The Best Soccer Players From Switzerland
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Vote up the best Swiss soccer players of all time.
- 1Age: 31Granit Xhaka (born 27 September 1992) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and is the captain of the Swiss national team. Xhaka began his career at hometown club Basel, winning the Swiss Super League in each of his first two seasons. He then moved to Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012, developing a reputation as a technically gifted player and natural leader alongside criticism for his temperament. He was made captain of Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2015 at the age of 22, leading the team to UEFA Champions' League qualification for a second successive season. He completed a high-profile transfer to Arsenal in May 2016 for a fee in the region of £30 million.Xhaka was part of the Swiss team that won the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He made his senior debut in 2011 and has won over 70 caps, representing the nation at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018, and at UEFA Euro 2016.More Granit Xhaka
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Xherdan Shaqiri
Age: 32Xherdan Shaqiri (born 10 October 1991) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire and the Switzerland national team. Shaqiri began his career at FC Basel, winning honours including three Swiss Super League titles, before moving to Bayern Munich, where he gained nine domestic and continental honours despite playing less frequently. In January 2015, he moved to Inter Milan for a fee of €15 million, and seven months later to Stoke City for a club record £12 million. After Stoke's relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Shaqiri was transferred to Liverpool prior to the following season for a reported £13.5 million fee. He was part of the UEFA Champions League winning squad in his first season. He also won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019, as well as the Premier League in 2020, Liverpool's first league title in 30 years.More Xherdan Shaqiri- #161 of 296 onThe Best Current Soccer Players
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- 3Age: 35Yann Sommer (born 17 December 1988) is a Swiss footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Borussia Mönchengladbach. Sommer completed his apprenticeship at Basel, where he won the Swiss Super League on four consecutive occasions before transferring to Mönchengladbach in 2014. He also won the Swiss Challenge League and two Liechtenstein Football Cups while on loan to Vaduz. Sommer made his debut for the Switzerland national team in 2012. He represented the nation at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.More Yann Sommer
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- 4Age: 54Stéphane Chapuisat (born 28 June 1969) is a Swiss retired footballer who played as a striker. A prolific goalscorer for both club and country (for which he appeared more than 100 times), he spent most of his career with Germany's Borussia Dortmund. Chapuisat represented Switzerland at the 1994 World Cup and two European Championships. He is now Sporting Director at Young Boys Berne
- 5Age: 44Alexander Frei (born 15 July 1979) is a Swiss former footballer who played as a forward. He is the interim manager of FC Basel.He began his career at FC Basel, going on to various other clubs in Switzerland, France and Germany before returning to his home club, where he won the Swiss Super League title in all four of his seasons, including doubles with the Swiss Cup in 2010 and 2012. Frei is the all-time leading scorer of the Swiss national football team with 42 goals in 84 games, and also their sixth-most capped player of all time. He represented the country at two UEFA European Championships and as many World Cups.
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Stephan Lichtsteiner
Age: 40Stephan Lichtsteiner (German pronunciation: [lɪçtʃtaɪnər]; born 16 January 1984) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays for German club FC Augsburg and the Switzerland national team. An attacking right-back or wing-back, he is known for his energetic runs down the right wing, as well as his stamina and athleticism, which have earned him the nicknames "Forrest Gump" and "The Swiss Express".He began his professional career with Grasshopper, winning a league title in 2002–03, and moved to Lille in 2005, helping the French club to Champions League qualification in his first season with the team. In 2008, he joined Italian club Lazio, and won both the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana the following year. In 2011, he signed for Juventus for a fee of €10 million. He played 257 total games for the Turin side over seven years and won 14 trophies, including the Serie A title in each of his seasons with the team. In the summer of 2018, he was signed by Premier League side Arsenal, where he spent a season before moving to German club Augsburg the following summer. A full international since 2006, Lichtsteiner has earned over 100 caps for Switzerland, making him their third most capped player of all time. He has represented his country at two UEFA European Championships and three FIFA World Cups. In 2015, he was named Swiss Footballer of the Year. - Manuel Obafemi Akanji (born 19 July 1995) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Manchester City and the Switzerland national team.
