1. FC Union Berlin are strengthening their Bundesliga squad with the addition of defender Kevin Vogt. The 32-year-old is moving to the capital from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. 

A boy from the Ruhrpott

Born in Witten near Bochum, Vogt took his first tentative steps towards a career in football at the age of three. First at VfB Langendreerholz, then at WSV Bochum and finally, from the summer of 2004, in the youth section of the VfL Bochum. The right-footed Vogt played successfully through all age groups there, making his debut in the Bundesliga at the tail end of the 2008/09 season as a 17-year-old. In the following 2009/10 season, Vogt shuttled back and forth between the U19s and Bochum's second team as he continued to gain ever more vital match practice and experience. It was all that hard work that helped him a year later in the 2. Bundesliga, where he developed into an important pillar in Friedhelm Funkel's team from the second half of the season. 

By the summer of 2012, Vogt had caught the attention of clubs in the German top flight and FC Augsburg signed him for the next two years. As an undisputed regular in the Fuggerstadt, he made 61 appearances and scored four goals.

After two seasons, however, the eight-time German U21 international moved back to the west of Germany, this time to 1. FC Köln where, in his two years, Vogt's tally was similar to that of his time in Augsburg - 60 games and six goals - before his move to TSG 1889 Hoffenheim. Vogt lasted longer there, occasionally as captain, playing 226 games until January 2020, when he moved to the endangered Werder Bremen for the second half of the season and helped the club successfully avoid relegation.

Following his return to Hoffenheim, he has been part of the starting line-up for the past three-and-a-half years and was an important part of a side that finished 2023 a strong seventh in the table.

Three facts about Kevin: 

• With a tackle rate of 67.65 per cent, he is the fifth-best tackler in the Bundesliga so far this season. 
• With 319 Bundesliga games under his belt, Kevin Vogt is one of the most experienced players in the Bundesliga this season. 
• Vogt captained and played in all 90 minutes of the four of Hoffenheim’s UEFA Champions League group stage matches he was available for in 2018. 

The views on the switch 

"I'm looking forward to the city, the club and the challenges that lie ahead in the coming months,” said an optimistic Voigt on his move to Union. “Berlin has always had an appeal for me, so I'm very excited to continue my Bundesliga journey in the capital and to successfully contesting the second half of the season with my new team."

Meanwhile, Oliver Ruhnert, Union’s director of men’s professional football, had this to say. "In Kevin, we have been able to sign a very consistent and strong-willed player who is able to keep a calm head even in heated situations and will therefore enrich our game."