Heiko Westermann facts for kids
Westermann at practice with HSV in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Heiko Westermann | ||
| Date of birth | 14 August 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Alzenau, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.90 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Barcelona (assistant coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1988–1994 | SG Schimborn | ||
| 1994–1998 | 1. FC Hösbach | ||
| 1998–2000 | FC Bayern Alzenau | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2003 | Greuther Fürth II | 37 | (1) |
| 2002–2005 | Greuther Fürth | 83 | (2) |
| 2005–2007 | Arminia Bielefeld | 67 | (5) |
| 2007–2010 | Schalke 04 | 92 | (12) |
| 2010–2015 | Hamburger SV | 159 | (9) |
| 2015–2016 | Real Betis | 20 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | Ajax | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Ajax II | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Austria Wien | 10 | (0) |
| Total | 476 | (30) | |
| National team | |||
| 2003–2004 | Germany U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Germany U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2008–2014 | Germany | 27 | (4) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2024– | Barcelona (assistant) | ||
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Heiko Westermann, born on August 14, 1983, is a German former professional footballer. He used to play as a defender. Today, he works as an assistant coach for the famous La Liga club Barcelona.
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Heiko Westermann's Football Journey
Starting with Greuther Fürth
Heiko Westermann began his professional football journey with Greuther Fürth. This club played in the 2. Bundesliga, which is Germany's second-highest football league. He joined the main team in July 2002.
His first game was on January 26, 2003, where his team won 1–0 against MSV Duisburg. During his three seasons with Greuther Fürth, he played in 83 league games. He also scored two goals for the team.
Playing for Arminia Bielefeld
After the 2004–05 season, Westermann moved to Arminia Bielefeld. This club had just been promoted to the Bundesliga, Germany's top football league. In his first year there, he played in every single game for Bielefeld. This included 34 league matches and five DFB-Pokal (German Cup) games.
He continued to be a very important player for the team in the next season. He only missed one match, showing how reliable he was.
Time at Schalke 04
In 2007, Westermann joined Schalke 04. The club paid about €2.8 million for him. His first game for Schalke was on July 24 in a Ligapokal (League Cup) match against 1. FC Nürnberg. Schalke won 4–2, and Westermann even scored a goal!
He missed the first two league games due to an injury. But he made his Bundesliga debut for Schalke on August 26, 2007. He came into the game in the 79th minute against VfL Wolfsburg. For the rest of that season, Westermann started all 31 of Schalke's Bundesliga matches. He also played every minute of Schalke's Champions League games. This shows how crucial he was to the team.
When a new coach, Fred Rutten, took over for the 2008–09 season, Westermann often played in midfield. This was because he was good at scoring goals. This season became his highest-scoring one yet. He scored both goals in a 2–0 DFB-Pokal win against Hannover 96. He also scored in three Bundesliga games in a row. This included a goal that tied the game against Werder Bremen and a winning goal against VfL Bochum.
Joining Hamburger SV
In July 2010, Westermann moved to Hamburger SV. The transfer cost around €7.5 million. Even though he was a new player, the coach, Armin Veh, made him the team captain. This was a big responsibility.
However, after a series of bad results, including a tough 9–2 loss to Bayern Munich, the captaincy changed. On April 9, 2013, Rafael van der Vaart became the new captain. This was done to help Westermann with the pressure he was facing. On June 25, 2015, Hamburg announced that Westermann's contract would not be extended.
Playing for Real Betis
On August 6, 2015, Westermann signed a two-year contract with Real Betis. This Spanish club had just been promoted to La Liga. On November 28, 2015, he received his first red card ever in a game against Levante. This happened after he got two yellow cards.
Time at Ajax
On July 14, 2016, it was announced that Westermann had signed a two-year deal with Ajax. This club plays in the Eredivisie, the top Dutch league. However, he didn't play much for the main team. Because of this, he also worked as a youth coach during his time there.
Finishing with Austria Wien
Soon after his contract with Ajax ended, Westermann signed a two-year deal with the Austrian club Austria Wien. In April 2018, he announced that he was leaving the club. At the same time, he also announced that he was ending his career as an active football player.
International Career with Germany
On January 31, 2008, Heiko Westermann was called up to play for the German national team for the first time. The manager, Joachim Löw, picked him for a friendly game against Austria. Germany won the match 3–0, and Westermann played the entire 90 minutes.
Westermann was part of the German team that finished second at Euro 2008. This was a big achievement. On June 2, 2009, Westermann scored his first goal for Germany in a 7–2 win against the United Arab Emirates national football team.
He was also chosen for Germany's team before the 2010 World Cup. However, he had to withdraw because of an injury he got in a friendly game against Hungary. Overall, he played 27 games for Germany and scored four goals between 2008 and 2014.
Personal Life
Heiko Westermann is married to Irina. They got married in June 2007. In May 2008, they welcomed their first daughter, Lana. Their second daughter, Nikita, was born in October 2010.
Honours
Ajax
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2017 (This means they reached the final but didn't win)
Germany
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2008 (They were second best in Europe)
See also
In Spanish: Heiko Westermann para niños
