Thomas Hitzlsperger
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hitzlsperger is a German
footballer who plays as a midfielder
. He plays for Bundesliga
club Wolfsburg
after signing a three-year deal on 17 August 2011. Hitzlsperger spent the early part of his career playing for Aston Villa
in England
(accompanied by a short loan spell at Chesterfield
), before returning to Germany to play for Stuttgart
. In 2010 he signed for Italian
side Lazio
, before moving back to England to join West Ham United
later that year. Hitzlsperger has also represented the German national team
, earning 52 caps.
alongside his five brothers and one sister, In August 2000 he joined Aston Villa
on a free transfer from the Bayern Munich Junior Team
. He had spent a short trial period with Celtic
after leaving Bayern Munich, but he opted to join Aston Villa.
He made his Aston Villa debut in a 3–0 home defeat to Liverpool
on 13 January 2001; it was his only appearance during his first season in England. Whilst at Aston Villa, Hitzlsperger was briefly loaned out to Chesterfield
during the 2001–02 season, making his debut against Kidderminster Harriers
in the LDV Vans Trophy. In all he made six appearances for the Spireites, five of which were in the league. He was recalled by Aston Villa during the second month of the loan spell however, as the Midlands club had several players injured or suspended. Hitzlsperger moved into the Aston Villa first team following the arrival of new manager Graham Taylor. He would go on to play a significant part in the Aston Villa side that would finish 6th under David O'Leary
, before falling out of favour the following season. He left Aston Villa as a fan favourite, and stated that he might return to the club when the opportunity comes. Hitzlsperger gained the nickname (The Hammer) during his time at Villa Park, due to his powerful left-foot shot from long-range. A fluent speaker of English, he acquired an unusual Birmingham/German hybrid accent during his spell at Villa.
in the summer of 2005, having left Aston Villa
on a Bosman free transfer. He became a regular for Stuttgart, particularly in his second season in which the team won the Bundesliga title. Hitzlsperger made a large contribution to their success, playing in 30 of the team's 34 league matches and scoring seven times. He scored a crucial equaliser in the 27th minute of Stuttgart's final match of the season against Energie Cottbus – had Stuttgart lost that match, Schalke 04
would have won the title. In the end, a 63rd minute goal by Sami Khedira
secured the title for Stuttgart.
On 14 August 2007, he extended his contract until the summer of 2010. On 22 July 2008, Hitzlsperger was appointed the new captain of VfB Stuttgart
by manager Armin Veh
following the departure of former club captain Fernando Meira
. On 1 December 2009, he was deposed as team captain by Stuttgart's new manager Markus Babbel
.
on six-month contract, for around €550,000. He scored his only goal for Lazio on 15 May in a 3–1 win against Udinese
.
after passing a medical at Upton Park
. He finally made his debut for the Hammers in an FA Cup
fifth round match against Burnley
on 21 February 2011 and scored in the 23rd minute. ESPN
named him man of the match for his debut performance. Hitzlsperger made his league debut for the Hammers against Liverpool. West Ham won 3–1 and Hitzlsperger played 90 minutes during which he shot twice from long range. He scored his first Premier League goal for West Ham in the 3–0 home win against Stoke City
on 5 March 2011. His second league goal for the Hammers came on 7 May 2011 in a crucial game against Blackburn Rovers. However, despite his central midfield efforts along with Jonathan Spector
, West Ham lost 3–2 against Wigan Athletic after being 2–0 up on the penultimate week of the season to see West Ham relegated into the Football League Championship
. At the end of the season he had his contract terminated and left the club.
On 22 July 2011, it was confirmed that Hitzlsperger has had talks with Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers
. This came to nothing when he signed for German side Wolfsburg
on a three-year contract.
club Wolfsburg
on a three-year deal, after being released by West Ham three months earlier.
