Jan Kirchhoff

Mainz 05

Born in Frankfurt, West Germany, Kirchhoff began his football career at SpVgg Kickers 16 Frankfurt before joining Eintracht Frankfurt in 1999. While at Eintracht Frankfurt, he was once a ball boy. Kirchhoff then joined 1. FSV Mainz 05 in 2007 and it was there when he switched position from midfield position to centre–back position. At the time of moving to the club, Kirchhoff was a student, attending a boarding school. While progressing at 1. FSV Mainz 05, he was a captain for the club's second team and was eventually called up to the first team. Kirchhoff made his professional debut in the 2. Bundesliga for 1. FSV Mainz 05 on 2 November 2008, when he started in a game against Rot Weiss Ahlen. This turns out to be his only appearance for the side in the 2008–09 season, as Kirchhoff continued to play for the club's second team. However, he was sidelined for most of the 2009–10 season, due to an Achilles injury. Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Kirchhoff signed a three–year contract with 1. FSV Mainz 05, keeping him until 2013. He continued to feature for the club's second team in the first half of the season. It wasn't until on 4 December 2010 when Kirchhoff made his first appearance of the season, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt. Following this, he began to receive a handful of first team football towards the end of the 2010–11 season, playing in either central defence and defensive midfield positions. At the end of the 2010–11…

On 13 November 2007, Kirchhoff debuted for the Germany national U18 team coming on in the 72nd minute of the match in a 4–0 win over Republic of Ireland U18s. He later made two more appearances for the U18 side. On 7 September 2008, Kirchhoff debuted for the Germany national U19 team in a 5–0 win over Czech Republic U19s. He scored his first U19 goal on 11 October 2008 in the 55th minute of the match in a 5–0 win over Lithuania U19s. Kirchhoff went on to make eight appearances and scored once for the U19 side. On 3 September 2009, Kirchhoff debuted for the Germany U21s in a 1–1 draw against Czech Republic U21s and scored his first U21 goal in the 72nd minute. It wasn't until on 31 May 2011 when he scored his second U21 goal in the 14th minute, in a 4–2 loss against Portugal U21. Kirchhoff then kept three consecutive clean sheets between 1 September 2011 and 6 October 2011. In 2012, Kirchhoff participated with the U21 team as an important squad member and the team's vice-captain in the 2013 UEFA European U21 Championship qualification but due to injury he could not take part in the 2013 UEFA European U21 Championship. He went on to make eighteen appearances and scoring three times in all competitions for the U21 side.

Kirchhoff's brother Benjamin Kirchhoff is also a professional football defender who plays for TSV Steinbach Haiger. Kirchhoff's father Theo Kirchhoff is a former footballer who played for German club VfL Germania Leer.

Mainz 05

2. Bundesliga: Promotion to Bundesliga 2009–10 Bayern Munich

Bundesliga: 2013–14 FIFA Club World Cup: 2013