Last Updated on October 1, 2026 by Helena
Fabian Herbers comes from a close German family that supported his unusual journey from a small community near the Dutch border to college soccer in the United States and eventually Major League Soccer. Born on August 17, 1993, in Ahaus, Germany, Herbers grew up in Ottenstein, a district of Ahaus, as the son of Dietmar and Gisela Herbers. He also has one older sister named Kathrin.
Although his family did not have a major professional sporting background, football was part of Fabian’s childhood. His father played the game at local amateur level and spent years taking his son to matches and training. His parents later supported the difficult decision to let their only son move alone to the United States at 19. Herbers has also publicly confirmed having a girlfriend from Ecuador, although her name and the current status of their relationship have remained private. As of now, no children have been reliably confirmed.
Who Is Fabian Herbers’s Girlfriend?
Fabian Herbers has publicly confirmed having a girlfriend from Ecuador.
The clearest reliable information was published by the Chicago Sun-Times in 2024 during a profile examining Herbers’s ability to speak several languages.
The newspaper reported that his girlfriend is Ecuadorian and that the couple regularly communicated in Spanish at home.
Herbers had initially begun seriously learning Spanish while playing for the Philadelphia Union and continued improving after joining Chicago Fire, where he frequently interacted with Spanish-speaking teammates.
His relationship gave him another opportunity to use the language in everyday life.
What Is Fabian Herbers’s Girlfriend’s Name?
Her girlfriend’s name has not been reliably published by the major club, university or established media sources reviewed for this profile.
The Chicago Sun-Times confirmed her Ecuadorian background but did not identify her by name.
Because she appears to maintain a private life away from professional football, it is more accurate not to use names circulating on unverified biography or social-media pages.
Is Fabian Herbers Still With His Ecuadorian Girlfriend?
The 2024 report clearly established that Herbers was in a relationship at that time.
As of now, however, I found no equally authoritative 2026 source specifically updating their relationship status.
There has also been no reliable public announcement establishing that Herbers and his partner have married.
The most accurate description is therefore that Herbers publicly had an Ecuadorian girlfriend in 2024, while more recent details remain private.
Is Fabian Herbers Married?
As of now, there is no reliable public confirmation that Fabian Herbers is married.
Neither CF Montréal nor recent established media coverage identifies a wife or reports a wedding.
Although his girlfriend was publicly confirmed in 2024, it would be inaccurate to automatically describe her as his wife without direct evidence of marriage.
Does Fabian Herbers Have Children?
As of now, no children have been reliably confirmed for Fabian Herbers.
His official player profiles, established interviews and coverage of his personal life do not identify him as a father.
Unless Herbers chooses to disclose that part of his family life himself, claims about a son or daughter should be treated as unverified.
Who Are Fabian Herbers’s Parents?
Fabian Herbers’s parents are Dietmar Herbers and Gisela Herbers.
Creighton University officially identified both parents in Fabian’s college biography.
The pair raised Fabian and his older sister Kathrin in the Ahaus area of western Germany, close to the Dutch border.
Fabian has frequently described a stable and supportive childhood in which his parents allowed him to concentrate heavily on football and school.
Their support eventually extended to allowing their son to make the considerable move from Germany to Nebraska to attend Creighton University.
Dietmar Herbers – Fabian Herbers’s Father
Dietmar Herbers is Fabian Herbers’s father.
Dietmar had some experience with football himself, although not professionally.
In an MLS interview, Fabian explained that his father had played soccer for a local club but never at a particularly high level.
Fabian said that, apart from his father’s amateur involvement, he did not come from a family of high-level athletes.
That makes Fabian’s eventual career in professional football particularly notable.
Dietmar Drove Fabian to Football Matches
Fabian has written openly about how much practical support his father provided during his childhood.
Before Fabian received his own driving licence, Dietmar regularly transported him to football matches and other activities.
Fabian recalled that his father continued driving him to games until he was approximately 18 years old and could travel independently.