|2000–01||Aston Villa
||Premier League||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||1||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2001–02||Chesterfield
||Second Division
||5||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|rowspan="4"|Aston Villa
||rowspan="4"|Premier League||12||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||12||1
|-
|2002–03
||26||2||0||0||3||2||0||0||29||4
|-
|2003–04
||32||3||1||0||5||2||0||0||38||5
|-
|2004–05
||28||3||0||0||2||0||0||0||30||3
|-
|2005–06||rowspan="5"|VfB Stuttgart
||rowspan="5"|Bundesliga
||26||2||2||1||0||0||7||0||35||3
|-
|2006–07||30||7||5||3||0||0||0||0||35||10
|-
|2007–08||25||5||4||2||-||-||2||0||31||7
|-
|2008–09||32||5||2||0||-||-||5||1||39||6
|-
|2009–10
||12||1||3||1||-||-||5||0||20||2
|-
|-
|2009–10|||S.S. Lazio
|||Serie A
||6||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||6||1
|-
|2010–11
|||West Ham United
|||Premier League||11||2||2||1||0||0||0||0||13||3
|-
|-
|2011–12
||rowspan="1"|Wolfsburg
||rowspan="1"|Bundesliga
||1||0||0||0||–||–||–||–||1||0
|-
115||11||3||1||10||4||0||0||127||16
125||20||16||7||0||0||19||1||161||28
6||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||6||1
247||32||18||8||10||4||19||1||295||45
Hitzlsperger has captained the German under-19 team
, and has also appeared for the national under-21 side
. He was then called up to the senior side by Jürgen Klinsmann
and made his debut in a 2–0 win against Iran
in Tehran
on 9 October 2004, replacing Bernd Schneider in the 68th minute.
He appeared at the 2005 Confederations Cup, and also at the 2006 World Cup, where he failed to make it into Klinsmann's starting eleven, playing just 11 minutes of the third-place play-off match against Portugal
. He scored his first international goals on 6 September 2006, in a European Championship qualifying game against San Marino
. Hitzlsperger came on as a second half substitute to score Germany's 9th and 11th goals in the 13–0 win, a record victory in European Championship qualifying matches.
Germany's coach Joachim Löw included Hitzlsperger in his squad for the finals of Euro 2008, but did not start him in any of the three group games
. Hitzlsperger came on as a second-half substitute in the victories over Poland
and Austria
, and did not feature at all in the defeat to Croatia
. In the knockout stages however, he started all three matches, helping his team to overcome Portugal in the quarter-finals and setting up Philipp Lahm
for a 90th minute winner against Turkey
in the semifinal. Germany were defeated 1–0 by Spain
in the final, in which Hitzlsperger was substituted in the second half.
Hitzlsperger remained first choice in 2010 World Cup qualifying
, playing in all matches save one and scoring a goal, but he missed out on his nation's World Cup squad in June 2010.
, and while in England studied investment strategies, although he did not complete the course. He regularly visited the Bank of England
to discuss finance with the bank's governor, Mervyn King
, a lifelong Aston Villa fan.
Hitzlsperger has blog
ged for Störungsmelder, an anti-racism site that encourages debate about xenophobia and racism in Germany.
In June 2007, Hitzlsperger split from his longtime girlfriend, Inga, just one month before they were due to get married.
On 9 April 2011, Hitzlsperger was caught travelling in his Range Rover at 107 mph (172.2 km/h) on the A14 in Suffolk
. On 14 July 2011, he was fined £750 and was given six penalty points on his driving licence by Bury St Edmunds Magistrates' Court. However, he was spared a driving ban as he was at the time unemployed and claimed he needed his car to drive around the country and look for a new club. The decision not to ban Hitzlsperger was heavily criticised by road safety groups. Julie Townsend, Campaigns Director of Brake
stated "This person showed a complete disregard for human life and the fact he is being allowed to continue driving is horrifying."
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...
footballer who plays as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. He plays for 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...
club Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
after signing a three-year deal on 17 August 2011. Hitzlsperger spent the early part of his career playing for Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(accompanied by a short loan spell at Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
), before returning to Germany to play for Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
. In 2010 he signed for Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
side Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, before moving back to England to join West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
later that year. Hitzlsperger has also represented the German national team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, earning 52 caps.
Aston Villa
Hitzlsperger, the youngest child of Ludwig and Anneliese Hitzlsperger, grew up in ForstinningForstinning
Forstinning is a community in the district of Ebersberg in Upper Bavaria.-Geography:Forstinning lies in the Munich region in the north of the Ebersberg district and on the northern edge of the Munich Schotterebene and the Ebersberg Forest...
alongside his five brothers and one sister, In August 2000 he joined Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
on a free transfer from the Bayern Munich Junior Team
Bayern Munich Junior Team
Bayern Munich Junior Team is the youth academy for German football club Bayern Munich. The Junior Team was created in 1902and restructured in 1995 has educated many players who have become regulars in the Fußball-Bundesliga and the Germany national football team, such as Thomas Müller, Andreas...
