Nicolas "Chicco" Höfler has signed a new "long-term deal" with SC Freiburg, but the length of his contract was not disclosed.
Background
Höfler has been with the Südbaden side since 2005, where the 25 year-old furthered his youth career, having previously played for SC Pfullendorf. He signed his first professional contract at aged 18, and made 78 appearances for SC Freiburg II between 2008 and 2010.
Having made a good impression in the second-team, in 2010, aged 20, he joined up with the first team and made 44 league appearances during the 2010/11 season. The following two seasons, the defensive-midfielder had a loan spell with Erzgebirge Aue. He made a total of 40 league appearances for the Saxony side.
However, it's only really this season that Höfler has put his stamp on the Freiburg side. Before the season began, he was elected as one of the vice-captains for the coming season, and has kept club captain Julian Schuster on the sidelines with his impressive performances.
He's started in every match for Sport-Club so far this season, and hasn't been substituted at all, featuring in every single minute of the 990 minutes SC Freiburg have played this season (league and cup), helping towards their current league position (2nd).
Comments
Freiburg's sporting director, Jochen Saier, commented on Chicco's contract extension. He said: "Nicolas has evolved steadily, not least through his exemplary attitude over the years. His ball security and his strategic skills are very important for our team."
Höfler himself also commented on his prolonged stay in Baden-Württemberg, saying: "I've been here for ten years. In Freiburg, I know the environment to appreciate it and I feel at home here." He continued, "From a sporting point of view, SC Freiburg is the perfect place to develop myself. We have a great team and we can achieve a lot, I want to go along this path."