Ziegler has played top-flight football in seven different countries. He earned 35 international caps for Switzerland and played at both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.
Club career
Early career
In the summer of 2004, Ziegler signed a contract with Tottenham Hotspur, which was initially meant to begin on 1 January 2005, when his contract with Grasshoppers expired. However, the two clubs – reportedly through the initiative of then-Tottenham sporting director Frank Arnesen – agreed to an immediate transfer, and Ziegler joined Spurs in late August of that year.
Tottenham Hotspur
Despite being just 18 years old, Ziegler soon made his debut and became an important member of the team under both head coach Jacques Santini, who left in October after just a few months in charge, and his successor, Martin Jol. Ziegler featured mostly at left midfield but also played a few matches as left full-back, often switching position with Timothée Atouba, another versatile left-sided player with the team at the time.
Ziegler featured in 31 matches in all competitions that season, including 23 in the Premier League. He showed great promise and improvement, and became popular with the fans for his attack-minded play on the left side and good passing ability. One of his most memorable moments from that season came in the home loss to Arsenal. Near the end of the game, he played a delicate chipped pass to Frédéric Kanouté, who scored to make it 4–5. Another memorable moment was in the 1 January 2005 match against Everton, where he scored his first goal en route to a 5–2 Tottenham win.[2] At the time, it was his only goal of his professional career. At the end of the season, he was named the JSM Young Player of The Year, an award given to a young Tottenham player by its junior fan club.[3]
In the summer of 2005, Ziegler was sent on loan to German Bundesliga club Hamburger SV, where he featured in 11 league matches and 3 UEFA Cup matches, but was criticised by manager Thomas Doll for a poor attitude and rarely played more than a few minutes per match. He was recalled from the loan by Tottenham in January 2006, only to be put back out on loan, this time at another Premier League club, Wigan Athletic. He played with Wigan until the end of the 2005–06 season, receiving five starts and five substitute appearances in the Premier League and one start in the FA Cup, performing well but not spectacularly. He also appeared as a substitute in the 2006 Football League Cup Final against Manchester United, a 4–0 defeat.[4]
On 18 February 2007, Ziegler played his first Serie A match for Sampdoria against Parma.[8] He scored his first goal in his tenth Serie A appearance for the club against Messina on 21 April 2007. In May, Spurs brought in young left back Gareth Bale, and Ziegler opted to sign for Sampdoria permanently on 3 July 2007.[9] During his first season, he was in and out of the starting line-up, and most of his appearances were substitutions.
Ziegler finally managed to retain his place more regularly during the first half of the 2009–10 season. After a string of substitute appearances, he became first-choice left back. During the winter transfer window, he was linked with a move to Juventus. Having just secured his place in the starting 11, he refuted the transfer rumours saying that he wanted to continue his run in the starting line-up in hopes of being selected for the upcoming FIFA World Cup with Switzerland.[10]
Since his contract would expire on 30 June 2011, in January 2011, Ziegler was linked to Milan, as Sampdoria opted to gain some cash. However, he did not leave. Instead, Sampdoria sold its striker Giampaolo Pazzini and let Antonio Cassano leave as a free agent. The team subsequently performed poorly and were eventually relegated to Serie B.
Juventus
Ziegler joined Juventus on a free transfer on 26 May 2011, having signed a four-year contract.[11] He passed a medical on 25 May.
On 2 September 2011, Fenerbahçe announced they were holding discussions with Juventus and Ziegler to loan him for the 2011–12 season. The next day, it was announced that all parties had reached an agreement for his loan. On 22 April 2012, Ziegler scored the first goal in the derby match against Galatasaray, which Fenerbahçe won 2–1.
Ziegler returned on loan to Fenerbahçe on 31 January 2013 until the end of the 2012–13 season.[13]
Sassuolo
On 20 August 2013, Sassuolo confirmed it had acquired Ziegler on loan from Juventus for an undisclosed period and fee.[14]
Sion
On 2 February 2015, Ziegler transferred to Sion in his native Switzerland, signing a six-month contract until the end of the season. He would later sign a new contract with Sion and would play for the club until the end of the 2016–17 season.
