BLUES CAPTAIN MARVEL

BIRMINGHAM CITY SUPPORTER KEITH DIXON LOOKS AT THE IMPACT OF DEFENDER CHRISTOPH KLARER

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LAST season was an incredible one for Birmingham City. Getting promoted back to the Championship at the first time of asking was wonderful in itself but the manner in which it was achieved took it to a different level.

Promoted with six League One games to play, the Blues amassed a record-breaking 111 points, conceded only 31 goals and went unbeaten at home, winning 19 and drawing four.

One man who has made a significant difference is Austrian defender Christoph Klarer.

A demonstration of his contribution is that he started the season on the bench and ended up as captain, winning both the Players' and Supporters' Player of The Year awards.

There was some surprise expressed in July 2024 that, a year after joining Darmstadt 98, he chose to move from the Bundesliga to a third tier team in England on a three-year contract. But it's certainly worked out.

Born in Boheimkirchen in June 2000, as an 11-year-old he joined Rapid Vienna. He spent five years in their youth setup before moving to England in 2016.

It was Southampton who signed him on a professional contract but he was never selected for Saints' first team in senior competitions.