# Kevin Großkreutz
**Kevin Großkreutz** (born 1988 in Dortmund) is a German former professional footballer who played as a versatile defender and winger, best known for six seasons at [Borussia Dortmund](https://www.edgepedia.org/borussia-dortmund), where he won two [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga) titles, the 2012 [DFB-Pokal](https://www.edgepedia.org/dfb-pokal), and the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) A lifelong Dortmund supporter from the Eving district, he became one of the club's identification figures before finishing his career in the lower German divisions.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988, Dortmund, Germany; height 1.86 m[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) • [2](https://www.transfermarkt.de/kevin-grosskreutz/profil/spieler/44521) |
| Position | Right-back by registration, able to play all midfield and flank positions, defensive and offensive[2](https://www.transfermarkt.de/kevin-grosskreutz/profil/spieler/44521) |
| Borussia Dortmund | 236 competitive games, 27 goals, 37 assists (2009 to 2015)[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) |
| Honors | Bundesliga 2011 and 2012, DFB-Pokal 2012, DFL-Supercup 2013 and 2014, Champions League finalist 2013, World Cup 2014[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) |
| Germany | 6 senior caps, 0 goals; 2014 World Cup squad member without an appearance[2](https://www.transfermarkt.de/kevin-grosskreutz/profil/spieler/44521) • [3](https://www.goal.com/de/meldungen/weltmeister-kevin-gro%C3%9Fkreutz-habe-schweinsteiger-viel-zu/blt0ef2e286cc282cc7) |
| Later clubs | Galatasaray (2015, no competitive appearance), VfB Stuttgart, SV Darmstadt 98, KFC Uerdingen 05[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) |
| Status | Professional career ended January 2021; official BVB legend from the 2025/26 season[4](https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/kevin-grosskreutz/) • [5](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/aktuelles/news/news.html/2025/8/14/Kevin-Grosskreutz-wird-BVB-Legende.html) |
## Youth and Rot Weiss Ahlen
Großkreutz grew up in Dortmund's Eving district as a supporter with a season ticket, and his first footballing steps came at DJK Rot-Weiß Obereving, VfL Kemminghausen, and FC Merkur 07 before he joined the Borussia Dortmund youth academy in 1999 at age eleven.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) Three years later he moved to Rot Weiss Ahlen, where he made the step from the youth team to the first squad.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html)
His breakthrough season was 2007/08, when twelve goals made him a central figure in Ahlen's promotion to the 2. Bundesliga and earned him a place in kicker's "Elf des Jahres" (Team of the Year) in the Regionalliga Nord.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) In total he played 97 competitive games for Ahlen and scored 24 goals, a record that brought him back to Borussia Dortmund for the 2009/10 season.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html)
## Borussia Dortmund
Großkreutz debuted in the black and yellow shirt on 8 August 2009 and quickly became a regular under coach [Jürgen Klopp](https://www.edgepedia.org/jurgen-klopp).[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) Usable on many positions, he was described by the club as the embodiment of the Klopp player: strong in running, passionate, and unconditional.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) A tactical analysis published in 2013 called him one of the best players in the world in the defensive transition moment, the phase immediately after his team loses the ball.[6](https://spielverlagerung.de/2013/12/03/turchen-3-kevin-groskreutz/)
**Titles in black and yellow.** Dortmund won the Bundesliga in 2010/11 and 2011/12, and in 2012 added the DFB-Pokal to complete the double, with Großkreutz a central part of both triumphs.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) In the 2012/13 Champions League season the club reached the final in London; Großkreutz played in the 1-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) He also won the DFL-Supercup in 2013 and 2014.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) His Dortmund record across all competitions stands at 236 games, 27 goals, and 37 assists.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html)
## World Cup 2014
Strong performances at Dortmund brought Großkreutz into the national team, and after six caps he was named to Germany's 2014 World Cup squad.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) He was one of five players in the squad who did not play during the tournament in Brazil, which Germany won by beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final at the Maracana on 13 July 2014.[3](https://www.goal.com/de/meldungen/weltmeister-kevin-gro%C3%9Fkreutz-habe-schweinsteiger-viel-zu/blt0ef2e286cc282cc7) • [7](https://www.fifa.com/de/tournaments/mens/worldcup/articles/wm-titel-deutschland-ueberblick-ergebnisse-torschuetzen-kader) In a 2020 interview he said 2014 was the first year he played right-back, having previously played left wing, and that coach [Joachim Löw](https://www.edgepedia.org/joachim-low) valued his relaxed role within the squad.[8](https://www.sport1.de/news/fussball/2020/12/kevin-grosskreutz-ueber-borussia-dortmund-moukoko-favre-reus-hummels-und-loew)
## After Dortmund
In summer 2015 Großkreutz transferred to Galatasaray in Turkey, but he made no competitive appearance there; he later called the move, made on the last day of the transfer window, a small career killer and an important experience.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) • [8](https://www.sport1.de/news/fussball/2020/12/kevin-grosskreutz-ueber-borussia-dortmund-moukoko-favre-reus-hummels-und-loew) In January 2016 he returned to Germany with second-division [VfB Stuttgart](https://www.edgepedia.org/vfb-stuttgart), and the club won promotion to the Bundesliga in 2017.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) His Stuttgart spell ended after a night out with underage teammates followed by a violent altercation, and he described the separation as the hardest chapter of his career.[8](https://www.sport1.de/news/fussball/2020/12/kevin-grosskreutz-ueber-borussia-dortmund-moukoko-favre-reus-hummels-und-loew)
He then played for [SV Darmstadt 98](https://www.edgepedia.org/sv-darmstadt-98) in 2017/18 and KFC Uerdingen 05 in 2018/19, winding down his career in the lower leagues.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) His career statistics across clubs, as listed by Borussia Dortmund, are:[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html)
| Club | Games | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borussia Dortmund | 236 | 27 | 37 |
| Rot Weiss Ahlen | 97 | 24 | 11 |
| KFC Uerdingen 05 | 50 | 1 | 4 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| SV Darmstadt 98 | 28 | 3 | 3 |
| Borussia Dortmund U23 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 445 | 56 | 55 |
Großkreutz ended his professional career in January 2021 at KFC Uerdingen and returned to amateur football.[4](https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/kevin-grosskreutz/) In September 2025 his first coaching job, as player-coach at the sixth-division club SV Wacker Obercastrop, ended after seven league games without a win.[9](https://www.transfermarkt.de/kevin-grosskreutz/news/spieler/44521) He has since played amateur football for TuS Eichlinghofen in Dortmund.[2](https://www.transfermarkt.de/kevin-grosskreutz/profil/spieler/44521)
## Life around football
In 2016 Großkreutz opened the pub "Mit Schmackes" in Dortmund with his friend and business partner Christopher Reinecke; during the coronavirus closures he ran a voucher raffle with signed jerseys to support the business.[4](https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/kevin-grosskreutz/) • [8](https://www.sport1.de/news/fussball/2020/12/kevin-grosskreutz-ueber-borussia-dortmund-moukoko-favre-reus-hummels-und-loew) He has remained in his home city and closely tied to the club, playing in the BVB legends team, and from the 2025/26 season he is officially designated a BVB legend.[1](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html) • [5](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/aktuelles/news/news.html/2025/8/14/Kevin-Grosskreutz-wird-BVB-Legende.html)
## References
1. [Kevin Großkreutz #19, Offizielles Spielerprofil, BVB.de](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/mannschaften/fussball/ehemalige-spieler/kevin-grosskreutz.html)
2. [Kevin Großkreutz, Spielerprofil, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.de/kevin-grosskreutz/profil/spieler/44521)
3. [Kevin Großkreutz: Ohne Einsatz und doch ein Beitrag zum WM-Titel 2014, Goal.com](https://www.goal.com/de/meldungen/weltmeister-kevin-gro%C3%9Fkreutz-habe-schweinsteiger-viel-zu/blt0ef2e286cc282cc7)
4. [Kevin Großkreutz: Alles zum Fußballer aus Dortmund, Ruhr Nachrichten](https://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/kevin-grosskreutz/)
5. [Kevin Großkreutz wird BVB-Legende, BVB.de](https://www.bvb.de/de/de/aktuelles/news/news.html/2025/8/14/Kevin-Grosskreutz-wird-BVB-Legende.html)
6. [Türchen 3: Kevin Großkreutz, Spielverlagerung](https://spielverlagerung.de/2013/12/03/turchen-3-kevin-groskreutz/)
7. [Deutschlands WM-Titel im Überblick, FIFA](https://www.fifa.com/de/tournaments/mens/worldcup/articles/wm-titel-deutschland-ueberblick-ergebnisse-torschuetzen-kader)
8. [Großkreutz verrät Karrierekiller, SPORT1](https://www.sport1.de/news/fussball/2020/12/kevin-grosskreutz-ueber-borussia-dortmund-moukoko-favre-reus-hummels-und-loew)
9. [Kevin Großkreutz, News, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.de/kevin-grosskreutz/news/spieler/44521)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › German footballers born before 1995*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license