Felix Wiedwald (; born 15 March 1990) 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 le ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

. A

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...

youth product, he played for the club's reserves in the

3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for t ...

before moving to

2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...

club

MSV Duisburg Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as simply MSV Duisburg (), is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. Nicknamed ''Die Zebras'' for their traditional striped jers ...

in 2011. Following a two-year stint at Bundesliga side

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...

he returned to Werder Bremen in 2015. Upon

Jiří Pavlenka Jiří Pavlenka (born 14 April 1992) is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Werder Bremen and the Czech Republic national team. Club career Slavia Prague Pavlenka joined Slavia Prague from Baník Ostrava in January 20 ...

's arrival in 2017, he moved to

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

club

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

where he spent one season before rejoining Eintracht Frankfurt. At Eintracht Frankfurt he featured sparingly and was loaned out to former club SV Duisburg. He retired after stints with Dutch club FC Emmen in the Eredivisie">FC_Emmen.html" ;"title="SV Duisburg. He retired after stints with Dutch club FC Emmen">SV Duisburg. He retired after stints with Dutch club FC Emmen in the Eredivisie and with 2. Bundesliga side

SV Sandhausen Sportverein Sandhausen 1916 e.V., commonly known as simply SV Sandhausen or Sandhausen, is a German association football club that plays in Sandhausen, immediately to the south of Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. The club's greatest success ...

. At international level, he made one appearance for the Germany U20 national team.

Club career

Early career

After progressing through the academy of TSV Achim and subsequently

, Wiedwald made his debut for

Werder Bremen II SV Werder Bremen II is the reserve team of SV Werder Bremen. It plays in Regionalliga, the fourth level of the German football league system, and has qualified for the first round of the DFB-Pokal on nineteen occasions. It also has won the Germ ...

in the 2–2 away game at FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the

on 26 September 2009. He became Werder Bremen II's first-choice goalkeeper.

MSV Duisburg

After joining Duisburg initially as number 2 goalkeeper to Florian Fromlowitz, Wiedwald played his first

match for

on 18 November 2011 in a 3–0 home win against

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 ...

Eintracht Frankfurt

In the summer of 2013, Wiedwald joined

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 footba ...

club Eintracht Frankfurt, where he became the number two goalkeeper to regular goalkeeper

Kevin Trapp Kevin Christian Trapp (; born 8 July 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and the Germany national team. He began his professional career at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, where he ...

. On 12 December 2013, he made his debut for Eintracht Frankfurt in 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. It ...

match against

Apoel Nicosia APOEL ( el, ΑΠΟΕΛ; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") is a major mult ...

. Wiedwald made his debut in the Bundesliga on 2 February 2014, when he came on in the game against

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

for the injured Kevin Trapp. In September 2014, he held off competition from experienced former German international goalkeeper

Timo Hildebrand Timo Hildebrand (born 5 April 1979) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Hildebrand holds a Bundesliga record for keeping a clean sheet for the most cons ...

to be the club's temporary first choice goalkeeper after an injury to regular number one Kevin Trapp.

Werder Bremen

Wiedwald playing for Werder Bremen in 2015 On 26 May 2015, Werder Bremen announced their signing of Wiedwald as he returned to his childhood club after spending four years at other clubs. While

Raphael Wolf Raphael Wolf (; born 6 June 1988) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Career In June 2017, Wolf agreed to a one-year contract with 2. Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf on a one-year contract while his contract with ...

, his main competitor, struggled with injuries Wiedwald went into the 2015–16 season as Werder's first choice goalkeeper. At the beginning of the 2016–17 season, Wiedwald shared the number one position with

Jaroslav Drobny Jaroslav (also written as Yaroslav or Jarosław in other Slavic languages) is a Czech and Slovak first name, pagan in origin. There are several possible origins of the name Jaroslav. It is very likely that originally the two elements of the nam ...

