Spotlight on Hector: he just keeps on playing

Great careers frequently announce themselves with big actions from relatively small players. Mario Götze is a good example. He made his Germany debut for the U15s, became a European Champion with the U17s in 2009 and won the Fritz Walter Medal in 2009 and 2010 as the best player in his age group. His CV backs up this theory: he shone early on and kept getting better. It is also backed up by half a dozen players from the European U21 Championship-winning squad of 2009. Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Benedikt Höwedes, Mesut Özil, Mats Hummels and Sami Khedira all showed signs in their youth of what was to come later on.

Jonas Hector is the exception to the rule. His list of appearances for the U15s is completely empty. Just like his list of appearances for the U16s, and so on. At youth level, the FC Köln player hasn't played a single game for any of Germany's teams, and few people ever thought that would change when he got older. Hector has himself said of his career trajectory: "The older I got, the less likely it looked that I would ever become a professional."

As a child, Hector would run through the streets of Auersmacher in his Lothar Matthäus Germany shirt, but there were no other indicators of his eventual rise to the national team. His youth titles were predominantly provincial, with his success at the Hallen-Saarland championship representing the biggest achievement with SV Auersmacher. His first brush with the national team came in 2009, when he and some friends competed as SV Grün-Weiß Aurica and won the 'Fans' Cup,' organised by the national team's fan club.

90 minutes in every international game in 2015

It was then that Hector took his first steps, albeit hesitantly, into the world of professional football, having a trial for the Bayern München second team. He was assessed at Bayern's training ground by then-reserve team manager Mehmet Scholl, who considered him too lightweight. Hector explained: "Scholl advised me to try out in the regional divisions to begin with, as the step up from the fifth tier with SV Auersmacher to the third tier with Bayern would be too great."

He followed this advice, and didn't regret it. If you look at his career path, it reads: SV Auersmacher, 1. FC Köln's second team, 1. FC Köln's first team, 2nd Bundesliga, Bundesliga. His rise was, and continues to be, meteoric. He was selected for the German national team for the first time after just eleven Bundesliga appearances, and he made his debut on the 14th November 2014 against Gibraltar, coming on at left back for Erik Durm after 72 minutes. Since then, you could hardly imagine the team without him. Few other players can boast a record as impressive as his: in 2015, Germany haven't played a single international in which Hector hasn't featured from the first minute until the last. Eight games and 720 minutes on the pitch for Hector.

Hector appears to have provided a long-term solution to a persistent problem area in the German team. His name appears to be somewhat ironic, as it is only when he doesn't do his job that things become 'hectic' in the German defence. Others play more elegantly and smoothly than he; others have more technical ability. In spite of this, Hector demonstrates a noticeable calmness. He almost always makes good decisions; his game is well thought-out; he considers risks carefully and yet can't be accused of always looking for the safe option.

The plaudits have been pouring in whilst he has been appearing for the World Cup winners, beginning with his first full 90 minutes for the national side against Australia in Kaiserslautern last March. Manager Joachim Löw said then of Hector: "He's tactically very astute. His ability to recognise situations developing and make the most of space by using his left foot are good qualities. He's shown what he's capable of and he keeps improving. He can be a huge asset for us." And he has certainly become an asset. He has played particularly well in particularly important situations. In September, he was voted man of the match by Germany fans in their 3-1 win over Poland in Frankfurt, ahead of Mario Götze and Manuel Neuer.

Hector just keeps on playing – Hannover next up on Sunday

Only recently has there been the first hint of a setback. "A slight problem is that we're playing very strongly through the middle at the moment. We have full backs who play high up but are used to playing more defensively at their clubs," said national team manager Joachim Löw after the game against Georgia. "Jonas Hector does a good job but has a more defensive function at Köln, so is slightly better set up for playing on the counter attack." Too little action in the final third and too little action towards goal. It's constructive criticism that he'll take on board and can use to positive effect. He's so well established in the circles of the national team that he's shaken off his learner's plates. Hector has arrived in the World Cup winning side – in every sense of the phrase.

This applies even more for his club side. Hector just keeps on playing. He's only missed one Bundesliga game in 2015 – he sat out the final game of last season through injury. And just as we can safely assume that Cologne Cathedral won't get up and leave the city by this weekend, we can be fairly sure that Hector will play again in the home game against Hannover 96 this Sunday. The game against the Saxons is a particularly special affair for Hector: it was there that he won the aforementioned Fans' Cup. On top of that, he has a milestone lying ahead. His appearance totals for the SV Auersmacher first team and for the first and second teams at 1. FC Köln add up to 199. Therefore, he could play his 200th game on Sunday. Not bad for a 25-year-old who only showed signs of professional potential at a late stage.