Rafael Czichos

Rafael Czichos (born 14 May 1990) is a Saudi-German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back.

Rafael Czichos

Czichos with 1. FC Köln in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth	(1990-05-14) 14 May 1990 (age 35)[1]
Place of birth	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
	FSV Verden 04
0000–2008	TSV Ottersberg
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008–2010	TSV Ottersberg	62	(15)
2010–2012	VfL Wolfsburg II	23	(1)
2012–2015	Rot-Weiss Erfurt	99	(9)
2015–2018	Holstein Kiel	99	(12)
2018–2022	1. FC Köln	103	(4)
2022–2024	Chicago Fire	86	(6)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:39, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Career

Born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia while his father worked there,^[2] Czichos began his career at TSV Ottersberg and joined VfL Wolfsburg II in 2010. In 2012, he signed with then 3. Liga side Rot-Weiss Erfurt. After signing with Holstein Kiel, Czichos first played in the 2. Bundesliga when the team won promotion in 2017.^[3]

However, Kiel failed to win promotion after the 2017–18 season and he was sold to newly relegated side 1. FC Köln for a fee of €1.8 million.^[4] He made his debut, including his first goal, for the club in a 2–0 victory against VfL Bochum on 4 August 2018.^[5] Having been an undisputed starter in the first half of the 2021–22 season, he left 1. FC Köln in January 2022, with half a year left on his contract. kicker described the move as "surprising".^[6]

On 2 January 2022, Czichos transferred to Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire on a three-year contract.^[7][8] Czichos was released by Chicago following their 2024 season.^[9]

Personal life

In a July 2018 interview Czichos revealed he was a life-long fan of Werder Bremen.^[10]