Chicco Höfler and Milli Philipp would both describe themselves as men of few words - and yet on Thursday evening, they struck exactly the right chord. Accompanied by a round of applause from roughly 8,000 fans, the two home-grown players said goodbye to SC after 19 and eight years in Freiburg respectively. “There have been so many highs, and a few low points as well,” said Chicco Höfler. “I always felt such a sense of support behind me, that’s carried me all this way.” Maximilian Philipp, who made a name for himself across the world with spells in Dortmund and Moscow, echoed the sentiment: “Whether it’s the first team, the coaching staff or the fans - nowhere feels quite as much like a family as SC Freiburg. Never let that feeling go.”

Chicco Höfler joined the Freiburg academy as a mere 15-year-old, and enjoyed youth title and cup success in 2008 and 2009 respectively. After spending two years on loan at Erzgebirge Aue, he returned to SC and worked his way into becoming a key player and a leader on the pitch. Höfler pulled on the SC shirt 383 times, making him the club’s record appearance maker.

Maximilian ‘Milli’ Philipp is bidding farewell to Freiburg for a second time now. The Berlin native first arrived in Breisgau in 2013 and progressed through the ranks of the U19s and U23s to establish himself in the first team here. His career has seen him play for Borussia Dortmund, Dynamo Moscow, VfL Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen before making a return to the Europa-Park Stadion three years ago. After scoring a winner against Bremen in the Bundesliga and seeing action in the Europa League against Olympiacos Piraeus, ‘Milli’ sustained a shoulder injury and hardly featured after that. In total, the 32-year-old has made 115 competitive appearances for SCF and scored 20 goals.

Kofi Kyereh has also been affected by a real streak of bad luck regarding injuries, having made only 18 appearances for SC Freiburg’s first team over his four years at the club. “Still, though, I am happy about my time in Freiburg,” said the Ghana international. “The team has always supported me, and recently I was taken aback by how the lads in the U23s welcomed me.” The 30-year-old forward returned to action a few weeks ago in the Regionalliga Südwest with SC Freiburg’s U23 side, marking his comeback with two goals and two assists.

Speaking of the U23s: as the first team returned from their Europa League final in Istanbul, it was revealed at the reception that Chicco Höfler will continue playing with the second team. The 36-year-old is set to serve as a senior squad member, passing on his experience to the younger players. In this way, his journey at SC Freiburg comes full circle.