Stefan Thesker

Twente

Born in Ahaus, Germany, Thesker played for TuS Wüllen and Schalke 04 youth teams before moving to the Netherlands, joining Twente in 2005 and subsequently signed his first professional contract four years later. After featured for the Jong FC Twente, Thesker was loaned out to Fortuna Sittard for the rest of the season in the January transfer window. He made his Fortuna Sittard debut for the club on 21 January 2011, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 3–0 loss against Dordrecht. He went on to make 15 appearances for Fortuna Sittard and at the end of the 2010–11 season, he returned to his parent club.

1899 Hoffenheim

After seven years abroad, Thesker returned to Germany, where he signed for Bundesliga side 1899 Hoffenheim on 2 January 2012. Upon signing for the club, the club's managing director Ernst Tanner commented on his move, quoting: "Stefan is a development-oriented German junior player from one of the best schools in Holland who will continue his training with us. I am convinced of its qualities and wish him all the best for the start with us." Shortly after signing for the club, Thesker was sent to the 1899 Hoffenheim II squad for the next two seasons. In the 2012–13 season, he was included on the substitute bench on three occasions. However, he suffered an Achilles irritation on his foot and was sidelined for several months. After returning from injury, he finally made his TSG 1899 Hoffenehim debut on 9 March 2013 against Greuther…

On 9 August 2012, Thesker was called up by Germany U21, along with teammates, Sebastian Rudy and Kevin Volland. Thesker did impressively well on his Germany U21 debut when he set up two goals, in a 6–1 win over Argentina U20. Thesker was then called up by Germany U21 again for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. At the tournament, he started all three matches that Germany U21 eliminated from the group stage. He went on to make seven appearances for the Germany U21.

In December 2015, Thesker found himself in a controversy when he was captured on video by Nuremberg fan, scolding a bouncer several times and mocking his salary. This caused an embarrassment for the club, who apologised on his behalf. As a result, Thesker, himself, apologised for his actions and begged for forgiveness, as well as, being faced with a fine. Not only that, Thesker was also demoted to the reserve side. In February 2016, Thesker announced that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to have a tumor removed at the surgery. It came after he was notified of the diagnosis one day before his debut against Utrecht on 29 January 2016. Thesker also reflected on his time at the hospital and received support from teammates and family. In January 2017, Thesker overcame his cancer, making a full recovery and hoping he could return to football. On 14 March 2020, Thesker tested positive for COVID-19.