Christian Gentner has extended his contract with VfB Stuttgart, the club have confirmed.
Gentner's current deal was due to expire in June of next year, but he has now put pen to paper on an extension that will take him through to June 2017 with the club.
The 29-year-old signed a deal in January 2013 to take him through to the summer of 2016, one which contained the option for a further year, and the club and player have acted on that today.
From academy to captain
Gentner began his career with Stuttgart, joining them in 1999 as a 14-year-old before going on to make his debut just five years later. The midfielder was a regular in their B team, and his performances there earned him an appearance in the league and another in Europe in the 2004-05 season as a teenager.
It would not take him long to become a regular in the first team either, as just the following season he would make 31 appearances in all competitions as Stuttgart finished ninth in the league.
However, opportunities dried up in the following campaign, with him playing just 16 games all season as Stuttgart won the Bundesliga, and thus he opted for a move elsewhere to see more game time, joining VfL Wolfsburg on loan in 2007 after making a total of 49 appearances for Stuttgart, scoring two goals.
He made this move permanent a year later and would go on to play 126 games for the Wolves, earning another Bundesliga winners' medal in 2009, before moving back to his boyhood club in 2010.
Since returning, Gentner has been appointed captain of the club and has made a total of 186 appearances, whilst increasing his effectiveness in front of goal by scoring 31 goals.
Stuttgart will be excited to have him on board too as the club try and re-establish themselves at the top of the Bundesliga, having had a poor few seasons lately which has seen them get far too involved in the relegation battle.