Paul Scharner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paul Scharner

Scharner with Austria in 2012.
Personal information
Full name	Paul Josef Herbert Scharner
Date of birth	(1980-03-11) 11 March 1980 (age 46)
Place of birth	Scheibbs, Austria
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Defender / Midfielder
Youth career
1987–1993	SVG Purgstall
1993–1996	VSE St. Pölten
1996–1998	Austria Wien
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2003	Austria Wien	84	(3)
2001	→ SG Untersiebenbrunn (loan)	16	(5)
2004	SV Salzburg	18	(3)
2004–2006	SK Brann	32	(7)
2006–2010	Wigan Athletic	145	(14)
2010–2012	West Bromwich Albion	62	(7)
2012–2013	Hamburger SV	4	(0)
2012	Hamburger SV II	2	(1)
2013	→ Wigan Athletic (loan)	14	(0)
Total		377	(40)
International career
2000–2001	Austria U-21	12	(0)
2002–2012	Austria	40	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Paul Josef Herbert Scharner (born 11 March 1980) is an Austrian retired footballer. He mostly played as a defender, but he could also play in almost any midfield spot. He was well-known for being able to play many different positions and for his unique haircuts.

Scharner began his professional journey with Austrian teams like Austria Wien and SV Salzburg. In late 2004, he moved to Norway to play for SK Brann. In January 2006, he joined the Premier League in England, where he played for over six years with Wigan Athletic and West Bromwich Albion. After a short time without a club, he joined the German team Hamburger SV in August 2012. He then returned to Wigan Athletic on loan in January 2013 and helped them win the FA Cup. He announced he was retiring from football in September 2013, when he was 33 years old.

Early Life and Youth Career

Paul Scharner was born in Scheibbs, Austria. He grew up in Purgstall an der Erlauf, where he started playing football at age seven for his local team, SVG Purgstall. He played for their Under-8 team.

He stayed with SVG Purgstall until 1993. Then, he moved to FCN St. Pölten. In 1996, he joined Austria Wien, the club where he would later sign his first professional contract in 1999. While playing for Austria Wien's youth teams (U-17, U-18, and later their amateur squad), he also studied electrical engineering.

Professional Football Journey

Starting at Austria Wien

Paul Scharner moved up through the youth teams at Austria Wien. He played for the U-17, U-18, and amateur squads. He made his first team debut in a friendly match on March 3, 1998. Austria Wien won that game 5:1. He signed his first professional contract in May 1999.

Early Seasons (1998-2000)

Before his professional contract, Scharner played in a couple more friendly games in February 1999. He then made his first appearance in the Austrian Bundesliga on April 24, 1999. This was a home game against SV Ried, which Austria Wien won 3:0. In May, he played in three more games that season. One of these was his first time starting a game, where he also received his first yellow card.

In the next season (1999-2000), Scharner mostly played in friendly matches at first. He returned to the Bundesliga in September. He played a total of twelve league games that season, starting nine of them. He also made his debut in the ÖFB-Cup, which is Austria's main cup competition. He scored his first two goals for Austria Wien in a friendly match in February.

Developing as a Player (2000-2002)

The 2000-2001 season saw Scharner play his first international games in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. He played 14 league games that season. To help him get more playing time and improve, Scharner was loaned to SG Untersiebenbrunn in the Erste Liga from July to October 2001. He scored five goals in 16 league matches there.

He returned to Austria Wien in November 2001. In the second half of the 2001-2002 season, he became a regular starter. He scored his first goal for Austria Wien in a professional game on March 30, 2002, against Sturm Graz. His strong performances also led to his first call-up for the Austria national football team. He debuted in a 0:0 draw against Cameroon on April 17, 2002.

Winning Trophies (2002-2004)

After becoming a regular starter, Scharner played 29 league games in the 2002-2003 season. He scored one league goal. He also played in every cup game from the quarter-finals onwards. Austria Wien also played in the UEFA Cup that season. This was a very successful season for the club, as Austria Wien won the Bundesliga, the Austrian Cup, and the Austrian Supercup.

In the 2003-2004 season, Scharner played nine league games for Austria Wien and scored one goal. He also played in the UEFA Champions League qualification matches. However, in October, he had a disagreement with the coach, Joachim Löw. Scharner did not want to play as a right midfielder, a position he felt was not his best. After refusing to be substituted into that position, he was suspended from the team and had to find a new club.

Moving to SV Salzburg

Since he no longer had a future at Austria Wien, Scharner joined SV Austria Salzburg in January 2004. At that time, Salzburg was struggling to avoid being moved down to a lower league. He signed a contract until June 2006.

Scharner played 13 league games for Salzburg that season, scoring two goals. He helped the team avoid being relegated. However, he surprisingly pushed for a transfer to SK Brann shortly after the next season started. In his short time with Salzburg in the 2004-2005 season, he played five league matches and scored one goal.

Playing in Norway with SK Brann

After helping Salzburg stay in the top league, Scharner was expected to stay. But he surprised everyone by moving to the Norwegian club SK Brann on the last day of the summer transfer period in 2004. He signed a 2.5-year contract.

Scharner played a few games for Brann late in the 2004 season and scored one goal. Brann won the Norwegian Cup that season, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup. The following year, he became a key player for Brann, playing 29 games and scoring five goals. When he left the club after the 2005 season, he had played 32 league matches and scored seven goals. Scharner was even named Brann's Player of the Year in 2005.

Time at Wigan Athletic

After the 2005 season with SK Brann, Scharner signed a 3.5-year deal with Wigan Athletic in England on December 22, 2005. