Robin Gosens

Robin Everardus Gosens (born 5 July 1994) is a German professional footballer who plays as a left midfielder or left wing-back for Bundesliga club Union Berlin and the Germany national team.

Vitesse
Born in Emmerich am Rhein, Gosens appeared for local clubs such as Fortuna Elten, 1. FC Bocholt and VfL Rhede, before joining Vitesse's youth setup on 4 July 2012. On 13 August 2013, he signed his first professional deal with the club. Prior to this, he failed at a trial workout with Bundesliga giant Borussia Dortmund. Gosens himself called it a fiasco.

FC Dordrecht (loan)
On 14 January 2014, Gosens was loaned to FC Dordrecht until the end of the season. He made his professional debut three days later, starting in a 1–1 home draw against SBV Excelsior.

Gosens scored his first professional goal on 7 February, netting the second in a 6–1 home victory against FC Emmen. He appeared in 20 matches during the campaign (play-offs included), as his side finished second and returned to Eredivisie after a nineteen-year absence.

On 29 May 2014, Gosens' loan was renewed for a further year, and he made his Eredivisie debut on 9 August, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 away win against SC Heerenveen. He scored his first goal in the competition on 20 September, netting his side's only goal in a 1–1 away draw against Excelsior.

Heracles Almelo
On 4 June 2015, it was announced that Gosens had moved on a free transfer to Heracles Almelo.

Atalanta
On 2 June 2017, it was announced that Gosens had transferred to Italian side Atalanta. On 18 September 2019, Gosens made his Champions League debut against Dinamo Zagreb. On 11 December 2019, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–0 away win over Shakhtar Donetsk. On 25 November 2020, he scored his second Champions League goal in a 2–0 away win over Liverpool at Anfield.

Gosens established himself as one of the top wing-backs in the Serie A, excelling both offensively and defensively. During the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, he was one of Atalanta's top goalscorers of the season scoring 10 goals and 12 goals, unprecedentedly high numbers for a defender. On 14 September 2021, he scored the equalizing goal for Atalanta in a 2–2 away draw against Villarreal in the first fixture of the 2021–22 Champions League season.

Inter Milan
On 27 January 2022, Inter Milan announced the signing of Gosens on a loan until the end of the season, with an obligation to buy if certain conditions were met. On 12 April, it was announced that Gosens would join Inter permanently following the season, by activating the buy option in his loan deal. On 12 October, he scored his first Champions League goal with Inter in a 3–3 away draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou.

On 10 June 2023, he played in the Champions League final as a substitute in the second half, which ended in a 1–0 defeat against Manchester City.

Union Berlin
After a year and a half with Inter Milan, Gosens moved to Champions League contender 1. FC Union Berlin in August 2023. With this move, he fulfilled his Bundesliga dream. According to media reports, the transfer fee was around €15 million, making him 1. FC Union Berlin's record transfer. Previously, VfL Wolfsburg also expressed interest in the left back.

Gosens made his club and Bundesliga debut as a substitute on August 20 at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei in a 4–1 home win over Mainz on the first matchday of the Bundesliga season. The following week, on August 26, he would make his first start in the Bundesliga at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor and made an immediate impact, scoring two goals for Union Berlin in a 4–1 away victory over Darmstadt.

International career
On 25 August 2020, Gosens received his first call-up to represent the Germany national football team. He made his debut on 3 September, starting in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League match against Spain.

On 19 May 2021, he was included in the UEFA Euro 2020 squad. On 19 June 2021, he scored a goal and provided an assist in a 4–2 win over Portugal in a group stage game at the tournament, for which he was awarded the Star of the Match.

Gosens was excluded from the Germany squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with coach Hansi Flick stating the reason was Gosens' loss of rhythm over the previous year due to a lack of appearances.

Personal life
Gosens was born in Germany to a German mother and a Dutch father, and holds both Dutch and German citizenships. During a press conference for the Germany national team, Gosens mentioned that he grew up as a Schalke 04 fan. In June 2022, he married his girlfriend Rabea Böhlke, with whom he had a son.

On 22 February 2023, Gosens earned his B.Sc. in Psychology from the SRH Fernhochschule.

International

 * Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first.

Honours
Inter Milan
 * Coppa Italia: 2021–22, 2022–23
 * Supercoppa Italiana: 2022
 * UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2022–23

Individual
 * Serie A Team of the Year: 2019–20