Frans Krätzig

Frans Krätzig (born 14 January 2003) is a German professional footballer who plays as a left back and midfielder for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, on loan from Bayern Munich.

Early career
Krätzig was born in Nuremberg, in the Franconia region of Germany. He started playing at Post SV Nürnberg before joining 1. FC Nürnberg in 2012, followed by the youth set-up of Bayern Munich in 2017. Due to the distance from his home, he attended boarding school and was one of the first talents on the FC Bayern Campus that opened in summer of 2017.

Whilst playing for the under-19 team, Krätzig signed a professional contract with Bayern Munich in February 2021. In September 2021, he sustained a persistent pubic bone injury which sidelined him until April 2022. Formerly an attacking midfielder, Krätzig was converted to a left-sided full-back at Bayern Munich II, under Holger Seitz.

Bayern Munich
In March 2023, Krätzig signed a two-year contract extension with Bayern Munich. He was selected to join with the first-team squad on a pre-season tour of Singapore in the summer of 2023, and played against Manchester City in July 2023. Krätzig scored a spectacular long range goal in the last minute to allow Bayern Munich to earn a 4–3 win over Liverpool on 2 August 2023 in the Audi Football Summit and win the Singapore Trophy. He was then called up on the bench for the 2023 DFL-Supercup match against RB Leipzig that ended 3–0 as a defeat, on 12 August 2023.

On 23 September 2023, Krätzig made his Bundesliga debut, coming off the bench in the 65th minute replacing Alphonso Davies, in a 7–0 home victory against VfL Bochum. Three days later, he made his second official appearance for Bayern Munich, coming off the bench at the 11th minute and contributed to a 4–0 away victory, scoring the second goal and his first professional official goal for the senior team at a match in the first round of the DFB Pokal against 3. Liga club SC Preußen Münster. On 6 October 2023, he extended his professional contract with the club until 2027. On 29 November, he made his Champions League debut, coming off the bench in the 86th minute, in a goalless draw against Copenhagen.

Loan to Austria Wien
On 6 February 2024, Krätzig joined Austrian Bundesliga side Austria Wien on a six-month loan, until the end of the season. Later that month, on 17 February, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory over Rheindorf Altach.

Loan to VfB Stuttgart
On 28 June 2024, Krätzig signed a one-year loan contract with fellow Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, with the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

International career
In September 2023, Krätzig played his first international matches for Germany U20 during the 2023–24 Under 20 Elite League against Italy and Poland, in which both matches ended in a 1–1 draw.