Maik Franz

On 12 February 2002, Franz made his debut for the Germany U21 national team against the Northern Ireland U21 national team. He was part of the German squad for the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, making his only appearance against Sweden.

Franz was born in Merseburg, East Germany, and grew up in Langenstein near Halberstadt, where he began his football career, and joined 1. FC Magdeburg's youth division in the summer of 1998. As part of the A-Youth team, Franz won the DFB-Youth-Cup in 1999. Franz played defence for 1. FC Magdeburg until 2001, when he transferred to VfL Wolfsburg, where he played the same position in the Bundesliga. In Wolfsburg, Franz distinguished himself through his strong tackling, winning 63 percent of his challenges, making him the club's best player in this respect. He played 91 Bundesliga-matches during his time in Wolfsburg, scoring twice. In July 2006, Franz transferred to the 2. Bundesliga, joining Karlsruher SC. Together with Mario Eggimann, he formed the central defence of Karlsruhe's starting eleven, and with his Bundesliga experience, he played a crucial role in the club's promotion to the top flight. After a strong start in the 2008–09 season, both for Franz and his club, he extended his contract until 2011. After Eggimann transferred to Hannover 96 in the summer of 2008, Franz took over the captain's armband at Karlsruher SC. Having sustained a serious injury to his right foot in October 2008, Franz had to undergo surgery in January of the following year, and was unable to play for three months. In April 2009, he celebrated his comeback in a home match against 1899 Hoffenheim. After the KSC was relegated at the end of the 2008–09 season, Franz signed a contract with Eintracht…