1899 Hoffenheim defender John Anthony Brooks Jr. was born January 28, 1993. Germany-born, he plays for the US.
He started his career with hometown club Hertha BSC, playing 130 games and scoring nine goals.
Born and reared in Berlin, Brooks is the son of a Chicago-born American serviceman. Illinois and Berlin maps are tattooed on his elbows. Never lived in America.
Hertha BSC was Brooks' childhood club. Despite having a year and a half left on his U-19 eligibility, he joined Hertha's reserve squad midway through the 2010–11 season.
2012 Bundesliga relegation for Hertha. Brooks started Hertha's 2. Bundesliga opener on August 3, 2012, a 2–2 tie with SC Paderborn 07 at the Olympiastadion.
Injury and poor form restricted his appearances, and in April 2014, he spent time recuperating from a huge back tattoo, which manager Jos Luhukay did not approve of.
Brooks started the scoring for Hertha in a 4–4 tie with Eintracht Frankfurt on December 17, 2014, in which Berlin lost a two-goal lead in the last minute.
Brooks played four DFB-Pokal semi-final matches with Hertha in 2015–16. On December 15, he scored in the last 16 of the competition against 1. FC Nürnberg.