Atakan Karazor made his 200th competitive appearance for VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga match against RB Leipzig on Saturday. “Stuttgart has become my home over the years, and in today’s football world, that’s something pretty special,” he said.
To mark the occasion, the 29-year-old has singled out five standout moments.
21 June 2020, Bundesliga 2, Matchday 33: 1. FC Nürnberg 0-6 VfB
“That was one of the craziest games I’ve ever experienced with VfB. Everything just seemed to work out for us. I scored the second and fifth goals, it was like in a movie. Sealing a return to the Bundesliga took a weight off our shoulders as a team.”
14 May 2022, Bundesliga, Matchday 34: VfB 2-1 1. FC Köln
“I only need to say one specific term and every VfB fan will know what I’m talking about: the ‘Endo Moment’. It was a nerve-jangling relegation battle. Endo was our captain at the time, so when he scored the winner in stoppage time on Matchday 34, he secured us outright safety. It doesn’t get any more dramatic than that. I’ve never experienced such a rush of happiness as a footballer as I did in that moment.”
17 September 2024, UEFA Champions League, Matchday 1: Real Madrid 3-1 VfB
“This game means a lot to me, even though we lost it. Just 15 months after surviving relegation to stay in the Bundesliga, all of a sudden we were playing at the Bernabéu in the Champions League. We did VfB proud on the European stage.”
6 December 2024, Bundesliga, Matchday 13: VfB 3-2 Union Berlin
“I was captain by this time, which was and still is a huge honour for me. In this game I achieved a first for me by scoring my maiden Bundesliga goal. It was also the winner after we came back from 2-0 down.”
24 May 2025, DFB Cup final: VfB 4-2 Arminia Bielefeld
“It’s no surprise that this game is among my favourite VfB moments. We won the DFB Cup, which makes me unbelievably proud. I’m so grateful that, as a team, we had the experience of winning a major trophy.”
Karazor’s 200 competitive games have been spread across the Bundesliga (145 appearances), Bundesliga 2 (23), the DFB Cup (19) the UEFA Champions League (seven), the Bundesliga relegation play-offs (two), the DFL Supercup (two) and the UEFA Europa League (two).
Here’s to many more outings in red and white, Ata!
