Valentin Stocker

Valentin Stocker
Valentin Stocker.jpg
Valentin Stocker
Personal information
Full nameValentin Stocker
Date of birth(1989-04-12) 12 April 1989 (age 25)
Place of birthLucerne, Switzerland
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing positionLeft midfielder
Club information
Current clubHertha BSC
Number14
Youth career
1996–2005SC Kriens
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2005–2008Basel U2137(13)
2008–2014Basel162(41)
2014–Hertha BSC0(0)
National team‡
2005Switzerland U165(1)
2005–2006Switzerland U1711(6)
2006Switzerland U181(0)
2006–2008Switzerland U1913(3)
2007–2009Switzerland U217(2)
2008–Switzerland24(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 February 2013.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 June 2014

Valentin Stocker (born 12 April 1989 in Lucerne) is a Swiss footballer who plays as a left midfielder for Hertha BSC in the German Bundesliga.

Club career

Stocker began his youth career with SC Kriens, playing there between 1996 and December 2005. As of January 2006 he transferred to Basel and played for their Under-21 team in the Swiss 1. Liga. He was called into the first team squad during the 2007–08 season after becoming one of the best midfielders in the reserve squad. He signed his first professional contract on his 18th birthday.[1]

Stocker made his first team debut for FC Basel in the Swiss Cup semi-final tie at home to FC Thun at St. Jakob Park on 27 February 2008 as Basel won 1–0.[2] He played his League debut on 2 March 2008 in the 3–1 away win also against Thun. In his third league game, on 16 March, he scored his first Super League goal against FC Sion, but he could not hinder the 4–2 away defeat. At the end of the 2007–08 Swiss Super League season and after the Swiss Cup Final, on 6 April, FC Basel won the national Double. In the league Stocker played eleven games, scoring three goals. In the last game of the season he and Marco Streller scored the two goals in Basel's 2–0 home win over BSC Young Boys and they won the championship by four points.[3]

During the 2008–09 Swiss Super League season Stocker played 32 games, scoring five goals, but Basel finished just third in the League table, qualifying for the Europa League. In the 2009–10 season Stocker played 31 League games, scoring 12 goals, and Basel again won the Double. In the Cup Final Stocker scored two goals as Basel won 6-0 against FC Lausanne-Sport.

In the 2010–11 season Stocker played 26 League games, marking seven goals, and he won his third championship medal with the club. But Stocker injured himself on 23 April in the game against BSC Young Boys.[4] This was his 100th Super League match. The injury was a cruciate ligament rupture and was operated two days later.[5] His recovery times was estimated at six to seven months.

In the 2011–12 season he returned into the team on 3 December 2011 during the 1-0 home victory against FC Luzern and on the same day it was announced that his contract had been extended until the end of June 2016.[2] He was substituted in during the group stage of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League 2–1 home win against Manchester United, as Basel qualified for the Knockout phase, sending United out of the competition. During the first leg match in the Round of 16 on 22 February 2012 against Bayern Munich he was substituted in and scored the winning goal.[6] At the end of the 2011–12 Swiss Super League season Stocker won his fourth League Championship title with Basel,[7] the third in a row. this was also his third Double because Basel also won the Swiss Cup[8]

During the 2012–13 season Stocker had another highlight in his football career. Due to an injury Marco Streller and due an illness Alexander Frei were both unable to play the Europa League knockout phase match against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on 21 February 2013. Therefore Stocker was nominated as team captain for the very first time and he led the Basel team to a 1-1 away draw and they qualified for the round of 16.[9] At the end of the Swiss Super League seaon 2012–13 Stocker won his fifth Championship title[10] (fourth in a row) and won the Swiss Cup runner-up silver medal.[11] In the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League Basel advanced as far as the semi-finals, there being matched against the reigning UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea, but were knocked out being beaten 2–5 on aggregate.[12]

On 18 May 2014, Hertha BSC officially announced the signing of Stocker.[13] Stocker reportedly received a four-year contract after Hertha and FC Basel agreed on a transfer fee of around €5 million.[14]

International career

Stocker has played international football at various age levels, including Swiss U19 and Swiss U21. He made his debut for the Switzerland U16 team on 25 April 2005, being substituted in, in the 2–0 away defeat against Scotland U16. In 2008 and 2009 he played 7 games for the Switzerland U21 team. His debut for the U21 was on 26 March 2008 in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification Group 5 2–1 away defeat against Macedonia Under-21.

He made his debut for Switzerland in Ottmar Hitzfeld's first match as manager, on 20 August 2008 against Cyprus at Stade de Genève. He scored the opening goal of the 4–1 friendly win.

International goals

Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.20 August 2008Stade de Genève, GenevaCyprus1–04–1Friendly
2.12 October 2010St. Jakob-Park, BaselWales1–04–1Euro 2012 qualifier
3.4–1

Honours and titles

Basel
  • Swiss Champion at U-18 level: 2006[4]
  • Swiss Cup Winner at U-19/U-18 level: 2006[4]
  • Swiss Super League champion (6): 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
  • Swiss Cup winner (3): 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12
  • Swiss Cup runner up (2): 2012–13, 2013–14
  • Uhren Cup winner (2): 2008, 2013
Individual
Basel
  • Swiss Youngster of the Year: 2008–09

References

  1. Jump up ^ FC Basel 1893 (2007). "Profivertrag für FCB-Nachwuchsspieler Valentin Stocker". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2007-04-12.  (German)
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Meister, Remo (2011). "Vertragsverlängerung mit Valentin Stocker bis 2016". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2011-12-03.  (German)
  3. Jump up ^ "Der FC Basel ist Schweizer Meister". Tagesanzeiger. 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-10.  (German)
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Meister, Remo (2011). "Der FCB setzt ein starkes Zeichen". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2011-04-23.  (German)
  5. Jump up ^ FC Basel 1893 (2011). "Valentin Stocker nach Kreuzbandriss erfolgreich operiert". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2011-04-25.  (German)
  6. Jump up ^ James, Andy (2012). "Stocker secures Basel narrow lead over Bayern". eufa.com. Retrieved 2012-02-22. 
  7. Jump up ^ "Jetzt hat Basel den Titel auf sicher". football.ch. 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-29.  (German)
  8. Jump up ^ "Matchtelegram FC Basel 1893 5:3 FC Luzern". football.ch. 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-16.  (German)
  9. Jump up ^ Marty, Caspar (2013). "Fantastisch! Der FCB spielt 1:1 und steht im Achtelfinal der Europa League". FC Basel 1893. Retrieved 2013-02-21.  (German)
  10. Jump up ^ Schifferle, Michael (2013). "Season review: Switzerland". Eufa. Retrieved 2013-06-10. 
  11. Jump up ^ SFV (2013). "Telegramm Schweizer Cup Final". Schweizerischer Fussballverband. Retrieved 2013-05-20.  (German)
  12. Jump up ^ Haylett, Trevor (2013). "Basel take heart after Chelsea defeat". Eufa. Retrieved 2013-05-03. 
  13. Jump up ^ ""Sali Vali"" (in German). Hertha BSC. Retrieved 18 May 2014.  (German)
  14. Jump up ^ "Königstransfer vor dem Abschluss: Stocker in Berlin". Kicker. Retrieved 18 May 2014.  (German)

External links

Hertha BSC – current squad
Switzerland squad – 2014 FIFA World Cup

Source :
sepakbola.biz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia