensive . Robin Koch strengthens defense . Eintracht Frankfurt . de.
  29. Web site: Robin Koch köpft Eintracht Frankfurt zum Sieg über Aberdeen . hessenschau.de . de . 21 September 2023 .
  30. Web site: 9 January 2024 . Robin Koch: Leeds United defender signs permanent Eintracht Frankfurt deal . 9 January 2024 . BBC .
  31. Web site: Neu bei der U 21: Mittelstädt, Koch und Sabiri. 3 September 2020. German Football Association . de.
  32. Web site: Spain 2=1 . UEFA. 28 August 2020.
  33. Web site: Löw nominiert auch Rudy und Koch nach. 7 September 2019. 3 September 2020. Kicker. de.
  34. News: Robin wer? Blitz-Debütant Koch plötzlich "verdammt gut". Robin who? Blitz debutant Koch suddenly "damn good". Münstersche Zeitung. 10 October 2019. 22 July 2024. de.
  35. News: Blahak . Mirko. 16 November 2019 . Fußball: Ex-Trierer löst mit Nationalelf das EM-Ticket. Volksfreund. 31 August 2020. de.
  36. Web site: Niklas Süle and Florian Neuhaus called up to Germany squad to face Spain and Switzerland . Bundesliga. 26 August 2020.
  37. Web site: EM-Kader offiziell: Löw beruft Müller, Hummels und Volland. 19 May 2021. Kicker. 19 May 2021. de.
  38. Web site: UEFA Euro 2024: All squads and players full list. Olympics. 7 June 2024. 7 June 2024.
  39. Web site: 28 August 2020 . How Robin Koch compares to Ben White as Leeds United step up interest in defender . Leeds Live.
  40. Web site: 28 August 2020 . Robin Koch: Meet Freiburg's Latest National Team Player . Fussballstadt.
  41. Web site: 28 August 2020 . Robin Koch: Who is Germany's international defender starring for Freiburg? . Bundesliga.
  42. Web site: Robin Koch . 28 August 2020 . . de-DE.