age of 13, he first joined the Baden-Württemberg club s youth academy, travelling the 65km (40.3 miles) from his family home of Tennenbronn in the heart of the Black Forest almost every day for training.
Having risen through the ranks, despite not residing in the club s academy, but continuing to commute from his family home, his
future in the game appeared to be in jeopardy when he was hardly given a look-in for the U17s, despite being one of their more senior players. He nevertheless kept at it and finally became a regular in his second season at U17 level.
Christian Günter was given the Freiburg captain s armband in the summer of 2020. - Lukas Schulze/Bundesliga/Bundesliga Collection via Getty Images