FC Dallas
On 2 January 2018, MLS club FC Dallas announced the signing of Ziegler.[15][16] In the 2018 season, he was the club's primary starter at left center-back. He scored four goals and was sent off a team-high three times. Ziegler's contract with Dallas expired following their 2020 season.[17]
Ziegler made his full debut for Switzerland in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification match against France on 26 March 2005, helping his team secure a point through a 0–0 draw at the Stade de France. He gained two more caps before drifting out of the frame and was not named to Switzerland's squad for the 2006 World Cup.
On 19 November 2008, Ziegler scored his only senior goal for Switzerland, a powerful left-footed strike against Finland which won the Swiss the match, 1–0. He was selected for the 2010 World Cup squad. He started at left back and played the full 90 minutes in all three matches in the group stage. Switzerland did not advance out of the group. Ziegler was selected again for Switzerland's 2014 World Cup squad. This time, however, he did not appear in any matches.
Personal life
Ziegler's brother Ronald also played as a professional footballer, including for Swiss side ES FC Malley.
He has been married to Swiss former alpine skier[21] Elodie Rudaz since June 2017.[22] The couple have two daughters.[23]
Theofanis "Fanis" Gekas is a Greek professional football official, coach and a former player, who played as a striker.
Paolo Tramezzani is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a defender. He is the head coach of Istra 1961 of the Croatian Football League.
Frédéric Chassot is a Swiss former footballer who played as a striker during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Alexandre Rey is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a striker during the 1990s and 2000s. He is best known for his spells at Servette FC and Neuchâtel Xamax.
Pajtim Kasami is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian Serie B club Sampdoria.
Iago Falque Silva is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Mohamed Amine Elyounoussi, nicknamed Moi, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Danish Superliga club Copenhagen. Born in Morocco, he plays for the Norway national team.
Salih Uçan is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Beşiktaş and the Turkey national team.
Ezgjan Alioski is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli Saudi FC, and the North Macedonia national team. He is commonly known as 'Gjanni'.
The 2015-16 FC Basel season was the club's 123rd season and their 21st consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football since their promotion in the 1993-94 season. Basel's 2015-16 Swiss Super League campaign began on July 19 at home against Vaduz. In addition to the Swiss Super League, Basel also participated in the season's Champions League, Europa League, and Swiss Cup.
The 1970–71 season was Fussball Club Basel 1893's 77th season in their existence. It was their 25th consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football after their promotion the season 1945–46. They played their home games in the St. Jakob Stadium.
Anastasios "Tasos" Donis is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a forward for Cypriot First Division club APOEL and the Greece national team.
Afimico Pululu is an Angolan professional footballer who plays as a forward for Jagiellonia Białystok.
The Fussball Club Basel 1893 1994–95 season was their 102nd season since the club's foundation. Peter Epting was the club's chairman for the third period. FC Basel played their home games in the St. Jakob Stadium. Following their promotion in the previous season this was their first season back in the highest tier of Swiss football.
The 2018–19 FC Basel season is the 126th season in club history and the club's 24th consecutive season in the top flight of Swiss football. Basel were runners-up in the previous season. The season started on the weekend of 21–22 July 2018 and will end on Saturday 25 May 2019. The first round of the Swiss Cup was played on the week-end 29, 30 June and 1 July. Basel played the first round on Friday 29 June against lower classed FC Montlingen and they were victorious. Therefore Basel continued in the competition in the second round against FC Echallens.
Moussa Kalilou Djitté is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Turkish TFF First League club Bandırmaspor on loan from Major League Soccer club Austin FC.
The 2000–01 Fussball Club Basel 1893 season was their 107th season since the club's foundation on 15 November 1893. Following their promotion in the 1993–94 season this was their seventh consecutive season in the highest tier of Swiss football. René C. Jäggi was the club's chairman for the fifth year. FC Basel played their home games in the alternate Stadion Schützenmatte while the new stadium was being built and as of 15 March 2001 in the brand new St. Jakob-Park.
Kemal Ademi is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a centre-forward for Luzern.
Albian Hajdari is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as defender for Swiss Super League club Lugano.
References
↑ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006. Queen Anne Press. p.450. ISBN1-85291-662-1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
