Dominik Kaiser (born 16 September 1988) is a German former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
.
Career
Early career
Born in
Mutlangen
Mutlangen is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg in the Ostalbkreis district and belongs to the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region. As of 31 December 2015, it has 6,588 inhabitants.
Geography
Mutlangen is located between the Welzheim Fores ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, Kaiser was raised in Waldstetten and played for various clubs, such as TGSV Waldstetten,
Normannia Gmünd and
VfL Kirchheim/Teck before re–joining Normannia Gmünd in 2007.
Up until he was 17, Kaiser played tennis before decided to quit to fully concentrate on football.
Kaiser made his Normannia Gmünd debut, coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 3–0 loss against
Alemannia Aachen
Alemannia Aachen () or ATSV Alemannia 1900 is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's second division, ''Alemannia'' enjoyed a three-year turn in the Bundesliga in the ...
in the first round of the DFB–Pokal. Since making for his debut for Normannia Gmünd, Kaiser became a first team regular for the side in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg.
1899 Hoffenheim
In 2009, Kaiser moved to
1899 Hoffenheim II
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II is the reserve team of German association football club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, based in Hoffenheim, Baden-Württemberg. The team has been playing in the tier four Regionalliga since 2010.
History
With the rise of the first te ...
, which was largely credited to his brother, who knew
Markus Gisdol
Markus Gisdol (born 17 August 1969) is a German football manager and former player.
Managerial career
Gisdol had coaching stints at Sonnenhof Großaspach, Ulm 1846, and 1899 Hoffenheim II. He was the assistant manager at Schalke 04.
On 2 Apr ...
at SC Geislingen.
Shortly after, he was assigned to the U23 side and then the second team.
At TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II, Kaiser made his debut for the side, where he played 17 minutes after coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 1–0 loss against
TSG Weinheim. He then scored his first goal for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II, in a 6–3 win over
FC Denzlingen on 2 September 2009. He went on to finish his first season at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II, making 32 appearances and scoring five times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2010–11 season, Kaiser was promoted to the first team, where he trained regularly with the squad. He then appeared in the first team as an unused substitute in number of matches, whilst appearing in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II during the 2010–11 season. Kaiser waited for a long time until on 14 May 2011 when he made his debut at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, coming on as a second–half substitute for
Edson Braafheid
Edson René Braafheid (born 8 April 1983) is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as a left-back for amateur club Palm Beach Stars.
Braafheid started his career with Eredivisie side Utrecht in 2003, before moving on to FC Twente in 2007 on a ...
, in a 3–1 loss against
VfL Wolfsburg
Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...
.
At some to his TSG 1899 Hoffenheim time there, he signed his first professional contract. At the start of the 2011–12 season, Kaiser was given a handful of first team appearances. His first appearance of the 2011–12 came on 13 August 2011, where he came on as a second–half substitute, in a 1–0 win over
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional foot ...
. This lasted until late–October when he was replaced by the returning
Fabian Johnson
Fabian Marco Johnson (born December 11, 1987) is a former professional soccer player who played as a full-back and wide midfielder. Born in Germany, he represented the United States national team, having also represented Germany in youth compe ...
and appeared on the substitute bench, as well as, the club's second team for the rest of the season. Despite his first team opportunities limited, Kaiser extended his contract with the club, keeping him until 2014, on 3 January 2012. Later in the 2011–12 season, he made two more appearances.
RB Leipzig
Kaiser left TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for
RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red B ...
, a club based on Regionalliga Nordost, on 11 July 2012, signing a contract until 2016. The move saw Kaiser reunited with Manager
Ralf Rangnick
Ralf Rangnick (; born 29 June 1958) is a German professional football coach, executive and former player who is currently the manager of the Austria national team.
Rangnick began his coaching career in 1983, succeeding his career as a player, ...
, who he known at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Kaiser made his RB Leipzig debut in the opening game of the season, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against
Union Berlin II. He then scored his first goal for the club on 23 September 2012, in a 3–0 win over
Germania Halberstadt. Kaiser helped the side win the
Regionalliga Nordost
The Regionalliga Nordost is the fourth tier of German football in the states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia. These comprise the states of former East Germany as well as West Berlin.
It ...
and won promotion to the 3. Liga, after three seasons in the Regionalliga after beating
Sportfreunde Lotte
VfL Sportfreunde Lotte is a German association football club from Lotte, North Rhine-Westphalia. The football team is part of a sports club with approximately 1400 members and departments for handball, walking, gymnastics, and swimming, as wel ...
