Stephan Schröck

He then played in the Bundesliga with 1899 Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt before returning to Greuther Fürth in 2014.

Stephan Markus Cabizares Schröck (born 21 August 1986) is a Filipino professional footballer and coach who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for CF Manila.

Born to a German father and Filipino mother, Schröck was a youth international for Germany, but switched to the Philippines at the senior level.

Schröck was born on 21 August 1986 in Schweinfurt, West Germany to a German father and a Filipina mother.

His mother is from Parang, Maguindanao but grew up in Cebu.

Schröck's parents separated when he was six years old, leaving him and sister with his mother.

His mother had to simultaneously do two to three jobs in order to support their family.

Growing up in Schweinfurt, Schröck turned to football as a means to cope with their difficult situation.

Prior to taking up football, Schröck tried boxing since his father was a boxer.

Schröck started at SpVgg Greuther Fürth in 2001, going through the junior teams and made the leap into the professional squad in the 2004–05 season.

In April 2008, Schröck signed a two-year contract extension with Greuther Fürth.

Two years later, in March 2010, Schröck again extended his contract for another two years.

Although he revealed that he could have gone to five other clubs with better financial benefits, he chose to stay to repay the backing that the club has always shown him.

He also wanted to reach the Bundesliga with the club and believed it would be an achievable target before his contract expired.

He began his professional career in Germany with Greuther Fürth and was part of the squad that won the 2011–12 2. Bundesliga.

Schröck made his debut for the Philippines in 2011 and captained the team from 2019 until 2023.

In the 2011–12 season, his final year at the club, he helped the team win the league title and gain promotion to the Bundesliga.

In late March 2012, Schröck signed a three-year deal with Bundesliga side TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

He made his debut in a 4–0 home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt but was sent off after 74 minutes.

Schröck started and put up a great performance against league leaders Bayern Munich on 3 March 2013.

He came as close as anyone to scoring for Hoffenheim with a lovely shot which Starke saved well.

On 27 June 2013, Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt announced that they had signed Schröck on a two-year deal.

He made his debut against champions FC Bayern Munich and was charged with marking Franck Ribéry.

Schröck scored his first goal for Frankfurt in a Europa League match against APOEL Nicosia.

After only a season with Frankfurt, Schröck returned to Greuther Fürth.

He joined Filipino club Ceres (later United City) on loan in 2016, with a permanent transfer taking place the following season.

However, in January 2016, it was reported that Fürth allowed Schröck to look for a new club, excusing him from two weeks of training.

He was set to leave the club and prematurely end his contract.

Schröck wanted to play as an attacking midfielder instead of a right back; however, the position was contested among other players of the club such as Sebastian Freis.

On 13 January 2016, United Football League side Ceres F.C. announced that they signed Schröck to play for the club on a loan basis at least until August.

Ceres' rival, Global F.C. reportedly tried to get Schröck to play for them.

Schröck made his UFL debut for Ceres at the 2016 UFL Cup in a 2–1 win over Loyola Meralco Sparks F.C. Schröck was played as a winger in the front but did not score a single goal despite numerous attempts.

Prior to his Ceres stint, he was often played as a midfielder or defender while playing in Germany.

Ceres coach Ali Go remarked that the club was still exploring what position is the best for Schröck adding that with a few more games, the footballer would get used to the Philippine and Asian-style of play.

Schröck helped Ceres/United City win four consecutive Philippines Football League titles from 2017 to 2020, and received the Golden Ball award in the last two seasons.

On 15 April 2017, Greuther Fürth and Schröck reported having mutually agreed to release Schröck, as confirmed by an official post by the club on its website and Schröck himself through a Facebook post.

Schröck's loan agreement to Ceres, originally to be ended in August, was extended until January 2017.

Schröck returned to Ceres, who renamed themselves as Ceres–Negros when they joined the Philippines Football League (PFL).

The move was announced by the club on 27 April 2017, and Schröck went on to become a key player of the club, helping them clinch three straight PFL titles and one trophy in the Copa Paulino Alcantara.

Ceres–Negros underwent a change in management and was reorganized as United City F.C. when MMC Sportz Asia took over the club.