For a young player progressing through clubs in Germany and the Netherlands, that transportation represented a significant commitment of family time.
Dietmar Helped Fabian Manage Everyday Responsibilities
Herbers also recalled that his father handled many of the practical responsibilities in the household while Fabian concentrated on school and football.
Dietmar helped manage finances and Fabian’s bank account while his son was still living at home.
Fabian later admitted that this highly supportive environment made his move to the United States a major personal adjustment.
Until leaving for university, he had been accustomed to having his parents nearby to handle many aspects of everyday life.
Fabian’s Father Encouraged His Interest in Languages
Dietmar appears to have influenced another unusual part of Fabian’s personality: his enthusiasm for languages.
Herbers grew up speaking German, learned English in school and developed Dutch while playing youth football across the border in the Netherlands.
He later became fluent enough in Spanish to conduct media interviews in the language.
Fabian recalled that during family holidays in Spain, his father would challenge him to learn simple Spanish, such as counting, before the trip ended.
Those small childhood challenges contributed to an interest that later became useful throughout his MLS career.
Dietmar Travelled to the United States to Watch Fabian
Fabian’s move to the United States did not end his parents’ involvement in his football career.
During Herbers’s first MLS season with the Philadelphia Union in 2016, Dietmar travelled to the United States and watched his son play twice in person.
The visits were particularly meaningful because Fabian had moved thousands of kilometers away from his parents after spending his entire childhood living with them.
Gisela Herbers – Fabian Herbers’s Mother
Gisela Herbers is Fabian Herbers’s mother.
Creighton University’s official biography identifies her alongside Dietmar as Fabian’s parent.
Gisela remained deeply involved in her son’s everyday life throughout his childhood and adolescence.
Fabian has described how his mother handled many household responsibilities, including cooking and laundry, while he concentrated on school and football.
Fabian Herbers Credits His Mother for His Comfortable Childhood
In a personal account about leaving Germany for college, Herbers reflected on how sheltered and comfortable his life had been at home.
He described his childhood and teenage years as highly stable largely because his parents took care of so many practical responsibilities.
Fabian admitted that when he moved to the United States at 19, he had limited experience performing basic household tasks because Gisela had traditionally handled them.
Suddenly living independently in Nebraska therefore represented much more than simply changing football teams.
It required him to grow personally and learn how to manage daily life without his mother and father nearby.
Gisela Travelled to See Fabian Play in MLS
Gisela also travelled from Germany to the United States during her son’s early professional career.
A German profile of Herbers’s first MLS season reported that both parents had opportunities to see him play in America.
Dietmar attended two matches, while Gisela also made one trip to see Fabian.
The visits allowed his parents to witness the result of a journey that had begun years earlier on local football pitches around Ahaus.
Fabian Herbers Is His Parents’ Only Son
Fabian has described himself as his parents’ only son.
He has one older sister, meaning Dietmar and Gisela raised two children.
This detail became especially emotional when Fabian left Germany for the United States in 2013.
In his own written recollection of the departure, he described his parents becoming emotional as they said goodbye to their only son before he travelled across the Atlantic.
For Fabian, it was his first experience living away from the family home.
Does Fabian Herbers Have Siblings?
Yes. Fabian Herbers has one sister named Kathrin.
Creighton University’s official biography lists Kathrin as his only sibling, while MLS later described her as Fabian’s older sister.
Kathrin has remained outside the public sporting spotlight and has not built the same public profile as her younger brother.
Kathrin Herbers – Fabian Herbers’s Older Sister
Kathrin Herbers is Fabian’s older sister.
She grew up with Fabian in Germany as part of the family headed by Dietmar and Gisela.
MLS reported that neither Kathrin nor the extended Herbers family pursued serious competitive sport.
That left Fabian as the family member who ultimately reached elite professional athletics.
Because Kathrin is a private individual, reliable sources provide few additional details regarding her career or personal life.
Did Kathrin Herbers Play Professional Sports?
No reliable source indicates that Kathrin became a professional athlete.
