Diego Benaglio

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Diego Benaglio
080603 benaglio01.jpg
Personal information
Full name Diego Orlando Benaglio
Date of birth 8 September 1983 (1983-09-08) (age 28)
Place of birth Zürich, Switzerland
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club VfL Wolfsburg
Number 1
Youth career
1993–1997 Spreitenbach
1997–1999 FC Baden
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2002 Grasshopper 23 (0)
2002–2005 VfB Stuttgart 0 (0)
2003–2005 VfB Stuttgart II 37 (0)
2005–2008 Nacional 69 (0)
2008– VfL Wolfsburg 115 (0)
National team
2006– Switzerland 37 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 08:24, 1 February 2012 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 4 June 2011

Diego Orlando Benaglio (born 8 September 1983 in Zürich) is a Swiss footballer who plays for VfL Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga, as a goalkeeper.

Contents

[edit] Club career

Benaglio started his career with hometown side Grasshopper-Club Zürich. Still in his teens, he moved to Germany and joined VfB Stuttgart, but appeared exclusively for the reserves during his three-year spell.

In 2005–06, he moved to Portugal's C.D. Nacional, soon gaining favour over Henrique Hilário, and becoming the Madeira side's undisputed first-choice after the veteran left for Chelsea. It was also during his first season that the club qualified for the UEFA Cup.

On 22 January 2008, Benaglio returned to Germany, moving to VfL Wolfsburg.[1] He made his club debut eight days later, helping his team advance to the quarter-finals of the German Cup after a penalty shootout win over FC Schalke 04.

In the 2008–09 season, Benaglio only missed three matches as Wolfsburg were crowned league champions for the first time in the club's history. In the following year, he appeared significantly less, due to injury.

[edit] International career

A Swiss international since 2006, Benaglio was called-up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup as third-choice, behind Pascal Zuberbühler and Fabio Coltorti. With consistently good club performances in the following years, he was promoted to the starting line-up for UEFA Euro 2008, played on home soil, and became first-choice onwards.

As the national team qualified to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Benaglio played in all three group stage matches in an eventual group stage exit (one goal conceded),[2] including a 1–0 win against Spain, who later won the tournament.[3]

[edit] Honours

Grasshopper
Wolfsburg

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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