Sebastian Polter has left FC Schalke 04 on loan to join Darmstadt 98, where he broke a Bundesliga record.

Sebastian Polter didn’t have to wait long. The 32-year-old made his Darmstadt 98 debut on Saturday, less than 48 hours after the bottom-placed team signed the FC Schalke 04 striker on loan until the end of the season.

Polter came on after a good hour of the 2-0 home defeat to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen – the final score was already on the scoreboard at this point – and had no significant scene in front of the opposing goal.

But Polter did at least secure a place in the Bundesliga history books. His first appearance for Darmstadt means that Polter has now played for seven different clubs in the German top flight. Only Michael Spies, whose record from the 80s and 90s Polter broke on Saturday, could previously claim the same.

In December 2011, Polter made his Bundesliga debut in the VfL Wolfsburg shirt. In the years that followed, the striker was never able to settle down for long. In addition to spells abroad in England and the Netherlands, Polter was under contract at 1. FC Nürnberg, Mainz 05, Union Berlin, VfL Bochum and Schalke.

Polter played a total of 117 Bundesliga games, scoring 21 goals. He made the most appearances for VfL Bochum (33). In the 2021/22 season, he only missed one game and scored ten times – from a personal point of view, it was also Polter’s most successful season.

This was followed by a noisy move to neighboring Schalke. There, Polter was unable to build on his VfL values, but he still decided to stay after the relegation. In the course of the first half of the season, Polter slipped further and further down the striker hierarchy and, under coach Karel Geraerts, ended up playing a minor role.

Shortly before the transfer deadline, he was loaned out to Darmstadt. He is supposed to help the Lilies avert relegation. “I’m happy to be able to play for Darmstadt and to be back in the Bundesliga. I will do everything I can to help the team and to contribute my experience in the fight to avoid relegation,” said Polter when he made the switch. And if that doesn’t work out, the Wilhelmshaven native can at least be pleased about a Bundesliga record he has set.