Christian Streich had already spoken highly of the two long-serving Freiburg players in the pre-match press conference. On the pitch at the Europa-Park Stadium, Petersen and Schmid were then shown great applause from the fans before kick-off.

Nils Peter, who will end his career in the summer, joined SC Freiburg on loan during the winter break of the 2014/15 season and decided to remain at the club despite their relegation to the second division. In eight and a half years at the club, the striker, who also played for Carl Zeiss Jena, Energie Cottbus, FC Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen, made 277 competitive appearances. He scored 105 goals and provided 21 assists. The 34-year-old does not only have the best record as a substitute in league history, but has been SCF’s record goal scorer since January 2020. Petersen played for the Germany national side twice and won the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics.

“Nils has a very long history at this club. I can’t imagine him not playing for us anymore and not being in the dressing room. He is an exceptional striker, who has great quality in finishing. He has always been a key part of the squad and has a great personality,” said Christian Streich ahead of the game against Wolfsburg on Friday evening, when Petersen was applauded by the fans.

Jonathan Schmid (32) joined Freiburg’s academy from Offenburger FV in 2008 and won the U19 DFB-Pokal in 2008/09 under Christian Streich. He remained at the club until 2015, before joining TSG Hoffenheim for the 2015/16 season. Following a three-year spell with Augsburg, he returned to Freiburg in 2019. The set-piece specialist played 218 times in all competitions for SC, scoring 31 goals and recording 39 assists. He also appeared in 63 games for the reserves (14 goals, 12 assists) and in 31 matches for the U19s (16 goals).

“Johnny is a fantastic footballer and a real talent,” commented Streich. “He is someone that always plays for the team. I’ve known him for many years and won the youth Pokal together with him. He gave us everything and we gave him everything back. We had a fantastic time together. He’s an SC Freiburg player through and through.”

SC Freiburg would like to thank these two players, who have contributed so much to the club over the years. We wish Jonathan Schmid and Nils Petersen all the best for the future!