Fabian himself said that aside from his father playing amateur football locally, nobody else in the immediate or extended family had been seriously involved in competitive sport.
For that reason, Fabian’s rise through elite youth football and eventually into MLS represented something new for the Herbers family.
Fabian Herbers Grew Up in Ottenstein
Herbers was born in Ahaus, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on August 17, 1993.
He grew up primarily in Ottenstein, a district of Ahaus near Germany’s border with the Netherlands.
The location played an important role in his football development because Dutch football academies were geographically accessible.
Fabian began playing locally with FC Ottenstein before progressing to SuS Stadtlohn.
Fabian’s Parents Supported His Move Into Dutch Football
Herbers later entered the youth system at FC Twente in the Netherlands.
He spent approximately six years developing in the Dutch academy structure.
Crossing the border for football while still young required continued logistical support from his family.
The experience significantly influenced the technical qualities in his game.
Herbers later credited Dutch youth coaching with helping improve his passing, first touch and comfort with the ball.
The Herbers Family Valued Education
Education played an important role in Fabian’s decision-making.
After his youth experience with Twente, Preußen Münster and VfL Rhede, Herbers faced the question of how to continue pursuing football while also earning a university degree.
In Germany, he felt that combining high-level football and university study would be considerably more difficult.
The American college system offered both possibilities.
MLS later reported that education was important not only to Herbers personally but also to his family.
Fabian Left His Family for the United States at 19
In 2013, Herbers made one of the most important decisions of his life.
He left Germany and moved to Omaha, Nebraska, to attend Creighton University.
Fabian was 19 and had never previously lived away from Dietmar and Gisela.
His account of leaving home describes an emotional airport goodbye and the realization that he would now need to manage everyday life largely on his own.
Leaving His Parents Helped Fabian Grow Up
Herbers later said that moving to the United States forced him to mature quickly.
At home, his mother had handled chores and cooking while his father helped manage finances and transportation.
In Omaha, Fabian had to learn to take responsibility for himself.
He has described the personal growth from those college years as one of the things he values most about the experience.
The distance was also substantial enough that his parents could not simply drive over whenever he needed assistance.
Fabian Became a Star at Creighton University
Herbers developed into one of the leading players in American college soccer.
Across three seasons with the Creighton Bluejays, he scored 28 goals and recorded 29 assists.
He became a two-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time First Team All-American.
His final college season in 2015 was particularly impressive, with Herbers producing 15 goals and a school-record 17 assists.
He finished as runner-up for the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the leading player in NCAA Division I soccer.
Fabian Immediately Called His Parents About His Hall of Fame Honor
Herbers’s college accomplishments continued to carry meaning years later.
Creighton selected him for its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.
When Herbers learned about the honor, he said that one of the first things he did was call his parents.
That reaction demonstrated that Dietmar and Gisela remained among the people with whom he wanted to share the most important moments of his career.
Fabian Herbers Became an MLS Player in 2016
After three seasons at Creighton, Herbers entered the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
The Philadelphia Union selected him with the sixth overall pick.
His rookie season proved highly productive.
Herbers appeared in 32 regular-season matches, scored three goals and recorded seven assists, the most assists by an MLS rookie that season.
The breakthrough confirmed that leaving his family and moving to the United States had created a realistic professional pathway.
Dietmar and Gisela Followed His Philadelphia Career From Germany
Fabian’s parents continued living in Germany while their son established himself in Major League Soccer.
German reporting described local supporters in Ottenstein closely following Herbers’s performances in the United States.
Fabian joked that children had even visited his parents’ house asking for photographs when he returned home during the offseason.
The attention demonstrated how much his career had become a source of local pride as well as family pride.
Fabian Herbers Built His Life in the United States
What began as a temporary college move eventually became a long-term life in North America.
Herbers received a United States green card in 2017, allowing him to count as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.
He spent three seasons with Philadelphia before being traded to Chicago Fire in December 2018.
