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Stephan Lichtsteiner
Personal information
Full name	Stephan Lichtsteiner
Date of birth	January 16, 1984 (1984-01-16) (age 26)
Place of birth	Adligenswil, Switzerland
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Right back
Club information
Current club	Lazio
Number	2
Youth career
1991–1996 1996–2000 2000–2001	Adligenswil Luzern Grasshoppers
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2001–2005 2005–2008 2008–	Grasshopper Lille Lazio	079 0(4) 090 0(5) 050 0(1)
National team2
2005–	Switzerland	025 0(0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of December 28 2009. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2009. * Appearances (Goals)

Stephan Lichtsteiner (born January 16, 1984 in Adligenswil, Canton of Lucerne) is a Swiss footballer, currently playing for S.S. Lazio and the Swiss national team. He is known for his runs down the right flank when on the counterattack, hence his nickname "Forrest Gump". His main position is at right back but he can play in right midfield as well.

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.^[1]

After the Euro 2008, several clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and Everton expressed interest in signing Lichtsteiner.^[2] 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^[3] as a replacement for fellow Swiss international Valon Behrami who went to West Ham United.^[4] 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.^[5] He was also booked for a heated confrontation with Roma defender Christian Panucci after the Italian had fouled him.^[6] 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 fan and commentator, referred to him as Forrest Gump upon witnessing Lichtsteiner's goal in the 4-2 derby victory over AS Roma.^[8] He was given this nickname due to his constant runs down the right flank.

Career Statistics

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

As of 6 December 2009^[9]

Honours

Grasshopper Zürich

• Swiss Football League: 1 (2002-03)

Lazio

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

References

External links

• Profile at Destination Football
• Profile at S.S. Lazio website

Switzerland squad – UEFA Euro 2008 1 Benaglio • 2 Djourou • 3 Magnin • 4 Senderos • 5 Lichtsteiner • 6 Huggel • 7 Cabanas • 8 Inler • 9 Frei • 10 Yakin • 11 Streller • 12 Derdiyok • 13 Grichting • 14 Gygax • 15 Gelson • 16 Barnetta • 17 Spycher • 18 Zuberbühler • 19 Behrami • 20 Müller • 21 Jakupović • 22 Vonlanthen • 23 P. Degen • Coach: Kuhn