, however established himself in the second half of the season, with Wiedwald starting 26 games for Bremen over the season as they finished 8th in the Bundesliga. After impressing during the latter half of the season and reaching a clause after playing 20+ games, on 11 May 2017, Wiedwald's contract at the club was automatically extended. After Bremen signed goalkeeper

on 27 June 2017 as the new number one goalkeeper for the 2017–18 season, Wiedwald was subject of enquiries from

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

club

FC Nantes Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, a ...

and

club

Leeds United

On 30 June 2017, Wiedwald signed for Leeds United of the Championship on a three-year deal contract an undisclosed fee. On 6 August 2017, the first matchday of the 2017–18 season, he made his Leeds United debut in the 3–2 victory against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

. In the following four league matches on 12, 15, 19 and 26th of August he kept four successive clean sheets – in two 0–0 draws against

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

and

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

, in a 2–0 victory against

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

and a 2–0 victory against

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

on 26 August. After receiving criticism for his performance against

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

, Wiedwald lost his place in the side to

Andy Lonergan Andrew Michael Lonergan (born 19 October 1983) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton. Lonergan is a former England ...

. However, with Lonergan having several games as number 1 and failing to impress, Wiedwald returned to the side against

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

on 25 November keeping a clean sheet. During the game, a quick thinking Leeds fan from the crowd gave him his cap when he noticed that the sun was interfering with his vision. After the game, Wiedwald gave the fan his cap back and also his shirt as a thank you gift. He made an error on 9 December against

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

when he let

Paweł Wszołek Paweł Marek Wszołek (Polish pronunciation: ; born 30 April 1992) is a Polish professional footballer who plays for Ekstraklasa club Legia Warsaw. Club career Polonia Warsaw Born in Tczew, Poland, Wszołek played at the academies of Wisła T ...

's hopeful tame long ball bounce into the net. He kept his 10th clean sheet of the season in his 19th performance on 1 January 2018 in Leeds 0–0 draw against Nottingham Forest. He received the man of the match award for Leeds, after keeping another clean sheet in Leeds 0–0 draw against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...

on 31 January. After an early error against

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

that led to a goal, Wiedwald was criticised both by fans and by former Leeds and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

goalkeeper Paul Robinson, acting as ''Sky Sports'' pundit, who said he thought Leeds needed another goalkeeper. On 24 February 2018, he helped prove to be a match winner in Leeds' 1–0 win against

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

, when he made a save from Brentford's John Egan. On 2 March, Wiedwald again came under criticism in a 3–0 defeat against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

after a series of errors in the game including letting a

Patrick Bamford Patrick James Bamford (born 5 September 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Leeds United and the England national team. Bamford began his career at Nottingham Forest, making his debut in December 2011, ...

shot squirm past him to score Boro's second goal of the game. On 7 March, he was dropped due to his form, with youngster

Bailey Peacock-Farrell Bailey Peacock-Farrell (born 29 October 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Burnley. Born and raised in England, he plays international football for Northern Ireland. Peacock-Farrell played in Middlesbrough's ...

preferred in goal against league leaders

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

. Leeds lost 3–0 but Peacock-Farrell received man of the match for his display.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Wiedwald re-signed for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt on 19 June 2018 on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He joined

on 2 January 2019 on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season.

FC Emmen

Wiedwald moved to

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

side

FC Emmen FC Emmen is a Dutch football club based in Emmen, Drenthe. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, after winning the 2021–22 Eerste Divisie title. Founded in 1925, the club entered the professional Eerste Divisie in 1985. I ...

on 5 October 2020, the last day of the 2020 summer transfer window. He signed a one-year contract with the option of a second year.

SV Sandhausen

In January 2022, after half a year without a club, Wiedwald signed a contract until the end of the 2021–22 season with

club

. He joined as a replacement for the injured Nikolai Rehnen.

Retirement

Wiedwald announced his retirement in September 2022.

International career

On 13 November 2009, Wiedwald made his debut for the Germany U20 national team against Austria U20.

Career statistics

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiedwald, Felix 1990 births Living people Footballers from Lower Saxony German men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers SV Werder Bremen players SV Werder Bremen II players MSV Duisburg players Eintracht Frankfurt players Eintracht Frankfurt II players Leeds United F.C. players FC Emmen players SV Sandhausen players Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players 3. Liga players Regionalliga players English Football League players Eredivisie players Germany men's youth international footballers German expatriate men's footballers German expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England German expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands