Stephan Lichtsteiner

Stephan Lichtsteiner

Personal information
Full name	Stephan Lichtsteiner
Date of birth	16 January 1984 (1984-01-16)
Place of birth	Adligenswil, Switzerland
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Right back
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	19	(2)
National team‡
2003–2005	Switzerland U-21	30	(1)
2005–	Switzerland	43	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 November 2011

Stephan Lichtsteiner (born 16 January 1984 in Adligenswil, Canton of Lucerne) is a Swiss footballer, currently playing for Juventus and the Swiss national team. He is known for his runs down the right flank when on the counterattack, hence his nickname "Forrest Gump". He is an attacking Right back capable of playing in the midfield.

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 and helped the club to the league title.

Lille

During the 2004–05 season Lictsteiner 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.

Serie A

After some good performances at 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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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 is married to Manuela, an economist and fitness instructor, and they have a daughter.

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.

Career statistics

Club		Season	League		Cup1		Europe		Other2		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Grasshopper Zürich	Super League	2001–02	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
		2002–03	25	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	25	0
		2003–04	26	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	28	2
		2004–05	27	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	2
Lille	Ligue 1	2005–06	31	1	0	0	8	0	0	0	39	1
		2006–07	24	0	4	0	3	0	0	0	31	0
		2007–08	34	4	1	0	-	-	0	0	35	4
Lazio	Serie A	2008–09	33	1	4	0	-	-	0	0	37	1
		2009–10	33	2	2	0	7	0	1	0	43	1
		2010–11	34	0	1	0	-	-	0	0	35	0
Juventus		2011-12	17	2	0	0	-	-	0	0	17	2
Swiss League Total			79	4	0	0	2	0	0	0	81	4
Ligue 1 Total			89	5	5	0	11	0	0	0	105	5
Serie A Total			109	4	7	0	7	0	1	0	124	4

¹ Includes Coupe de France/Coupe de la Ligue and Coppa Italia
² Includes Supercoppa Italiana

As of 12 November 2011

International goals

Scores and results list Moldova's goal tally first

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	11 October 2011	St. Jakob Park, Basel	Montenegro	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying

Honours

Grasshopper Zürich

• Swiss Football League: 1 (2002–03)

Lazio

• Coppa Italia: 1 (2008–09)
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1 (2009)

External links

• Profile on Juventus website
• (German) Profile on Swiss FA website