Freiburg have confirmed a contract extension for native son Matthias Ginter. The Bundesliga club confirmed on Tuesday that the 32-year-old centre-back has prolonged his stay in Breisgau, with neither the new duration nor further contractual details disclosed. Freiburg's decision nevertheless requires little explanation.
Ginter remains one of Julian Schuster's most important players, has supplied three Bundesliga assists already this season and continues to perform at a level that made a Germany recall appear entirely realistic only a few months ago. The timing of the new deal also lends it a certain poignancy.
For much of last season, Ginter was simultaneously helping Freiburg through one of the most successful campaigns in club history and attempting to force his way back into the national team. Now, with the international chapter appearing effectively closed , his future has been firmly tied to the club where everything began.
Ginter's connection with Freiburg predates his professional career by many years. The Freiburg native entered the club's academy at D-youth level after growing up following the team from the terraces. He made his Bundesliga debut for the Sport-Club in January 2012 before moving on to Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach. His return in summer 2022 therefore represented considerably more than another Bundesliga transfer.
Four years later, Ginter has amassed 255 competitive appearances for Freiburg, scoring 20 goals and providing 19 assists across his two stints. He has helped establish the club as a regular presence in the upper reaches of the Bundesliga and represented Freiburg in Europe on multiple occasions.
The veteran's second Freiburg spell has also developed in a manner that challenges the usual assumptions surrounding a player entering his thirties. Rather than gradually receding into a mentoring role, Ginter has arguably produced some of the strongest football of his career.
By the spring, Ginter had moved well beyond merely providing experience at the back. He passed 400 Bundesliga appearances, produced commanding performances in Europe and began adding goals and assists to his defensive work. Freiburg's Europa League campaign offered perhaps the clearest illustration of how influential he remained.
After standing out individually in a poor first-leg defeat to Genk , Ginter scored and assisted as Freiburg overturned the tie with a 5-1 victory in the return fixture. The performances continued. Against Celta Vigo, Ginter delivered the type of display that prompted Lothar Matthäus to describe his performance as practically perfect . At that stage, Julian Schuster had started him 42 times across all competitions and Ginter had completed every one of those matches.
The national-team discussion inevitably returned.
Freiburg's Europa League adventure ultimately ended with defeat to Aston Villa in Istanbul. Approximately twelve hours later, Ginter learned that he would not be included in Germany's World Cup squad. He subsequently described the combination of those two disappointments as one of the most painful stretches of his career .
The disappointment also appears to have changed his perspective. Ginter later spoke of the freedom that came with no longer constantly viewing club performances through the prism of another national-team opportunity.
The logic was easy enough for him to understand. His record remains substantial: 51 senior caps, nine years in the national-team setup, major international titles and an Olympic medal. The absence of another Germany call-up has not diminished what Freiburg continue to receive from him every week.
Through the opening seven competitive fixtures of the new season, Schuster's side remain unbeaten. Ginter has again been the defensive reference point, contributing three Bundesliga assists.
"Matze is a pillar of our team," SCF personnel boss Jochen Saier noted in a club statement. "The level and consistency of his performances are impressive and have helped shape the overall sporting development of the team. After all these years in professional football, Matze is still extremely ambitious and driven. We are therefore very happy to continue on this path together."
"I grew up with SC and stood in the children's section at the Dreisamstadion as a boy," Ginter himself added. "The club is very special. We want to continue writing this success story together and are maximally ambitious."