. He had spent a short trial period with Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
after leaving Bayern Munich, but he opted to join Aston Villa.
He made his Aston Villa debut in a 3–0 home defeat to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on 13 January 2001; it was his only appearance during his first season in England. Whilst at Aston Villa, Hitzlsperger was briefly loaned out to Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
during the 2001–02 season, making his debut against Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...
in the LDV Vans Trophy. In all he made six appearances for the Spireites, five of which were in the league. He was recalled by Aston Villa during the second month of the loan spell however, as the Midlands club had several players injured or suspended. Hitzlsperger moved into the Aston Villa first team following the arrival of new manager Graham Taylor. He would go on to play a significant part in the Aston Villa side that would finish 6th under David O'Leary
David O'Leary
David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...
, before falling out of favour the following season. He left Aston Villa as a fan favourite, and stated that he might return to the club when the opportunity comes. Hitzlsperger gained the nickname (The Hammer) during his time at Villa Park, due to his powerful left-foot shot from long-range. A fluent speaker of English, he acquired an unusual Birmingham/German hybrid accent during his spell at Villa.
Stuttgart
Hitzlsperger signed for StuttgartVfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
in the summer of 2005, having left Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
on a Bosman free transfer. He became a regular for Stuttgart, particularly in his second season in which the team won the Bundesliga title. Hitzlsperger made a large contribution to their success, playing in 30 of the team's 34 league matches and scoring seven times. He scored a crucial equaliser in the 27th minute of Stuttgart's final match of the season against Energie Cottbus – had Stuttgart lost that match, Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
would have won the title. In the end, a 63rd minute goal by Sami Khedira
Sami Khedira
Sami Khedira is a German footballer currently playing for Real Madrid and the German national team. Khedira moved to Real Madrid from VfB Stuttgart in 2010...
secured the title for Stuttgart.
On 14 August 2007, he extended his contract until the summer of 2010. On 22 July 2008, Hitzlsperger was appointed the new captain of VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
by manager Armin Veh
Armin Veh
Armin Veh is a German former footballer and current manager who works for Eintracht Frankfurt. He won the German championship with Bundesliga team VfB Stuttgart on 19 May 2007. Veh and his team also had the chance to win "the double" by winning the DFB-Cup on 26 May 2007 in Berlin, but lost 2–3 in...
following the departure of former club captain Fernando Meira
Fernando Meira
Fernando José da Silva Freitas Meira is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Real Zaragoza in Spain, as a central defender.In his country, he represented most notably Vitória de Guimarães, also playing one year with Benfica...
. On 1 December 2009, he was deposed as team captain by Stuttgart's new manager Markus Babbel
Markus Babbel
Markus Babbel is a former international German football player, who is currently manager of German Bundesliga club Hertha BSC. He played as a defender for clubs in Germany and England.-Career:...
.
Lazio
On 31 January 2010, Hitzlsperger moved to LazioS.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
on six-month contract, for around €550,000. He scored his only goal for Lazio on 15 May in a 3–1 win against Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
.
West Ham United
On 5 June 2010, Hitzlsperger signed a three-year deal with Premier League club West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
after passing a medical at Upton Park
Upton Park
Upton Park is an urban area of the London Borough of Newham,centred around the local high street, Green Street. The area is synonymous with football and is home to West Ham United Football Club, who play at the Boleyn Ground, commonly known as Upton Park, while nearby is a green space also called...
. He finally made his debut for the Hammers in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
fifth round match against Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
on 21 February 2011 and scored in the 23rd minute. ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
named him man of the match for his debut performance. Hitzlsperger made his league debut for the Hammers against Liverpool. West Ham won 3–1 and Hitzlsperger played 90 minutes during which he shot twice from long range. He scored his first Premier League goal for West Ham in the 3–0 home win against Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
on 5 March 2011. His second league goal for the Hammers came on 7 May 2011 in a crucial game against Blackburn Rovers. However, despite his central midfield efforts along with Jonathan Spector
Jonathan Spector
Jonathan Michael Paul Spector is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for Birmingham City. He started his professional career in England when he was signed by Manchester United as a teenager, but rarely appeared for the club...
, West Ham lost 3–2 against Wigan Athletic after being 2–0 up on the penultimate week of the season to see West Ham relegated into the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
. At the end of the season he had his contract terminated and left the club.