.
In the 2013–14 season, Kaiser started the season well when he scored on Matchday 3, in a 2–1 win over
Wacker Burghausen
SV Wacker Burghausen is a German football club based in Burghausen, Bavaria and is part of one of the nation's largest sports clubs with some 6,000 members participating in two dozen different sports.
History
The club was founded on 13 Novem ...
. After returning from suspension, Kaiser then scored again on 21 December 2013, in a 2–1 win over
Hallescher FC
Hallescher FC, sometimes still called by its former popular name Chemie Halle, is a German association football club based in Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt. The club currently plays in the 3. Liga, the third highest level in the German footba ...
. In a follow-up match against Wacker Burghausen on 25 January 2014, he captained RB Leipzig for the first time in his career, which saw RB Leipzig lose 1–0. He later captained RB Leipzig again for the second time this season, which came against
SV Elversberg
SpVgg 07 Elversberg is a Football in Germany, German association football club, located in Spiesen-Elversberg, Saarland.
History
The club was founded in 1907 as ''FC Germania Elversberg''. It was dissolved in 1914, but then re-constituted in 19 ...
on 2 March 2014 and scored, as well as, assisting another goal, in a 2–0 win. Then, on 3 May 2014, Kaiser scored a hat–trick, as well as, setting up two goals, in a 5–1 win over
1. FC Saarbrücken
1. FC Saarbrücken (german: 1. Fußball-Club Saarbrücken e. V.) is a football club based in Saarbrücken, Saarland. The club plays in the 3. Liga, which is the third tier of football in Germany. The club began its existence as the football de ...
, a win that help the club reach promotion to 2. Bundesliga after finishing the season in second place and became the first team since the introduction of the 3. Liga to win promotion to the 2. Bundesliga after only one season. Initially playing out as a defensive midfielder position, Kaiser then switched into playing as an attacking midfielder position.
In the 2014–15 season, Kaiser was featured for the first two league matches to the season before suffering a thigh injury. After returning to the first team from injury, he then scored his first goal of the season, as well as, setting up two goals, in a 3–1 win over
Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the DF ...
on 24 September 2014. In the next match against
Fortuna Düsseldorf
Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga.
Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...
, Kaiser captained the side for the first time this season, in a 2–2 draw. Following this, he continued to regain his first team place for the rest of the season. Later in the 2014–15 season, Kaiser captained the side in a number of matches in the absence of
Daniel Frahn. Despite missing two matches later in the 2014–15 season,
Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Kaiser was given a captaincy following the departure of Daniel Frahn to
1. FC Heidenheim
1. FC Heidenheim 1846 is a German association football club from the city of Heidenheim, Baden-Württemberg.
History
The current day club was formed in 2007 through the separation of the football section from parent association ''Heidenheimer ...
. He started out playing in the central–midfielder at the start of the 2015–16 season following a tactics change. Kaiser then set up a goal for
Davie Selke
Davie Selke (; born 20 January 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln.
Selke began his professional career with Werder Bremen in 2013 where he went on to score 10 goals in 36 appearanc ...
, who scored a header, in a 2–0 win over
Eintracht Braunschweig
Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German association football, football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding ...
on 15 August 2015. On 4 October 2015, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–2 win over
1. FC Nürnberg
1. Fußball-Club Nürnberg Verein für Leibesübungen e. V., often called 1. FC Nürnberg (, en, 1. Football Club Nuremberg) or simply Nürnberg, is a German association football club in Nuremberg, Bavaria, who currently compete in the 2. Bunde ...
. His goal against
FSV Frankfurt
Fußballsportverein Frankfurt 1899 e.V., commonly known as simply FSV Frankfurt, is a German association football club based in the Bornheim district of Frankfurt am Main, Hesse and founded in 1899. FSV Frankfurt also fielded a rather successfu ...
on 13 December 2015 earned him December's Goal of the Month. Under his leadership at RB Leipzig, Kaiser helped the club gain promotion to the Bundesliga after beating Karlsruher SC 2–0 on 8 May 2016. Despite missing four matches in the 2015–16 season,
In the 2016–17 season, Kaiser was the first RB Leipzig to score in the
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footbal ...
. Kaiser started the season at the first team place, but soon lost his first team and was demoted to the substitute bench.
His first appearance of the 2017–18 season came on 27 August 2017, coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 4–1 win over
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bunde ...
