Niclas Füllkrug (born 9 February 1993) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for club AC Milan, on loan from club West Ham United. He also plays for the Germany national team.
A Werder Bremen youth star, Füllkrug started his senior career with the club's reserves. Following appearances with the first team in the Bundesliga and a loan to 2. Bundesliga side Greuther Fürth in the 2013âÂÂ14 season, he moved to 1. FC Nürnberg. His performances at Nürnberg earned him a move to Hannover 96 in 2016. In April 2019, he returned to Werder Bremen for the 2019âÂÂ20 season and played there for four seasons before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2023. After one season with Borussia Dortmund, he moved abroad for the first time, joining the English side West Ham United in 2024.
A former German youth international, he received a call-up to the Germany senior national team in November 2022, which he went on to represent at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024.
Füllkrug spent eight years with TuS Ricklingen in the Ricklingen district of Hanover, where he was coached by his father. During his time there he scored an average of 160 goals per season. When he joined Werder Bremen at the age of 14 in summer 2006, he rejected offers from five Bundesliga clubs, including Hannover 96.
Having progressed through Werder Bremen's youth system, Füllkrug began his senior career with the club's reserves.
On 24 August 2013, he joined Greuther Fürth on a one-year loan deal. On 2 November 2013, he scored four goals including a 12-minute hat-trick for his new club during a spectacular 6âÂÂ2 away win at Erzgebirge Aue. Having scored six goals in 18 appearances, he sustained a ligament rupture in his right ankle in a 2âÂÂ0 win against VfL Bochum which was expected to keep him out of action for three to four weeks.
In 2014, Füllkrug joined 1. FC Nürnberg permanently having agreed a "long-term" contract, with a reported duration of three years. Werder Bremen secured an option to re-sign him for a fixed fee.
Füllkrug joined Hannover 96 on a four-year contract in July 2016. Nürnberg received a reported transfer fee of â¬2 million plus 1 million in possible bonuses.
He failed to score in his first eight Bundesliga appearances for Hannover 96 but hit a hat-trick against Mainz 05 on 13 January 2018 in a run of goals that got his name mentioned with a call up to the Germany national squad. He scored 14 goals in his first season with the club.
In summer 2018, Borussia Mönchengladbach offered â¬18 million for Füllkrug, and he also had offers from English clubs. However, Hannover decided to keep Füllkrug and in August it was announced that he had agreed to a contract extension until 2022.
On 30 September 2018, in a match against Eintracht Frankfurt, he was substituted off with an ankle injury, but was able to play in the following match, a 3âÂÂ1 win against VfB Stuttgart which moved Hannover up from the last place in the league table. He also featured in a 2âÂÂ2 away draw against Bayer Leverkusen and a 2âÂÂ1 home defeat against FC Augsburg despite suffering from pain in his knee. He did not play in Hannover 96's loss in the second round of the DFB-Pokal on 30 October due to knee problems relating back to an injury sustained in 2013. Manager André Breitenreiter stated that the issue had been plaguing Füllkrug for years and that the pain was so severe before the cup match that Füllkrug did not feel "safe". After consulting a specialist Füllkrug returned to training on 20 November and started in four consecutive matches.
A few days after Füllkrug missed a match against SC Freiburg due to knee problems, it was announced that the injury was severe and he would likely be out for the rest of the season. The injury required surgery and was revealed to be cartilage damage to his right knee, the third injury of this kind of his career. He previously suffered cartilage damage at Werder Bremen (January 2013, right knee) and 1. FC Nürnberg (March 2015, left knee).
In April 2019, it was announced Füllkrug would return to former club Werder Bremen for the 2019âÂÂ20 season. There were conflicting reports of the fee paid to Hannover 96 with Deichstube reporting â¬6.3 million plus a possible 500,000 in bonuses and Sportbuzzer claiming 7 million. 1. FC Nürnberg also profited from the transfer through a 10% sell-on clause. Füllkrug suffered another knee injury in September 2019, and missed several months. He played only 11 games in his first season, scoring 4 goals.
On 26 September 2020, he scored his second Bundesliga hat-trick in a 3âÂÂ1 away win against Schalke 04.
