) is a Swiss football defender

Defender (association football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 currently playing for Hannover 96

Hannover 96

Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

. He also plays for the Swiss National team

Switzerland national football team

The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...

.

Career

Eggimann began his career with local side FC Küttigen

Küttigen

Küttigen is a municipality in the district of Aarau of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:Küttigen is first mentioned in 1036 as Chutingen though this comes from a 14th Century copy of the original. In 1045 it was mentioned as Chutingun....

 before moving to bigger local rivals FC Aarau

FC Aarau

FC Aarau is a Swiss football club, based in Aarau. They play in the Swiss Challenge League.-History:FC Aarau was formed on 26 May 1902 by workers from a local brewery. The early days of the club were a success and they won the Swiss championship in 1911/12 and then again in 1913/14...

 where he began his professional career making his professional debut in 1998. He played at Stadion Brugglifeld

Stadion Brügglifeld

Stadion Brügglifeld is a multi-purpose stadium in Aarau, Switzerland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FC Aarau. The current capacity is 9249 seats, divided into 1499 covered seats...

 for FC Aarau

FC Aarau

FC Aarau is a Swiss football club, based in Aarau. They play in the Swiss Challenge League.-History:FC Aarau was formed on 26 May 1902 by workers from a local brewery. The early days of the club were a success and they won the Swiss championship in 1911/12 and then again in 1913/14...

 until 2002 when he headed to Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 to play in the Bundesliga

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

 for Karlsruher SC

Karlsruher SC

Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. KSC rose out of the consolidation of a number of predecessor clubs. They currently play in the 2...

. In the 2006–07 season Eggimann was made captain as Karlsruher SC

Karlsruher SC

Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. KSC rose out of the consolidation of a number of predecessor clubs. They currently play in the 2...

 were champions of the Second Bundesliga

2. Fußball-Bundesliga

- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...

.

In March 2008, Eggimann exercised a clause in his contract by moving to Hannover 96

Hannover 96

Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

 for 1.4 million Euros. He has signed a contract until June 2013.

National team

Eggimann was captain of the Swiss U21 national team

Switzerland national under-21 football team

The Switzerland national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Switzerland and is controlled by the Swiss Football Association...

. On 7 September 2007, he played first for the Swiss national football team coming on as a half-time

Half-time

In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...

 substitute for Johan Djourou

Johan Djourou

Johan Danon Djourou-Gbadjere , more commonly known as Johan Djourou, is an Ivorian-born Swiss international footballer who plays for Arsenal. He used to play as a defensive midfielder in his youth for former club Etoile Carouge, but on his arrival at Arsenal was converted to a central defender...

 in a 2–1 victory against Chile

Chile national football team

The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...

 in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. The match was part of a tournament in Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, comprising Japan

Japan national football team

The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...

 and Austria

Austria national football team

The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....

 as well as Chile

Chile national football team

The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...

 and Switzerland.

Eggimann was selected by then-coach Köbi Kuhn prior to Euro 2008 but did not make the final squad. He has been selected by Ottmar Hitzfeld

Ottmar Hitzfeld

Ottmar Hitzfeld is a German former football player and manager, nicknamed der General ....

 for the World Cup

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...

 2010.

External links

• Mario Eggimann at worldfootball.net
• Mario Eggimann at Hannover96.de