Kevin Behrens (born 3 February 1991) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Swiss Super League club Lugano. He previously played in the Bundesliga and has also represented the Germany national team.
Behrens started his career in 2010 in the Bremen-Liga, the fifth division of German football, for Werder Bremen III. From 2011-2018, he played in the Regionalliga, the fourth division of German football, for SV Wilhelmshaven, Hannover 96 II, Alemannia Aachen, Rot-Weiss Essen, 1. FC Saarbrücken. He made his 2. Bundesliga debut in 2018 with SV Sandhausen. With Saarbrücken, he won both the 2016âÂÂ17 Saarland Cup and 2017âÂÂ18 Regionalliga Südwest.
Behrens transferred to East Berlin-based Bundesliga club Union Berlin during the 2021 summer transfer window. On 16 September 2021, he scored his first goal in European competitions in a 3âÂÂ1 defeat against Slavia Prague in the 2021âÂÂ22 Conference League. On the first matchday of the 2023âÂÂ24 Bundesliga season, Behrens scored his first Bundesliga hat-trick, all being headers, on 20 August 2023 at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei against 1. FSV Mainz 05 in a 4âÂÂ1 home victory. On 20 September 2023, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 1âÂÂ0 defeat against Real Madrid.
On 31 January 2024, Behrens moved to VfL Wolfsburg. In October that year, Wolfsburg fined Behrens for making a homophobic comment during an autograph session, refusing to sign a rainbow-themed Wolfsburg jersey. He later apologised, and the club reaffirmed its commitment to diversity and tolerance. Later that month, FC St. Pauli fans protested his appearance with a âÂÂmore love, less Kevin Behrensâ banner.
On 15 July 2025, Behrens signed a two-season contract with Lugano in Switzerland. On 9 January 2026, during a friendly match against Viktoria Plzen, during play, Behrens shoved teammate Georgios Koutsias to the ground and verbally berated him, causing teammate Uran Bislimi to intervene between the players. After the incident, Behrens requested to be substituted and the club issued a statement after the friendly in which they condemned the confrontation and announced an internal investigation into the incident.
In October 2023, Behrens received his first call-up to the German senior national team for two friendly matches against the United States and Mexico. He debuted against the latter on 17 October, coming on as a substitute at the 87th minute for Jamal Musiala in a match which ended in a 2âÂÂ2 draw.
His sister () is a volleyball and beach volleyball player.
1. FC Saarbrücken