| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pascal Zuberbühler | ||
| Date of birth | 8 January 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Frauenfeld, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 5 1⁄2 in) [1] | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Philippines national football team Goalkeeping coach | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1983–1992 | Frauenfeld | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1992–1999 | Grasshoppers | 187 | (0) |
| 1999–2006 | FC Basel | 178 | (0) |
| 2000 | → FC Aarau (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | → Bayer Leverkusen (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | West Bromwich Albion | 15 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Neuchâtel Xamax | 51 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Fulham | 1 (Cup) | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1994–2008 | Switzerland | 51 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 08:51, 1 July 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Pascal Zuberbühler (born 8 January 1971 in Frauenfeld, Switzerland) is a Swiss footballer who is currently the goalkeeping coach for the Philippines. He was recently released by Fulham after coming to the end of his contract.
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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 the 2000-2001 season.
He signed a two-year contract for West Bromwich Albion on a free transfer from Basel on 14 July 2006.[2] His first appearance in an Albion shirt was in a friendly against Motherwell, where he earned praise from his manager Bryan Robson.[3] He then kept a clean sheet on his competitive début as Albion beat Hull City 2–0 on 5 August 2006.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6] 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 Neuchatel Xamax, moving there on a free transfer.[7]
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.[8] 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.[9] The 2009-10 season was a disappointment as he made no first-team appearances and was at one point behind even Stockdale in the pecking order. He eventually fought his way back to being Mark Schwarzer's back-up and was in the matchday squad for the Europa League Final. He had signed another one-year deal to remain at Craven Cottage, but was not picked for the team's Premiership squad for the 2010-11 season and faced an uncertain future at the club.[10] On 1 July 2011, Fulham confirmed that Zuberbühler had left the club on a free transfer, after coming to the end of his contract. [11]
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 2008, 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.
He was recently hired by the Philippines national football team, reuniting with Fulham team-mate Neil Etheridge, as their new Goalkeeping Coach for their preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. [12]
Swiss Championship Winner (Super League) 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005
Swiss 2nd Division Winner (Challenge League) 2007
Swiss Cup Winner 1994, 2002, 2003
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Murat Yakin |
FC Basel captain 2004–2006 |
Succeeded by Ivan Ergic |
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