Christoph Kramer has announced he will be leaving Borussia Mönchengladbach after a decade of service. - © Oliver Hardt/Bundesliga

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Emotional Christoph Kramer leaves Borussia Mönchengladbach

16.08.2024

Christoph Kramer is leaving Borussia Mönchengladbach after a decade of service, announcing the news in a tearful video on social media.

“I’ve been coming to Borussia-Park for 10 years with a smile on my face and have never made a secret of what this club, its fans and its employees mean to me,” Christoph Kramer said in his official statement on the Gladbach website. “The journey with Borussia was incredible and unique. Unfortunately, it has now come to an end, but I'm also looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Watch: Christoph Kramer bids Gladbach farewell

The 33-year-old made a total of 288 appearances for the Foals, whom he first joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013. It was during that initial two-year spell that the midfielder broke into the Germany squad and won the 2014 FIFA World Cup, starting in the final against Argentina at the Maracana before having to be substituted with concussion after a collision with Ezequiel Garay.

He scored a last-minute equaliser from the bench against VfB Stuttgart in his first Borussia appearance after lifting the World Cup. But a few weeks later, Kramer also produced one of the most memorable own goals in Bundesliga history when he lobbed his own goalkeeper from the halfway line. The Solingen native then returned to his parent club for the 2015/16 season before making the permanent move to Borussia-Park the following year.

Christoph Kramer (l.) was part of Germany's 2014 World Cup-winning squad, starting the final against Argentina. - imago sportfotodienst

In his message posted on social media, Kramer initially joked that he’d signed a contract extension before revealing the news that he would be leaving, breaking into tears as he explained he struggles with goodbyes.

He spoke of “11 years of incredible memories” and thanked a host of former teammates such as Lars Stindl, Yann Sommer, Tony Jantschke – who he claims ate far too much pudding down the years – Patrick Herrmann, Alassane Pléa and many more.

Watch: Kramer’s legendary own goal!

Really struggling to hold back tears, he also thanked the fans for their constant love and support over the past decade.

Kramer didn’t announce what he would be doing next, or if he would continue to play professionally. He has earned a reputation in Germany as a pundit for broadcaster ZDF, starting back at the 2018 World Cup and appearing on TV at every major tournament since.