Pascal Zuberbühler

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Pascal Zuberbühler
Zuberbuhler, Pascal.jpg
Personal information
Full name Pascal Zuberbühler
Date of birth January 8, 1971 (1971-01-08) (age 38)
Place of birth    Frauenfeld, Switzerland
Height 1.97 m (6 ft 5+12 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club Fulham
Number 19
Youth career
1983–1992 Frauenfeld
Senior career1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1992–1999
1999–2006
2000
2000–2001
2006–2007
2007–2008
2008–
Grasshoppers
FC Basel
FC Aarau (loan)
Bayer Leverkusen (loan)
West Bromwich Albion
Neuchâtel Xamax
Fulham
187 (0)
178 (0)
002 (0)
013 (0)
015 (0)
051 (0)
000 (0)   
National team2
1994–2008 Switzerland 051 (0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 11 June 2008.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 22 August 2008.
* Appearances (Goals)

Pascal Zuberbühler (born January 8, 1971 in Frauenfeld) is a Swiss football goalkeeper who currently plays for Fulham in the Premier League in England.

Contents

[edit] Club career

Zuberbühler made 187 appearances for Grasshopper Zürich between 1991 and 1999, winning the Swiss Super League three times and the Swiss Cup once. He moved to FC Basel where he played 217 games, winning the Championship another three times & the Swiss Cup twice. He is famous for his saves in a 1–1 tie with Liverpool in a Champions League game. He also played 13 league games and five Champions League games for Bayer Leverkusen in 2000–01.

He signed a two-year contract for West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer from Basel on 14 July 2006.[1] His first appearance in an Albion shirt was in a friendly against Motherwell, where he earned praise from his manager Bryan Robson.[2] He then kept a clean sheet on his competitive début as Albion beat Hull City 2–0 on 5 August 2006.[3] However, he was generally not a success with the Baggies and was dropped straight from the first team by new manager Tony Mowbray after starting 15 games, apparently due to the fans' poor reaction to Zuberbühler, who would boo and sarcastically applaud him when he played. Mowbray made the Swiss keeper available for loan in November.[4]

Zuberbühler returned to the first team after Russell Hoult was suspended, and responded by keeping a clean sheet in the 3–0 FA Cup win at rivals Wolves, but it proved to be his last game for the club.[5] January transfer-window signing Dean Kiely immediately replaced Zuberbühler in the first team, and he felt this harmed his chances for Euro 2008, due to be held in his home country, Switzerland. In February 2007, he was told by West Brom that he was "surplus to requirements", and that they would not stand in his way should a club come in for him. He signed an 18-month contract at Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax, moving there on a free transfer.[6]

In July 2008, on the invitation of former Switzerland national team boss Roy Hodgson, Zuberbühler joined Fulham on trial. He first appearance for the club was against Korean side Busan I'Park as a second half substitute for David Stockdale in the one-nil defeat.[7] On 6 August 2008 Fulham signed Zuberbuhler on a one year deal. He only made one first-team appearance in the Carling Cup throughout the 2008-09 season, but his professionalism and team ethic saw him earn a new one-year contract, and he himself has spoken about his contentment at the club.[8]

[edit] International career

Zuberbühler with Switzerland.

Zuberbühler has been capped 51 times by Switzerland and was a member of the Swiss squads for Euro 2004, Euro 2008 and World Cup 2006. Despite having received criticism in the run-up to the 2006 tournament, particularly his handling of crosses, he did not concede a goal in exactly 463 minutes of football against hard shots from France, South Korea, and Togo as his team lost in the last 16 on penalties against Ukraine. Switzerland are the only team in the history of the tournament not to concede a goal in normal time. Zuberbühler holds the record for most successive matches at an international tournament without conceding (five games). On 11 June, he played his last game with the Swiss national team, during the 2–0 victory over Portugal in Euro 2008, held in his home country.

[edit] Honours

Swiss Championship Winner (Super League) 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005

Swiss 2nd Division Winner (Challenge League) 2007

Swiss Cup Winner 1994, 2002, 2003

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links