Pascal Zuberbühler

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Pascal Zuberbühler
Personal information
Full name	Pascal Zuberbühler
Date of birth	January 8, 1971 (1971-01-08) (age 37)
Place of birth	Frauenfeld, Switzerland
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Neuchâtel Xamax
Number	28
Youth clubs
1983-1992	Frauenfeld
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1992-1999 1999-2006 2000 2000-2001 2006-2007 2007-	Grasshoppers FC Basel → FC Aarau (loan) → Bayer Leverkusen (loan) West Bromwich Albion Neuchâtel Xamax	187 (0) 178 (0) 002 (0) 013 (0) 015 (0) 051 (0)
National team2
1994-	Switzerland	050 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 May 2008. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of August 7, 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Pascal Zuberbühler (born January 8, 1971 in Frauenfeld) is a Swiss football goalkeeper who currently plays for Neuchâtel Xamax in the Super League.

[edit] Club career

Zuberbühler made 187 appearances for Grasshopper Zürich between 1991 and 1999 winning the Swiss Championship 3 times and the Swiss Cup once. He moved to FC Basel where he met great success and several fans. He played 217 games, winning the Championship another 3 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 5 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. On 5 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. On 12 February, 2007 it was announced he had signed an 18 month contract at Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax, on a free transfer.^[6]

[edit] International career

Zuberbühler has been capped 50 times by Switzerland and was a member of the Swiss squad for Euro 2004 and also the squad for 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 nearly 400 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 remains the only team in the history of the tournament not to concede a goal in normal time.

[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

• Pascal Zuberbühler career stats at Soccerbase
• Yahoo! Sports profile
• Leverkusen who's who

v • d • e Switzerland squad - UEFA Euro 2004 1 Stiel • 2 Haas • 3 Berner • 4 Henchoz • 5 Murat Yakin • 6 Vogel • 7 Cabanas • 8 Wicky • 9 Frei • 10 Hakan Yakin • 11 Chapuisat • 12 Zuberbühler • 13 Zwyssig • 14 Magnin • 15 Gygax • 16 Celestini • 17 Spycher • 18 Huggel • 19 Barnetta • 20 Müller • 21 Rama • 22 Vonlanthen • 23 Roth • Coach: Kuhn

v • d • e Switzerland squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Zuberbühler • 2 Djourou • 3 Magnin • 4 Senderos • 5 Margairaz • 6 Vogel • 7 Cabanas • 8 Wicky • 9 Frei • 10 Gygax • 11 Streller • 12 Benaglio • 13 Grichting • 14 D. Degen • 15 Džemaili • 16 Barnetta • 17 Spycher • 18 Lustrinelli • 19 Behrami • 20 Müller • 21 Coltorti • 22 Hakan Yakin • 23 P. Degen • Coach: Kuhn

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