At the end of the 2022-23 season, a story book FC career will come to an end. Timo Horn, Köln born and bred, is the most-senior player in Steffen Baumgart’s FC squad and will not extend his contract, which runs out in the summer. The FC goalkeeper, who has worn the badge with pride for over 20 years, wants to be first-choice again and has therefore decided to search for a new challenge.

Timo Horn said, “To leave FC is an incredibly hard decision, which everyone can surely understand. Since I can remember, I’m an FC fan. Since I play football, I’ve been at FC and since my first-team debut in 2012, I’ve always been between the sticks for FC. This situation, following my injury, changed last season. Competition is part of football, the role of being number two is something new for me – despite that, I’ve always given 100%, taken the situation as it is and reached Europe for the second time in my career. To be part of the team and achieve that makes me incredibly proud. However, my goal is to play every week and be there for my team. Therefore, I have decided to look for a new challenge in the summer. Over all the years and experiences at Geißbockheim, the feeling of togetherness with the people in the club who always give everything for FC, I am very, very thankful. I will remain an FC fan, no matter where I follow the club from, and wish the club the very best.”

FC Managing Director Christian Keller said, “329 appearances for FC speak for themselves. Only Toni Schumacher and Bodo Illgner were between the sticks more often than Timo. To remain number one over so many years is a feat which you have to work incredibly hard for. But there is more to it than that: Timo developed from a talented goalkeeper to an experienced Bundesliga player in his time here. Whether on the pitch, in the dressing room, on the bench or in the stands, he was always important for the FC team. For that, a huge thank you. The fact that he has the desire to play, that is completely understandable. There is an amount of courage that goes along with that, after so many years at FC to then join another club. For that, we wish him all the very best.”

In 2002, Timo Horn joined 1. FC Köln from SC Rondorf and featured in all youth teams at Geißbockheim. Parallel, he played from the under-15s to the under-21s for the German national team. As a 23-year-old, Horn was part of the German Olympic Team in Rio, playing in all six games and earning the silver medal.

Timo Horn featured for the under-17s as a 14-year-old. At the age of 17, he made his debut in the Regionalliga. A year prior, in summer 2009, he enjoyed his first training camp with the first-team. With the under-19s, Horn won the 2010 FVM-Pokal and runner-up in the league. His performances were rewarded with the Fritz-Walter-Medal in Gold (U17), as the first FC goalkeeper to be awarded the medal in gold.

From 2011 onwards, Timo Horn was a part of the first-team squad and made his debut in the 2012-13 2. Bundesliga season. Alongside the promotions in 2014 and 2019, the FC goalkeeper helped to secure the first qualification for European competition for 25 years in 2017. At the end of the 2017-18 campaign, Timo Horn announced that he would remain with 1. FC Köln in the second tier and not make use of a clause to get out of his contract. Horn helped the team secure their return to the Bundesliga. Overall, he made 201 Bundesliga appearances, featured 98 times in the 2. Bundesliga and 22 times in the DFB-Pokal. He played two games in the relegation play-off and six times in the UEFA Europa League. 

With 329 competitive games, Timo Horn places 18th in the list of FC appearances since 1948. Timo Horn has been with FC for 21 years, which is far and away the most and a way ahead of the players in second place (Wolfgang Overath and Toni Schumacher, 15 years).