German international Florian Fuchs has become a prominent name in the world of hockey ever since making his debut in 2009. The German is a forward by trade, whose natural dribbling and goal scoring ability set him above the rest. He leads the line for Dabang Mumbai at the 2016 Coal India Hockey India League (HIL).
Here are 10 things about the prolific goalscorer you need to know:
1. Florian Fuchs was born on born 10 November 1991 in the city of Hamburg. He began playing at the age of 5 for the Hamburg-based club Uhlenhorster Hockey Club, although his father is an old club member of arch Uhlenhorster's rivals club An Der Alster, who are also a part of the Euro Hockey League.
2. As soon as Fuchs was old enough and eligible to play, then head coach Martin Schulze gave him a direct chance to play in the Bundesliga match, the quarter-final of the 2007 Euro Hockey League season. Repaying the faith the coach put in him, he scored in that match and also scored in the following Euro Hockey League qualifying match.
3. You wouldn`t believe it but, Fuchs' teammate Philip Sunkel played his first match for the Uhlenhorster HC first team before Fuchs was even born and now they are teammates for the club!
4. The 24-year-old forward didn’t take part in the previous HIL seasons as he was completing his degree in Business Administration from a university in Hamburg, Germany.
5. The German international made his senior debut in 2009, aged just 17. He, then, went on to win Gold at the 2012 London Olympics, his first major title. He was only 20 at that time!
6. In 2012, Fuchs was awarded ‘FIH Young Player of the Year’ for his blistering performances at the top level for his home nation.
7. Fuchs’ rise to prominence saw him cement his place in Germany’s national squad and later, he went on to win Gold at the 2014 Champions Trophy in Bhubaneshwar, India.
8. In 2015, Fuchs made up his mind to participate in his debut HIL season following the advice of his fellow German players and thus was included in the auction players list.
9. The German fetched a record US $96,000 at the auction, making him the most expensive forward in the world’s biggest hockey league. He is also the second most expensive player at the tournament, with countryman Moritz Fuerste ($105,000) beating him to the top spot.
10. Fuchs scored in his debut HIL match when he ghosted in the circle and applied the finishing touches to Gurjant Singh’s shot, which was initially saved by Kalinga Lancers goalkeeper Andrew Charter.