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Hakan Yakin
Age: 47Hakan Yakin (Turkish: Hakan Yakın; born 22 February 1977) is a Swiss former footballer who played as a forward or midfielder. He was a member of the Swiss national team for eleven years. - Gregor Kobel (born 6 December 1997) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Switzerland national team.
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Stéphane Henchoz
Age: 49Stéphane Henchoz (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ʃo]; born 7 September 1974) is a former Swiss international footballer who played as a defender, most notably for the English club Liverpool. He is currently the manager of FC Sion. He was capped 72 times and played for his country from his debut in 1993, and played at Euro 1996 and Euro 2004. - 11Age: 39Valon Behrami (born 19 April 1985) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Genoa. Behrami has been capped over 80 times at international level by the Switzerland national team, playing at four FIFA World Cups, UEFA Euro 2008 and UEFA Euro 2016 since his debut in 2005.
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Tranquillo Barnetta
Age: 39Tranquillo Barnetta (Italian pronunciation: [traŋˈkwillo barˈnetta]; born 22 May 1985) is a retired Swiss professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He usually played out wide as a left winger but could also play in the centre as an attacking midfielder, or even in a more withdrawn role as a central midfielder. Barnetta was known for his "extreme pace, mobility and creativity". Prior to moving to the MLS, Barnetta played football for several Swiss and German clubs. At international level, he has amassed 75 caps for the Swiss national team, representing his nation in three FIFA World Cups, and two UEFA European Football Championships. - 13Age: 54Ciriaco Sforza (Italian pronunciation: [tʃiˈriːako ˈsfɔrtsa]; born 2 March 1970) is a Swiss former professional football player and currently the manager of FC Wil, who played as a midfielder. After beginning his career with Swiss clubs FC Aarau and Grasshopper Club Zürich, he most notably played for Internazionale in Italy, and 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and FC Bayern Munich in Germany. Sforza represented the Swiss national team 79 times, and represented his country at the international 1994 World Cup and Euro 96 tournaments.
- 14Age: 39Gökhan İnler (born 27 June 1984) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir. İnler began his professional career with FC Basel and later joined FC Aarau and FC Zürich, winning the Swiss Super League in both of his seasons with the latter. After four seasons with Udinese in the Italian Serie A, he joined Napoli in 2011, where he twice won the Coppa Italia. İnler played under-21 football for both Switzerland and Turkey. He made his debut for the Switzerland senior team in 2006 and has since earned 89 caps, scoring seven goals, making him the nation's fifth-most capped player of all time. He represented the squad at UEFA Euro 2008 and two FIFA World Cups, captaining the Swiss in Brazil in 2014.
- 15Age: 39Philippe Sylvain Senderos (born 14 February 1985) is a Swiss professional footballer who is currently out of contract. He last played as a defender for the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer (MLS). Senderos began his career at Servette, before moving to England as a teenager with Arsenal. He made 116 appearances over seven seasons with the North London club, and won the FA Cup in 2005. Following loans to Milan and Everton, he then moved to Fulham on a free transfer in 2010, where he played for four seasons. Senderos then had brief spells at clubs in Spain, England, Scotland, Switzerland and the United States. A full Swiss international since 2005, Senderos has won 57 caps and scored 5 goals. He was included in the Swiss squads for three FIFA World Cups and at UEFA Euro 2008.
- 16Age: 31Ricardo Ivan Rodriguez Araya (born 25 August 1992) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Serie A club Torino and the Switzerland national team. Rodriguez began his professional career at local club FC Zürich in 2010, having spent eight years in the youth setup. After breaking through into the first team at Zürich, Rodriguez was sold to VfL Wolfsburg in January 2012 for £7.5 million. He played 184 games across all competitions for Wolfsburg, scoring 22 goals and winning the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup in 2015. In 2017, he signed for AC Milan. Rodriguez has earned caps at every level of the Swiss national team setup, winning the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2009. A full international for Switzerland since 2011, Rodriguez has earned over ninety caps for the country. He was part of the Swiss team at the 2012 Olympics, and also represented the senior side at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018, and the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020.
- 17Age: 56Alain Sutter (born 22 January 1968) was one of the most successful Swiss football players during the 1990s.
