Christian Fuchs wants to ensure he has left a lasting legacy when he leaves Leicester City to move to the United States next year.
Fuchs, who has repeatedly stated his intentions to rejoin his wife and children in New York when his contract expires in 2019, started his Fox Soccer Academy in the English city two years ago.
Now, after its success in England, the defender is ready to launch a scholarship programme in his former and future homes.
“From this guy who wasn’t good enough, I ended up a Premier League champion,” Fuchs said. “I was scouted from some academies from Bundesliga teams and didn’t get good feedback.
“It fuels the motivation I have with the academy, that there’s a child who hasn’t been discovered yet or had the same problem of being told they weren’t good enough.”
Fuchs moved from Schalke on a free transfer in 2015, and after Leicester won the Premier League title in 2016, he signed a three-year contract.
But he has maintained that the 2018-19 season will be his last in Leicester and the academy will figure prominently into his future plans.
“I promised my wife I would be coming home,” Fuchs said. “I also want to see my children growing up. It’s good we have FaceTime because letters wouldn’t work.
“It was already a big decision extending my contract one more year but it was a good thing for the family. I’ve enjoyed my time in Leicester. I’ve had the biggest success here and I love the club.”
Leicester have missed out on European football, and boss Claude Puel, who was appointed to replace Craig Shakespeare in October, has come under fire after two wins from 11 league games.
But Fuchs believes Puel, who won Ligue 1 in 2000, his second season with Monaco, and took Lyon to the Champions League semifinal in 2010, needs time at Leicester.
“It’s the nature of football. Everything is very short-term. I’m also a fan of consistency and not changing everything around again and again,” Fuchs said. “You need to be given time. We had the same with the Austrian national team where consistency led to us going from [being ranked] 100-something in the world to the top 10.
“The problem with club football is the success has to be there tomorrow.”
Fuchs, who was told as a teenager he would never make it as a professional, launched the scholarship program for 16- to 19-year-olds in Leicester and wants it to grow internationally.
The former Austria international said he was inspired to open the academy because of his interactions with childhood idol Dietmar Kuhbauer at former club Mattersburg.
“When I became professional, I had a chance to work with him,” Fuchs said. “He was the age I am now and I was 17. I was afraid of him for five years.
“That doesn’t exist anymore, but now I’m thankful for that because he built me up for what may come in the future. He saw my potential.”
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