Chicago became the longest club chapter of his career.
Fabian Spent Six Seasons With Chicago Fire
Herbers represented Chicago from 2019 through 2024.
He developed into one of the squad’s versatile veteran players and was used across midfield and attacking positions.
During six regular seasons, he made 152 appearances, starting 105 matches, while recording 15 goals and 15 assists.
His time in Chicago also expanded his life outside football, including his ability to communicate in Spanish.
Fabian Herbers Learned Spanish and Uses It With His Partner
Herbers’s multilingual ability became the subject of a Chicago Sun-Times profile in September 2024.
By then, he could communicate in German, English, Dutch and Spanish and had also studied Latin extensively at school.
The newspaper reported that his Ecuadorian girlfriend helped make Spanish part of his everyday life because the couple spoke the language at home.
Herbers also used Spanish with Latin American teammates and conducted media interviews in the language.
He said understanding a teammate’s language could also help him understand that person’s culture and customs.
Fabian Herbers Joined CF Montréal
After leaving Chicago Fire at the end of the 2024 season, Herbers remained in Major League Soccer.
CF Montréal announced his signing on January 3, 2025.
The German midfielder agreed to a two-year contract covering the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Montréal specifically highlighted his experience, versatility, work ethic and ability to serve as an example for younger players.
Where Does Fabian Herbers Play Now?
As of now, Fabian Herbers plays for CF Montréal in Major League Soccer.
He wears the number 21 shirt and is listed as a midfielder on Montréal’s senior roster.
The club confirmed that he remained under contract for the 2026 season, and he was included among the first-team players at Montréal’s 2026 training camp.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fabian Herbers’s Family
Who is Fabian Herbers’s girlfriend?
The Chicago Sun-Times reported in 2024 that Fabian Herbers had a girlfriend from Ecuador and that the couple spoke Spanish together at home. Her name was not disclosed in the report, and a more recent authoritative update on the relationship has not been found.
Is Fabian Herbers married?
As of now, there is no reliable public confirmation that Fabian Herbers is married.
Does Fabian Herbers have children?
No children have been reliably confirmed for Fabian Herbers through authoritative public sources.
Who are Fabian Herbers’s parents?
Fabian Herbers’s parents are Dietmar Herbers and Gisela Herbers. Creighton University officially identifies both in his player biography.
Who is Fabian Herbers’s father?
His father is Dietmar Herbers. Fabian has said Dietmar played soccer for a local club at amateur level and supported his son’s football career throughout childhood.
Did Fabian Herbers’s father play professional football?
No. Herbers said his father played for a local club but not at a high competitive level.
Who is Fabian Herbers’s mother?
His mother is Gisela Herbers. Fabian has credited her as an important part of the stable and supportive childhood he enjoyed in Germany.
Does Fabian Herbers have siblings?
Yes. Fabian has one older sister named Kathrin.
Who is Fabian Herbers’s sister?
His sister is Kathrin Herbers. She maintains a private life and is not known to have pursued professional sport.
Is Fabian Herbers an only child?
No. He is his parents’ only son but has an older sister, Kathrin.
Where is Fabian Herbers’s family from?
The Herbers family is associated with Ahaus and particularly Ottenstein in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the Dutch border.
Where was Fabian Herbers born?
Fabian Herbers was born in Ahaus, Germany, on August 17, 1993.
Did Fabian Herbers grow up in Germany?
Yes. He grew up around Ahaus and lived with his parents through high school before moving to the United States at 19 to attend Creighton University.
Why did Fabian Herbers move to the United States?
Herbers was attracted by the opportunity to combine high-level soccer with university education, something he felt was difficult to do simultaneously in Germany.
Where does Fabian Herbers play now?
As of now, Fabian Herbers plays for CF Montréal in Major League Soccer and wears the number 21 shirt.
Helena Lena Jessica Da Laila is a football writer covering Spanish women’s football, with a focus on Liga F, tactical trends, and emerging talents shaping the women’s game in Spain.
