Stephan Lichtsteiner - RB - Nazio (1 Viewer)

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Jul 1, 2010
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Date of birth January 16, 1984 (age 27)
Place of birth Adligenswil, Switzerland
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 77 kg
Playing position Right back


Club career

Lichtsteiner began his career at Grasshopper Zürich in 2001–02 and made his debut 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, helping the club gain the league title. During the 2004–05 season he sealed a transfer to Lille OSC as one of five Swiss players to enter Ligue 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.

After the Euro 2008, several clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and Everton expressed interest in signing Lichtsteiner. 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 as a replacement for fellow Swiss international Valon Behrami who went to West Ham United. 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. He was also booked for a heated confrontation with Roma defender Christian Panucci after the Italian had fouled him. 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.

International career

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 squad on 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.[7] 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

Lichtsteiner acquired the nickname "Forrest Gump" when Guido de Angelis, a famous Lazio-supporting commentator, referred to him as Forrest Gump upon witnessing Lichtsteiner's goal in the 4–2 derby victory over AS Roma. He was given this nickname due to his constant runs down the right flank.
 

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