Benjamin Henrichs

Benjamin Paa Kwesi Henrichs (born 23 February 1997) is a German professional footballer who plays as a full-back or midfielder for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Germany national team.

Henrichs is an academy graduate of Bayer Leverkusen, whom he joined at the age of seven, and captained the side at under-19 level.

Having impressed during his formative years with the club, he was promoted to the senior side in 2015 and made his Bundesliga debut on 20 September when he came on as a second-half substitute for Karim Bellarabi in a 3–0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

He became a regular with the side the following season during which he amassed 29 appearances for the campaign.

On 4 November 2016, Henrichs was called up to the Germany national side for the first time by manager Joachim Löw for the nation's World Cup qualifier against San Marino and a friendly match against Italy.

Seven days later, he made his debut against the former in an 8–0 victory for Germany.

In a 2017 interview, he revealed that Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien was his idol growing up but he chose to represent Germany because they were the nation which approached him when he was still a teenager.

The following year, he was named in Löw's squad for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup – the curtain raiser for the 2018 FIFA World Cup – and made two appearances as Germany went on to lift the title.

He was later excluded from Germany's World Cup squad.

RB Leipzig

Germany

Individual

He ultimately went on to make over 80 appearances for the club across all competitions before signing for Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in August 2018.

On 28 August 2018, Henrichs joined Monaco on a five-year contract.

On 8 July 2020, Henrichs joined RB Leipzig on a season-long loan.

The deal included an option to buy for €15 million at the end of the season.

On 12 April 2021, Henrichs joined RB Leipzig on a permanent deal.

RB Leipzig activated the €15 million buyout option.

Henrichs was born in Germany to a German father and a Ghanaian mother and was eligible to represent both nations prior to making his debut for Germany.