 Lichtsteiner playing for Switzerland in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 January 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Adligenswil, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right back/ Right Wingback | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Juventus | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1996 | FC Adligenswil | ||
| 1996–2000 | Luzern | ||
| 2000–2001 | Grasshoppers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2005 | Grasshoppers | 79 | (4) |
| 2005–2008 | Lille | 89 | (5) |
| 2008–2011 | Lazio | 100 | (3) |
| 2011– | Juventus | 68 | (6) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2003–2005 | Switzerland U21 | 30 | (1) |
| 2006– | Switzerland | 60 | (4) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 March 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 09:35, 5 October 2013 (UTC) | |||
Stephan Lichtsteiner (born 16 January 1984) is a Swiss footballer, currently playing for Italian clubJuventus and the Switzerland national team. An attacking right back, he is known for his energetic runs down the right wing and athleticism, which earned him the nicknames "Forrest Gump" and "The SwissExpress".[1]
Contents
[hide]Early years[edit]
Lichtsteiner was born in Adligenswil, Canton of Lucerne. He left home as a teenager to play for Grasshopper Zürich and made his first team debut in 2001–02 in the old Swiss Football League but only made one league appearance. The following season, he began to establish himself as a first team regular and helped the club to the league title.
Club career[edit]
Lille[edit]
During the 2004–05 season Lichtsteiner sealed a transfer to Lille OSC as one of five Swiss players to enterLigue 1 during the summer of 2005. He became a regular in his first season and helped Lille to a third place finish to secure a Champions League spot. His last season ended disappointingly as Lille finished seventh in the league and missed out on European football next season just by a point. However he did end with 4 goals, his highest tally so far.[2]
Lazio[edit]
After some good performances at the Euro 2008, several clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and Evertonexpressed interest in signing Lichtsteiner.[3] He rejected PSG's bid and, in July, signed a four-year contract with S.S. Lazio for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of €1.5 million[4] as a replacement for fellow Swiss international Valon Behrami who went to West Ham United.[5] In the April Derby della Capitale, he scored his first goal to put Lazio 3–1 up in a heated derby encounter which ended 4–2 to Lazio and resulted in numerous bookings.[6] He was also booked for a heated confrontation with Roma defenderChristian Panucci after the Italian had fouled him.[7] During the season, he formed an attacking tandem down the flanks with Serbian international Aleksandar Kolarov on the other side. Although Lazio finished tenth, they ended the season on a high by winning Coppa Italia and a place next season's Europa League. He played a part in Lazio's successful campaign, scoring in the penalty shoot-out against Sampdoria in the final, and also claiming the Supercoppa Italiana at the beginning of the next season. After Kolarov's departure, his future at Lazio became increasingly in doubt as several clubs expressed interest in him. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he opted not to see out the final year of his contract despite the Biancocelesti qualifying for the Europa League.[8]
Juventus[edit]
On 27 June 2011, Juventus confirmed that Lichtsteiner had undergone a medical in Turin and reached an agreement with Lazio to pay €10 million in three installments.[9] The transfer was confirmed on 1 July 2011. He marked his debut on 11 September 2011 against Parma by scoring the first goal in the 4–1 home victory, the first league goal to be scored in Juventus' new stadium. Juventus went on to win the Scudetto and he played a vital part in their strong defensive record, only missing a handful of matches through injury and suspensions.[1] Lichtsteiner repeated his opening matchday feat the following season by converting Kwadwo Asamoah's pass in the 2–0 win.[10]
International career[edit]
A former youth international, Lichtsteiner has played in the 1999 U16 and the 2004 U21 European Championships. He was first called up to the senior squadon two occasions in 2005 but was an unused substitute both times. On 11 November 2006, he made his senior debut in a friendly against Brazil which ended in a 2–1 loss.
Although he missed out on the 2006 World Cup, Lichtsteiner was given a chance to prove himself as first choice right back Philipp Degen was out with long-term injury.[11] In May, Köbi Kuhn named him in the squad for the Euro 2008. He played every match at the tournament and eventually replaced Degen as first choice right back. Switzerland ended the tournament with 2 losses and a win but his performances were good enough to attract interest from top clubs and he signed for Lazio. He retained his starting place under new manager Ottmar Hitzfeld and played every minute in 8 of the 10 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
Personal life[edit]
Lichtsteiner is married to Manuela, an economist and fitness instructor, and they have a daughter Kim born 30 January 2011 in Switzerland.[12]