At the start of the 2021âÂÂ22 season, Füllkrug lost his place to new signing Marvin Ducksch. However, once Ole Werner became coach, Füllkrug and Ducksch began playing together and formed an effective partnership. Füllkrug scored 19 goals in the 2. Bundesliga which helped his club to be promoted back to the Bundesliga. In the beginning of the 2022âÂÂ23 Bundesliga, he scored 10 goals in 14 matches, which urged the Germany national coach Hansi Flick to call him up for the World Cup in November. He eventually managed to score 16 goals in that season to finish as joint top scorer along with Christopher Nkunku, making him the first top scorer to play for Bremen since Miroslav Klose in 2005âÂÂ06.
On 31 August 2023, Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund announced the signing of Füllkrug on a three-year contract, for a reported fee of â¬13 million + â¬2 million in add-ons.
On 29 September, he scored his first goal at the club in a 3âÂÂ1 away win over Hoffenheim. On 7 November, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 2âÂÂ0 victory over Newcastle United. On 28 January 2024, he netted his first hat-trick for the club, including two penalties, in a 3âÂÂ1 victory over Bochum. He became the third player ever after Miroslav Klose and Mario Gómez to score hat-tricks for three different Bundesliga sides. On 17 April, he netted a goal to tie the game against Atlético Madrid and eventually help them progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in eleven years. On 1 May, he scored the only goal in a 1âÂÂ0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final first leg. In the final, he scored a header ruled-out by the VAR in a 2âÂÂ0 loss to Real Madrid.
Füllkrug finished off fifth in the Bundesliga with his team. In his first and only season at the club, he played 43 matches, in which he was involved in 26 goals throughout all competitions.
On 5 August 2024, Füllkrug joined Premier League team West Ham United for a reported fee of ã27 million on a four-year contract. On 17 August, he made his debut for the club, as a substitute, in a 2âÂÂ1 loss against Aston Villa in the league.
On 3 December 2024, he scored his first goal for the club, a header, in a 3âÂÂ1 loss to Leicester City, after having been injured for over two months.
On 4 January 2025, he scored a goal against Manchester City in a 4âÂÂ1 loss, shortly before suffering a further injury.
On 5 April 2025, Füllkrug came on as a substitute for West Ham United and scored a header against Bournemouth, after having been injured again for just over three months. West Ham United resulted in a 2âÂÂ2 draw against Bournemouth after trailing behind 1âÂÂ0 at half time.
On 2 January 2026, Füllkrug moved to Italy and joined Serie A team AC Milan on loan for the remainder of the 2025âÂÂ26 season, with a buy option included in the deal. He scored his first goal on 18 January 2026 in a 1âÂÂ0 home victory against Lecce just three minutes after being substituted in.
In November 2022, Füllkrug received his first call-up to the Germany national team for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. He made his debut in a friendly match against Oman as a substitute and scored in the process. Coincidentally, Füllkrug also became the oldest outfield player to make his debut for Germany in 20 years, aged 29 years and 280 days after Martin Max â who was 33 years and 253 days old when he made his debut for Germany in 2002.
On 27 November, he scored his first World Cup goal for Germany in a 1âÂÂ1 draw against Spain. On 1 December, he scored a goal in a 4âÂÂ2 win over Costa Rica. However, Germany was eliminated from the group stage as they finished third on goal difference.
Füllkrug was named in the Germany squad for UEFA Euro 2024. On 14 June 2024, he made his European Championship debut as a 63rd minute substitute and scored five minutes later as the tournament hosts beat Scotland 5âÂÂ1 in the opening match of the tournament. On 23 June, Füllkrug scored a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1âÂÂ1 draw against Switzerland in the last group stage match, securing his team's qualification to the knockout phase on top of their group.
Füllkrug's nickname is "Lücke" (German for "gap") because of his front teeth. He has a wife named Lisa, and a daughter born in 2019. His sister, Anna-Lena, plays as a striker for Hannover 96, while his grandfather Gerd used to play for SV Arminia Hannover.
Following an accident at Werder Bremen's training ground he once ended up hospitalised with the tooth of his teammate wedged in his forehead.
Borussia Dortmund
Individual