14.08.2026
Fabio Baldé leaves HSV for Strasbourg
The homegrown HSV player is moving to the French top-flight club after six years with the Rothosen.
Farewell to a Hamburg born and raised: HSV youth academy graduate Fabio Baldé is leaving the Rothosen after six years at the club, during which he progressed from youth player to first-team professional wearing the diamond on his chest. The 21-year-old winger is joining French top-flight side Racing Strasbourg.
“Fabio’s journey from our youth academy into international football is a great story for everyone involved, and hopefully it is only the beginning when we look ahead to the coming years,” says HSV Board Member for Sport Kathleen Krüger. “As I emphasised at my introductory press conference, the work we do in our academy is fundamental to our club. We need to continuously develop our young players so that we can see homegrown talents representing the club at the Volkspark, strengthen our identity through them and, when players do leave, as is now the case with Fabio, generate significant transfer fees.”
HSV Director of Football Claus Costa adds: “Fabio approached us with the desire to leave the environment he knows and take the next step in his sporting career. As a top talent from our own academy who has made the step up to professional football, we did not want to deny him this opportunity – provided certain conditions were met. Fabio came to see me personally once more and thanked us for allowing him to make the move, but also for the many years we have spent together. That says a lot about him as a person, and it was certainly an emotional moment for both of us.”
“As a 'Hamburger Jung', I was able to fulfil a dream”
Fabio Baldé was born in Hamburg on 20th July, 2005, and grew up in the Wilhelmsburg district. In 2020, the German-Portuguese joined HSV’s academy from SC Vorwärts-Wacker 04 Billstedt at the age of 14 and subsequently progressed through the youth ranks before earning his place in the first team. Under former head coach Steffen Baumgart, he made his professional debut at the age of 19 years and 13 days in the opening game of the 2024/25 Bundesliga 2 season away to 1. FC Köln (2-1) on 2nd August, 2024.
Two years later, Baldé has not only made 41 competitive appearances (three goals, four assists) wearing the diamond, but has also helped the club win promotion to the Bundesliga and retain its place in Germany’s top flight. Baldé is also a current youth international, having already represented Portugal at U21 level and most recently featured for the southern European nation’s U20 side. Prior to that, he also represented Germany at U20 level. His journey now takes him from his hometown Hamburg to Strasbourg, France.
“As a 'Hamburger Jung', your big dream is to play at the Volksparkstadion one day and represent HSV. I’m grateful and proud that I was able to fulfil that dream, and I would particularly like to thank everyone who has accompanied and supported me along the way: all the coaches, teammates and staff at the academy and throughout the club. I look back on a very formative and wonderful time, and I will always feel a strong connection to the city of Hamburg and HSV. Now I’m incredibly excited about the new challenge in Strasbourg,” says Fabio Baldé as he bids farewell.
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