- 18
Johann Vogel
Age: 47Johann Louis François Vogel (born 8 March 1977) is a Swiss former footballer who played as a midfielder. - 19Age: 33Roman Bürki (born 14 November 1990) is a Swiss professional footballer, who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Borussia Dortmund. Before that Bürki was part of the winning squad of Grasshoppers that beat FC Basel 4–3 on a penalty shootout in the Swiss Cup 2013 final. He is the older brother of the defender Marco Bürki.
- 20
Breel Embolo
Age: 27Breel Donald Embolo (born February 14, 1997) is a Swiss professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the Switzerland national team. Embolo made his professional debut for Basel in March 2014 and won the Swiss Super League in all three of his first seasons before moving to Schalke for an initial €20 million. Shortly after moving to the Bundesliga, he suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out for nearly a year. Embolo made his senior international debut in March 2015 and represented Switzerland at the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020, and at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022. - 21
Kubilay Türkyilmaz
Age: 57Kubilay "Kubi" Türkyilmaz (Turkish: Kubilay Türkyılmaz; born 4 March 1967) is a former Swiss footballer who played as a forward. He completed his international career as the all-time joint leading goal scorer for the Swiss national team, with 34 goals in 64 appearances between 1988 and 2001, equalling the performance of Max Abegglen. Their record was bettered by Alexander Frei in 2008. - 22
Murat Yakin
Age: 49Murat Yakin (born 15 September 1974) is a Swiss football coach and former player. He is the manager of the Switzerland national football team. - 23
Adrian Knup
Age: 55Adrian Knup (born 2 July 1968) is a Swiss retired football striker. He is currently working as the head coach of the youth sector at FC Basel and is also the vice president of the club.He was capped 49 times and scored 26 goals for the Swiss national team between 1989 and 1996, including three games at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. - 24Age: 32Fabian Lukas Schär (born 20 December 1991) is a Swiss professional footballer who currently plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Swiss national team. Beginning his career at Wil, Schär transferred to Basel in 2012, winning the Swiss Super League in all three of his seasons before his move to Hoffenheim. After playing at the 2012 Olympics, he made his senior debut for Switzerland in 2013. Schär represented the nation at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2016 and 2020.
- 25Age: 32Haris Seferović (born 22 February 1992) is a Swiss footballer who plays for Portuguese club Benfica and the Switzerland national team as a striker. Seferović made his professional debut at Grasshopper in April 2009; shortly after, in January 2010, he was signed by Italian side Fiorentina. However, much of his time at the latter club was spent out on loan, with a successful spell at Novara in Serie B, followed by a transfer to Real Sociedad of Spain in 2013. A year later, he joined German club Eintracht Frankfurt, with whom he spent three seasons before a transfer to Benfica in Portugal. A full international since 2013, Seferović represented Switzerland at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup, earning over 50 caps.
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Steven Zuber
Age: 32Steven Zuber (born 17 August 1991) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for German club VfB Stuttgart and the Switzerland national football team. - 27
Steve von Bergen
Age: 40Steve von Bergen (born 10 June 1983) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as defender for Young Boys. He played for FC Zürich for two full seasons, winning the Swiss Super League in both campaigns and then moved to Hertha BSC, playing there for three years. He managed to establish himself as a regular on the Switzerland national football team, earning over 40 caps since his debut in 2006 and playing at two World Cups. - 28
Marco Streller
Age: 42Marco Streller (born 18 June 1981) is a Swiss former footballer who played as a striker and is best known for his years with FC Basel and the Switzerland national team. He is the sporting director of FC Basel. - Nico Elvedi (born 30 September 1996) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach and the Switzerland national team.
- 30Age: 37Danon Issouf Johannes Djourou Gbadjere (pronounced [dʒuʁu]; born 18 January 1987), more commonly known as Johan Djourou, is a Swiss international footballer who is currently a free agent.He played as a defensive midfielder in his youth for former club Étoile Carouge, but when he arrived at Arsenal, he was converted to a central defender. He occasionally filled in at full back for Arsenal and played several games in central midfield while on loan to Birmingham City. He spent time on loan at Hannover 96 in 2013 before joining Hamburg, initially on loan, later that year. According to his profile on Arsenal's website, Djourou possesses "pace, power and whole-hearted commitment" in addition to his versatility.
