Christian Gentner

Christian Gentner is a midfielder of VfB Stuttgart and the German national team. He was born in Nürtingen, the state of Baden-Württemberg. Christian has a brother Thomas, who currently plays for TuS Koblenz.

Before entering VfB Stuttgart academy in 1999, the central midfielder played at the youth teams of TSV Beuren and VfL Kirchheim. Gentner had been an academy trainee for 5 years (from 1999 to 2004) until he was included in the reserve team of the Swabians, playing in the Regionalliga.

In the 2004/05 season Christian found the net 6 times in 28 matches for VfB Stuttgart II. He made his Bundesliga debut on 20 February 2005 in a 1-0 victory over Hertha BSC. He opened his account with VfB Stuttgart on 25 September 2005 in a UEFA Cup match versus NK Domzale.

In 2006 Gentner extended his contract with the Reds until 2010, however, in the summer of 2007 he was sent on a 2-year loan spell to VfL Wolfsburg. The midfielder was not destined to return to VfB Stuttgart then, since in August 2008 he was singed permanently by the Wolves for €2.5 million.

Christian made his official debut for VfL Wolfsburg on 11 August 2007 in the 1st Bundesliga round against DSC Arminia Bielefeld. He appeared in the starting 11 and was substituted after the halftime.

During the following years the German became a paramount figure in the club, helping VfL Wolfsburg secure their first national title in 2009. All in all, Christian made 99 appearances, delivering 11 goals for the club. In January 2010 Gentner announced that he would leave the Wolves and return to VfB Stuttgart on a free transfer at the end of the season. This time he was included in the first team.

On 19 May 2009 Gentner was first called up to the Germany senior squad, making his international debut versus China on 29 May. However, he didn’t manage to secure a permanent spot in the roster, becoming a reserve player of the national team.