Career So Far: Felix Passlack
German wing-back Felix Passlack is David Gray’s latest January recruit – learn more about his career pathway to Easter Road below!
The 27-year-old joins from 2. Bundesliga outfit VfL Bochum and has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Club.
Born in Bottrop, Germany, Passlack would play for local youth teams in the local North Rhine-Westphalia area before joining the largest club in the region, Borussia Dortmund, at 14 years old.
An impressive trophy-laden progression through Die Borussen’s academy would see the wide-man make his debut for the German giants aged just 17 in March 2016 – starting against Darmstadt in an away Bundesliga fixture was Passlack’s first taste of senior football, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan replacing him on 70 minutes.
Passlack would make two more appearances that season for Thomas Tuchel’s side – in victories over Augsburg and Hamburg, in which he played a full 90 minutes in his first home appearance at Signal Iduna Park – before the 2016/17 campaign brought greater exposure to first-team football for the wing-back.
He started Borussia Dortmund’s DFL-Supercup clash against Bayern Munich, as well as performing in two UEFA Champions League games and 10 Bundesliga outings. Felix would start on the opening day versus Mainz before keeping four clean sheets in the next nine league matches – with a first assist provided from the right flank against Bayern Munich in April 2017.
Passlack also played two matches during Dortmund’s run to DFB-Pokal success in 2017 to earn a first major winners’ medal of his career.
He would go on to play a part in one of the most memorable Champions League ties in modern times by netting his first goal in professional football during Dortmund’s breathless 8-4 victory over Legia Warsawa – becoming the youngest German scorer in the competition in the process. Assisted by Andre Schurrle, Passlack headed home his side’s seventh of the evening late on in the unforgettable tie.
Two loan spells at Hoffenheim and Norwich City followed, with Felix teaming up with new teammate Grant Hanley at the latter, before enjoying a productive spell in the Netherlands at Fortuna Sittard during the 2019/20 campaign. He made 28 league and cup appearances with the Dutch side, scoring three goals and supplying four assists.
Three goals and three assists in 35 appearances across three seasons back at the Signal Iduna Park succeeded the loan stints, in which he won the DFB-Pokal for a second time with Dortmund.
Looking for more consistent minutes on the pitch, Passlack joined Bochum in 2023. He would make 46 Bundesliga appearances across the next two seasons; grabbing three goals and eight assists.
Felix has made 19 appearances for Bochum this season, with his last appearance for the German side coming in a 2-0 win against 2. Bundesliga league leaders, Schalke 04.
The versatile wing-back has performed for Germany across all youth levels, amounting to over 40 caps between U16 and U21 level.
He captained Germany at U17 level in both the FIFA U17 World Cup and UEFA European U17 Championships, grabbing four goal contributions in the latter en route to the final.
Felix now joins up with the Hibees, signing a long-term contract until Summer 2029!