On 22 July 2011, it was confirmed that Hitzlsperger has had talks with Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. This came to nothing when he signed for German side Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
on a three-year contract.
Wolfsburg
On 17 August 2011, Hitzlsperger signed for BundesligaFußball-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...
club Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
on a three-year deal, after being released by West Ham three months earlier.
Career statistics
|-|2000–01||Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
||Premier League||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||1||0
|-
|rowspan="2"|2001–02||Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||5||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||5||0
|-
|rowspan="4"|Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
||rowspan="4"|Premier League||12||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||12||1
|-
|2002–03
2002–03 Aston Villa F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was Aston Villa F.C.'s 11th season in the Premier League, and their 15th consecutive season in the top division of English football.-Season review:...
||26||2||0||0||3||2||0||0||29||4
|-
|2003–04
2003–04 Aston Villa F.C. season
During the 2003–04 English football season, Aston Villa F.C. competed in the FA Premier League.-Season summary:Manager Graham Taylor's unsuccessful second spell as manager had come to an end in June 2003, and chairman Doug Ellis recruited David O'Leary as Taylor's successor...
||32||3||1||0||5||2||0||0||38||5
|-
|2004–05
2004–05 Aston Villa F.C. season
The 2004–05 season in English football was Aston Villa F.C.'s 13th consecutive season in the FA Premier League, and their second season under the management of David O'Leary.-Season summary:...
||28||3||0||0||2||0||0||0||30||3
|-
|2005–06||rowspan="5"|VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
||rowspan="5"|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...
||26||2||2||1||0||0||7||0||35||3
|-
|2006–07||30||7||5||3||0||0||0||0||35||10
|-
|2007–08||25||5||4||2||-||-||2||0||31||7
|-
|2008–09||32||5||2||0||-||-||5||1||39||6
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga
The 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 47th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions VfL Wolfsburg and VfB Stuttgart. The last games were played on 8 May 2010...
||12||1||3||1||-||-||5||0||20||2
|-
|-
|2009–10|||S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
|||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||6||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||6||1
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
|||West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
|||Premier League||11||2||2||1||0||0||0||0||13||3
|-
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Fußball-Bundesliga
The 2011–12 Fußball-Bundesliga is the 49th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on 5 August 2011 with the season opening match involving defending champions Borussia Dortmund and will end with the last games on 5 May 2012...
||rowspan="1"|Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
||rowspan="1"|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...
||1||0||0||0||–||–||–||–||1||0
|-
115||11||3||1||10||4||0||0||127||16
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International career
Germany national youth football team
This article includes current squads of Germany U20, U19, U18, U17, U16 and U15 national football teams.-Current technical staff:- Germany national under-20 squad :- Germany national under-19 squad :- Germany national under-18 squad :...
, and has also appeared for the national under-21 side
Germany national under-21 football team
The Germany national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Germany in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and is controlled by the German Football Association , the governing body of football in Germany....
. He was then called up to the senior side by Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
and made his debut in a 2–0 win against Iran
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
on 9 October 2004, replacing Bernd Schneider in the 68th minute.
He appeared at the 2005 Confederations Cup, and also at the 2006 World Cup, where he failed to make it into Klinsmann's starting eleven, playing just 11 minutes of the third-place play-off match against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
. He scored his first international goals on 6 September 2006, in a European Championship qualifying game against San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
. Hitzlsperger came on as a second half substitute to score Germany's 9th and 11th goals in the 13–0 win, a record victory in European Championship qualifying matches.
Germany's coach Joachim Löw included Hitzlsperger in his squad for the finals of Euro 2008, but did not start him in any of the three group games
UEFA Euro 2008 Group B
Group B of the 2008 UEFA European Championships was one of four groups of competing nations at UEFA Euro 2008. The first of the three rounds of matches were played on 8 June, and the final round was completed on 16 June. All six of the group's matches were played at venues in Austria, in Vienna and...
. Hitzlsperger came on as a second-half substitute in the victories over Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
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 ....
, and did not feature at all in the defeat to Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
. In the knockout stages however, he started all three matches, helping his team to overcome Portugal in the quarter-finals and setting up Philipp Lahm
Philipp Lahm
Philipp Lahm is a German footballer who plays for Bayern Munich and Germany. Lahm is also the captain for both the national team and Bayern....
for a 90th minute winner against Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
in the semifinal. Germany were defeated 1–0 by Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
in the final, in which Hitzlsperger was substituted in the second half.
