“Do something new again”
Captain Lewis Holtby will leave Kiel in summer
09.03.2025 – 10:52 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Lewis Holtby for Holstein Kiel has been running for four years, is now captain. But his time in the north is now coming to an end.
Holstein Kiel has to do without an important top performer from summer: Captain Lewis Holtby will leave the Bundesliga clubs at the end of the season. The 34-year-old informed the club that he would not extend his expiring contract.
Holtby had moved to the fjord four years ago and had made a decisive contribution to the first rise of the Kiel to the Bundesliga last season.
“It was important to me to include the club in my plans at an early stage and to create clarity for all,” said Holtby in a message from the club. From summer he wanted to “do something new again”. The former international left exactly what that will be.
Kiel’s sports manager Carsten Wehlmann praised Holtby for his merits: “He has shaped the such successful path of the past few years through his performance on the pitch, his leadership role in the cabin and his personality.” Holtby is one of the players “who will remain connected to the club forever”.
Before his time in Kiel, the midfielder was active for several traditional clubs, including FC Schalke 04, FSV Mainz 05, Tottenham Hotspur and Hamburger SV. In this Bundesliga season, Holtby came to 20 missions, including twelve in the starting eleven. So far, he has played 102 games for the Kielers.
“With this we can all focus on the topic and fully focus on our big common goal until the end of the season,” said Holtby, looking at the fight for relegation. “And when I say goodbye in summer, I will remember this club as one of the most beautiful stations in my career.”