Romanian Liga I club CFR Cluj sign German-born Ghanaian defender Christopher Braun

Romanian club CFR 1907 Cluj and FC Rapid have reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Christopher Braun, the club have confirmed.

Braun previously wore the club’s jersey in the 2022/2023 season, where he made 44 appearances and played an important role in their European campaign that season. Over the last two and a half seasons, he has played for Rapid, for which he made 78 appearances.

”Chris, we wish you much success and many achievements in our team’s jersey!” the club said.

Born in Hamburg, Braun played in his youth for Hamburger SV, VfL 93 Hamburg and FC St. Pauli. He progressed to senior football with FC St. Pauli’s second team in March 2011, helping the team gain promotion to the Regionalliga Nord for the 2011–12 season and remaining with them for two seasons. He then spent one season each with league rivals SV Wilhelmshaven and VfB Oldenburg.

In 2015, he left northern Germany for the first time, joining SG Wattenscheid 09 in the Regionalliga West. After one season, he moved to the Dutch second-division club Fortuna Sittard. He helped the team achieve promotion to the Eredivisie in the 2017–18 season but subsequently lost his regular place and left the club during the winter break of the 2018–19 season.

He then joined the Greek first-division club OFI Crete, helping them secure their top-flight status in the relegation play-offs against AO Platanias in May 2019.

After a short spell without a club, he joined Romanian first-division side FC Botoșani in October 2020, signing a two-year contract. In the summer of 2022, reigning champions CFR Cluj signed him, and the club finished third in the league at the end of the season. After one year, he moved to league rivals Rapid Bucureşti in the summer of 2023.