Nicolas Höfler Ends 21-Year Freiburg Chapter
nicolas höfler’s professional chapter at SC Freiburg is ending after the club decided it would not continue. The 36-year-old said on Thursday that he would have taken the path for another year, but the decision has been made and his role as a player is over.
Höfler and Schuster
Höfler had seen his minutes fall steadily since Julian Schuster took over as coach in the summer of 2024. He said, “Ich kann schon auch emotional sein” and added, “Es war eine Herausforderung, mit allem umzugehen.”
That decline followed a long run in Freiburg’s midfield, where he wore No. 27 and played in defensive midfield. In August 2021, Maximilian Eggestein arrived from Bremen and lined up alongside him in central midfield, part of a stretch that showed how central Höfler had been to the side before his role shrank.
Freiburg’s Next Step
He came from Herdwangen in the Upper Linzgau to the SC Freiburg boarding school 21 years ago as a boy, and his exit from the first team closes that arc after more than two decades around the club. Höfler said, “Ich habe es nicht immer geschafft,” when speaking about always being a role model in training, and also said, “ich habe dann erkannt, dass der Kampf nicht mehr gekämpft werden kann um einen Platz in der Mannschaft.”
SC Freiburg said, “Chicco wird dem Sport-Club erhalten bleiben,” and Höfler has already obtained the necessary trainer B license. Asked about his future role, he said, “Dazu kann ich nichts sagen,” and added, “das wird nach dem Europa-League-Finale bekannt gegeben.”
For Freiburg, the playing part is finished; the club now has to turn a veteran midfielder into whatever comes next. For Höfler, the last full answer is already on the record: “Ich hätte diesen Weg jetzt noch ein weiteres Jahr beschritten.”