Hitzlsperger remained first choice in 2010 World Cup qualifying
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
, playing in all matches save one and scoring a goal, but he missed out on his nation's World Cup squad in June 2010.
International goals
-
- Scores and results table. Germany's goal tally first:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6 September 2006 | Stadio Olimpico Stadio Olimpico (San Marino) Stadio Olimpico is a multi-purpose stadium in Serravalle, San Marino. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the national stadium of San Marino, and is also used by the club San Marino Calcio, which plays in the Italian football league. The Stadio Olimpico was also used by... , Serravalle, San Marino San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino... |
9–0 | 13–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
| 2. | 6 September 2006 | Stadio Olimpico Stadio Olimpico (San Marino) Stadio Olimpico is a multi-purpose stadium in Serravalle, San Marino. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the national stadium of San Marino, and is also used by the club San Marino Calcio, which plays in the Italian football league. The Stadio Olimpico was also used by... , Serravalle, San Marino San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino... |
11–0 | 13–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
| 3. | 6 June 2007 | AOL Arena AOL Arena Volksparkstadion is a football stadium in Hamburg, Germany. It is the home ground of Hamburger SV and was one of the 12 stadia used in the 2006 Football World Cup, hosting four group games and a quarter final. Through a sponsorship deal the stadium is officially named Imtech Arena, and has... , Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... , 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... |
2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
| 4. | 17 November 2007 | Allianz Arena Allianz Arena The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season... , Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... , 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... |
4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying | |
| 5. | 6 February 2008 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, 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... , 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... |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 6. | 6 September 2008 | Rheinpark Stadion Rheinpark Stadion The Rheinpark Stadion in Vaduz is the national stadium of Liechtenstein. It plays host to the home matches of the Liechtenstein national football team, and is also the home of Liechtenstein's top football club, FC Vaduz.... , Vaduz Vaduz Vaduz is the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein and the seat of the national parliament. The town, located along the Rhine, has about 5,100 inhabitants , most of whom are Roman Catholic. Its cathedral is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop.... , Liechtenstein Liechtenstein The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan... |
5–0 | 6–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of... |
Personal life
Hitzlsperger has an interest in economics, in particular dynamic mechanism designMechanism design
Mechanism design is a field in game theory studying solution concepts for a class of private information games...
, and while in England studied investment strategies, although he did not complete the course. He regularly visited the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
to discuss finance with the bank's governor, Mervyn King
Mervyn King (economist)
An ex-officio member of the Bank's interest-rate setting Monetary Policy Committee since its inception in 1997, Sir Mervyn is the only person to have taken part in every one of its monthly meetings to date. His voting style is often seen as "hawkish", a perspective that emphasises the dangers of...
, a lifelong Aston Villa fan.
Hitzlsperger has blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ged for Störungsmelder, an anti-racism site that encourages debate about xenophobia and racism in Germany.
In June 2007, Hitzlsperger split from his longtime girlfriend, Inga, just one month before they were due to get married.
On 9 April 2011, Hitzlsperger was caught travelling in his Range Rover at 107 mph (172.2 km/h) on the A14 in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. On 14 July 2011, he was fined £750 and was given six penalty points on his driving licence by Bury St Edmunds Magistrates' Court. However, he was spared a driving ban as he was at the time unemployed and claimed he needed his car to drive around the country and look for a new club. The decision not to ban Hitzlsperger was heavily criticised by road safety groups. Julie Townsend, Campaigns Director of Brake
Brake (charity)
Brake is a British national road safety charity. It is based in Huddersfield.-History:Brake was formed in 1995 by Mary Williams, following the death of her mother Sue Williams in 1992. Sue Williams was killed when her stationary car was hit by a 38 ton tanker with faulty brakes...
stated "This person showed a complete disregard for human life and the fact he is being allowed to continue driving is horrifying."
Club
VfB StuttgartVfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
- BundesligaFußball-BundesligaThe 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...
: 2006–07
International
GermanyGermany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
- European ChampionshipsUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
Runner-up: 2008 - World CupFIFA World CupThe 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...
3rd place: 20062006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... - Confederations Cup 3rd place: 20052005 FIFA Confederations Cup-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place playoff:-Final:-Awards:-Goal scorers:5 goals Adriano4 goals Luciano Figueroa John Aloisi Michael Ballack...