Lucas Höler

Key strength: Link-up play

Target man

In an SC Freiburg side navigating mid-table Bundesliga waters—currently 7th with a patchy WLDLW form line—Lucas Höler stands as Christian Streich's most trusted lieutenant. The 31-year-old German target man won't dominate highlight reels with his modest 5 goals and 3 assists across 42 appearances this season, but his 2,291 minutes of disciplined trench warfare tells the real story. Wearing the number 9 shirt, Höler serves as the quintessential foil to Freiburg's flashier talents. While teammates grab headlines with flair and finesse, it's Höler's intelligent hold-up play and selfless link-up work that knits together transitions. Remarkably disciplined with zero cards all campaign despite his physical role, the €3 million-valued veteran sacrifices personal glory for collective structure. In a team of technicians, Höler embodies the Streich philosophy distilled: work rate over wattage, substance over style. At 31, he remains the glue binding Freiburg's European ambitions to gritty reality.