Frans Krätzig: Who is Bayern Munich's on-loan young star full-back?
VfB Stuttgart are hopeful of seeing the glimpses of brilliance young Frans Krätzig has shown on his few appearances in a Bayern shirt during the 2024/25 season...
bundesliga.com introduces the Bayern academy graduate...
*stats correct as of 28 June 2024
Age: 21
Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Left-back/midfielder
Country: Germany
Key stats
Krätzig was born 14 January 2003 in Nuremberg and joined his local side as a youngster. After impressing in the Nuremberg youth teams, he was spirited away to Bayern in 2017 at the age of 14. With the club persuading his parents to allow him to board with them in Munich, he became one of the first players at the new, state-of-the-art, FC Bayern Campus.
Originally a midfielder, Krätzig was converted to a left-back by reserves coach Holger Seitz as recently as last season, and his attacking production increased as a result, with the youngster contributing two goals and three assists for Bayern's second team.
He was handed a new contract until 2025 in March 2023, before opening his unofficial account for the seniors in a high-profile summer friendly against Liverpool in Singapore. In September, Krätzig made his first Bundesliga appearance as a substitute in a 7-0 win over Bochum, and followed that a few days later with his first strike in competitive action as Bayern beat Münster 4-0 in the DFB Cup.
Krätzig made four Bundesliga appearances to go along with one UEFA Champions League outing and two DFB Cup games before a winter loan to Austria Vienna. There, Krätzig immediately became a first-team regular and his 17 appearances - including one goal and three assists - ended in the team qualifying for the UEFA Conference League. A new challenge in the 2024/25 season was then confirmed with a loan spell at Bundesliga runners-up VfB Stuttgart.
Plays a bit like:
Although he is a midfielder-turned left-back providing cover for Davies, Krätzig is stylistically more similar to a Davies predecessor in David Alaba, with his technique setting him apart more than his pace. Whether Krätzig later makes the journey to centre-back like the current Real Madrid man remains to be seen.
Did you know?
Krätzig may have looked pretty carefree in celebrating his wonder goal against Liverpool, but the youngster has developed a reputation for discipline and diligence at the Bayern Campus with his teammates jokingly nicknaming him "the boarding school manager."
What they're saying
"First and foremost it's about defending the goal and not thinking too offensively. The coach quickly drummed that into me. When I have moves forward, the qualities I've learned over the years in attacking midfield obviously help me. It's cool back there on the left!" - Krätzig on his positional evolution.
"He has deserved this chance for weeks. He always concentrates in training and is full of enjoyment. I didn't expect anything less than this performance from him, as he always shows that in training." - Former Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel on Krätzig's first Bundesliga appearance in September 2023.
"Frans is a really interesting player. As well as having convincing qualities as a footballer, he has the right mentality to be a regular Bundesliga player. He has gained valuable experience in professional football at Bayern and Austria Vienna. We are looking forward to see Frans play for us in future." - Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth after Krätzig's loan for the 2024/25 season was announced.
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