Former bearer of hope
Ex-96 striker ends career at just 25 years old
January 6, 2026 – 8:10 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Sebastian Soto played in the 1st Bundesliga in Hanover. The talent also stormed for the US national team. Now he has ended his career early.
Sebastian Soto was once considered a promising talent Hannover 96 The striker even made it into the Bundesliga. But now Soto has ended his professional career at just 25 years old. The American announced his decision via Instagram.
“Hanging up the boots,” Soto wrote there, in German: “I hang up the shoes.” His account has now been set to private.
The California native moved from the youth team of MLS club Real Salt Lake City to Hannover 96’s U19 team in August 2018. There, Soto quickly attracted attention: in 24 games in the Junior Bundesliga, he scored 17 goals and prepared six more goals.
The strong season was rewarded with appearances with the professionals. Under coach Thomas Doll, Soto appeared three times in the Bundesliga in April 2019, but failed to score. In the following season, the attacker no longer played a sporting role. In the 2nd Bundesliga he only appeared as a substitute twice, and he also failed to score a goal in the U23 team.
Coach Kenan Kocak publicly criticized the attacker’s attitude at the time. “If Soto plays like he did today, he has no chance,” he said during the season.
In the summer of 2020, the Hannover chapter ended with a move to Norwich City. But Soto didn’t make a breakthrough with the English club either. He did not play a competitive game for the first team. Loans to Telstar (Netherlands), Livingston (Scotland) and FC Porto’s B team also had no lasting success.
In 2022, Soto dared to make a new start at Austria Klagenfurt in Austria’s Bundesliga. He only scored one goal in 19 appearances. In addition, there were increasing injury problems: in the 2023/24 season he was out for months due to back problems, and in August 2024 he suffered a serious knee injury shortly after his return. Klagenfurt terminated the contract in October 2024. Since then, Soto has not been on the pitch.
Soto showed what potential he had in his two appearances for the US national team. In his debut against Panama in November 2020, he scored two goals in eight minutes.