Marcel Halstenberg

Marcel Halstenberg (born 27 September 1991) is a German professional footballer who plays for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Germany national team. In addition to playing to the left-back position, he plays in the centre-back position.

Club career

Hannover 96 II

Born in Laatzen, Germany, Halstenberg grew up in Hannover and started his career at SV Germania Grasdorf before joining Hannover 96. After spending eleven years progressing through the Hannover 96 youth system, he was eventually promoted to Hannover 96 II. Halstenberg initially started out as a striker before moving to defence. He went on to make nineteen appearances for Hannover 96 II during the 2010–11 season.

Borussia Dortmund II

On 8 April 2011, it was announced that Halstenberg joined Borussia Dortmund II.

He made his Borussia Dortmund II debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern II in the opening game of the season. Since joining the club, Halstenberg became a regular in the starting eleven at Borussia Dortmund II. Following his performance in a 4–0 win over rivals’ FC Schalke 04 II, Manager David Wagner praised his performance for playing in the unfamiliar position for the first time. It wasn't until on 28 March 2012 when he scored his first goal for Borussia Dortmund II, in a 4–2 win over Eintracht Trier. Halstenberg later added more goals to his tally, scoring against TuS Koblenz and SC Verl. Despite suffering from injuries during the 2011–12 season, Halstenberg finished his first season, making 32 appearances and scoring three times for Borussia Dormund II.

In the 2012–13 season, Halstenberg began to play in the left–back position since the start of the season. It wasn't until on 3 August 2012 when he scored his first Borussia Dortmund II goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Alemannia Aachen. His performance attracted interests from Borussia Dortmund's first team and saw him promoted to the senior team in January 2013. However, he appeared three times as an unused substitute in the club's first team matches: two coming from the league and one coming from the UEFA Champions League. Despite this, Halstenberg continued to feature for the Borussia Dortmund II side for the remainder of the 2012–13 season. At the end of the 2012–13 season, he went on to make thirty–six appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.

Halstenberg reflected his time at Borussia Dortmund, saying: "They are nice memories. David Wagner brought me back then. We moved up to the 3rd league in the first year and held the class there in the second year. That was a great time. I was allowed to practice with the pros from time to time. That helped me a lot and my athletic career."

FC St. Pauli

Halstenberg signed a three-year contract with FC St. Pauli as a free agent, after his contract had expired with Borussia Dortmund at the end of the 2012–13 Bundesliga campaign.

Halstenberg made his FC St. Pauli debut in the opening game of the season, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win over TSV 1860 Munich. Since making his FC St. Pauli debut, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven, where he faced competition from another left–back position player, Sebastian Schachten. He continued to start in the left–back position until Schachten's return in December 2013 and found himself, coming on as a substitute on two occasions and at one point, played in the left–midfield position. It wasn't until on 23 February 2014 when Halstenberg scored his first goal for the club, scoring from a direct free kick, in a 2–1 win over Dynamo Dresden. In a follow up match against Union Berlin, he played a vital role when he set up two goals, as FC St. Pauli won 2–1. Halstenberg then set up another two goals, setting up the first and second goal, as FC St. Pauli beat SV Sandhausen 3–2 on 5 April 2014. Towards the end of the 2013–14 season, he then began to play in the midfield positions following Schachten regaining his left–back position. At the end of the 2013–14 season, Halstenberg went on to make thirty–two appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

In the 2014–15 season, Halstenberg, however, suffered an injuries that saw him missed the start of the season. After returning to the reserve team from injuries, he made his first appearance of the season, starting the whole game, in a 4–1 loss against RB Leipzig. In a follow–up match against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Halstenberg scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss. Since returning to the first team, he regained his first team place in the left–back position, competing with Daniel Buballa throughout the season. Halsternberg later two more goals later in the 2014–15 season against 1. FC Kaiserslautern and VfL Bochum. Despite being sidelined for one more game later in the 2014–15 season, he went on to make twenty–two appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Halstenberg was linked with a move away from the club, with his hometown club, Hannover 96 interested. Hastlenberg, himself, stated he wanted to leave the club, describing it as the next step. Despite, Halstenberg continued to regain his first team place. He scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win over Karlsruher SC on 2 August 2015. This was followed up by scoring his second goal of the season, in a 3–2 win over Greuther Fürth. However, he suffered an injury once again that saw him sidelined throughout August. By the time of his departure, Halstenberg made three appearances and scoring once for the side.

RB Leipzig

He joined RB Leipzig on 31 August 2015, signing on a four–year contract for an undisclosed fee (it was reported to have cost three million euros). However, his move to RB Leipzig caused outrage among FC St. Pauli supporters.

Halstenberg made his RB Leipzig debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 win over Paderborn 07 on 11 September 2015. In a follow–up match, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 1–1 draw against 1. FC Heidenheim