. He also made his UEFA Champions League debut, where he played 16 minutes after coming on as a second–half substitute, in a 2–1 loss against
Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
on 6 December 2017. Kaiser, himself, said he wanted to stay at the club until the end of the season.
On 13 May 2018, Kaiser was awarded a testimonial match by RB Leipzig, in honour of him being their longest-serving player after spending six years with the club.
Brøndby
On 1 July 2018, Kaiser signed with Danish Superliga club
Brøndby on a two-year contract, reuniting with former Leipzig coach,
Alexander Zorniger
Alexander Zorniger (born 8 October 1967) is a German football manager of Greuther Fürth and retired player who played as a midfielder.
Coaching career Early career
Zorniger started his coaching career with stints as head coach of Normannia Gm ...
. In his first season at Brøndby, he reached the
Danish Cup
The Danish Cup ( da, Landspokalturneringen; often referred to as Pokalen) is the official " knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955.
The winner will qu ...
final in which he scored. The final was, however, lost to
Midtjylland
The Central Denmark Region ( da, Region Midtjylland), or more directly translated as the Central Jutland Region and sometimes simply Mid Jutland, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish muni ...
on penalties.
On 8 August 2019, Kaiser scored two goals as Brøndby lost 4–2 in the first leg of the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
qualification match against Portuguese club
Braga
Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (i ...
. The first goal was a sensational shot off a clearance from a Brøndby corner.
At the start of the 2019–20 season he was selected as Brøndby 'Player of the Month' four times in a row. In October 2019, with Kaiser's contract set to expire in the summer, the club expressed an interest in a contract extension.
Hannover 96
On 18 January 2020, Kaiser signed with 2. Bundesliga club
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betw ...
, after failing to reach an agreement over a contract extension with Brøndby. He made his debut on 28 January in a 1–0 away loss to
SSV Jahn Regensburg
Sport- und Schwimmverein Jahn Regensburg e. V., commonly known as SSV Jahn Regensburg, Jahn Regensburg, SSV Jahn or simply Jahn is a German football club based in Regensburg, Bavaria. The club is based on a gymnastics club founded in 1886 ...
, coming on as a substitute for
Marc Stendera in the 59th minute. He managed 16 appearances during his first six months at the club, as Hannover ended in 6th place in the league table, well out of competition for promotion.
Before the
2020–21 season, Kaiser was appointed the new
team captain
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
of Hannover 96 by head coach
Kenan Koçak
Kenan Koçak (born 5 January 1981) is a Turkish football coach and a former player. He is an assistant coach with the Turkey national football team.
Playing career
Koçak was a youth product of Waldhof Mannheim. Kocak played sparsely for Waldho ...
, succeeding
Marvin Bakalorz in that role, as the latter had left for
Denizlispor
Denizlispor, due to current sponsorship Altaş Denizlispor, is a Turkish sports club based in Denizli. It is known by its distinct green and black colors. The club's branches include football, volleyball, basketball, table tennis, and gymnastics ...
. On 14 September 2020, Kaiser scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 away win over
Würzburger Kickers
Würzburger Kickers is a German association football club playing in Würzburg, Bavaria. In pre-World War II football, the club competed briefly at the highest level in the Bezirksliga Bayern, and during the war, in the Gauliga Bayern. Post-war, ...
in the
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
after an assist by
Marvin Ducksch. His first league goal followed shortly after, on 19 September, in a 2–0 win home at
Niedersachsenstadion
Niedersachsenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, which is home to football club Hannover 96.
The original 86,000-capacity stadium was completed in 1954 and has since been rebuilt several times for various ma ...
over
Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the DF ...
, again after an assist by Ducksch.
Retirement
After being a free agent for a couple of months, Kaiser announced in German media, that he would retire from professional football.
After a few months he announced that he would indeed return to the world of football, working in the scouting departement of
RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red B ...
, the club where he spent the majority of his career.
Personal life
Kaiser has an older brother, Steffen, who works as a doctor in Esslingen.
Outside of football, Kaiser also practices Judo.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaiser, Dominik
1988 births
Living people
People from Mutlangen
Footballers from Stuttgart (region)
German men's footballers
1. FC Normannia Gmünd players
VfL Kirchheim/Teck players
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim II players
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim players
RB Leipzig players
Brøndby IF players
Hannover 96 players
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
3. Liga players
Danish Superliga players
Men's association football midfielders
German expatriate men's footballers
German expatriate sportspeople in Denmark
Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark