Philipp Wollscheid

Early career

Born in Wadern, Saarland, Wollscheid started his career in the youth teams of various local amateur sides. He made his first team debut in March 2007 for SG Noswendel-Wadern in the Landesliga – then the seventh tier of the German football league system. At the start of the 2007–08 season, he joined SV Rot-Weiss Hasborn in the fifth tier Oberliga, appearing 18 times for the club before moving to 1. FC Saarbrücken six months later. He struggled to make an impact during his 18-month spell at the club, and made many of his 30 league appearances as a substitute. Following Saarbrücken's promotion to the Regionalliga in 2009, Wollscheid decided to look for a new club.

1. FC Nürnberg

He arranged a trial with 1. FC Nürnberg, and subsequently signed a three-year deal with the club. Having not trained at a youth academy like many other young footballers, Wollscheid admitted to knowing little about tactics before he joined Nürnberg, and had little idea about how a back four operates. He spent his first season at the club playing for the club's reserve team, making 26 Regionalliga appearances and scoring one goal. He rose to prominence during the 2010–11 Bundesliga season, making his first team debut in a 3–1 defeat against 1. FC Kaiserslautern in November 2010. He soon became a regular starter for Nürnberg and finished the year ranked third among all Bundesliga defenders, according to kicker's player ratings.

Bayer Leverkusen

In November 2011,…

He represented the German national under-20 football team on one occasion. On 29 May 2013, he made his international debut for Germany national team in a friendly game against Ecuador in Boca Raton, Florida. His second and last cap came three days later in a 3–4 loss against the United States in Washington, D.C.

Wollscheid played as a centre-back and has been compared to compatriot Per Mertesacker.

Like Mertesacker, Wollscheid may be big, but he will not strike the fear of God into opposing strikers. At his best, he is a gifted all round defender, with excellent positioning and relatively secure heading and tackling. He can play with both feet, and can mark equally well man to man or zonally, although he can be prone to losses of concentration.

Wollscheid grew up supporting 1. FC Kaiserslautern and stated that his dream is to end his playing career at the club.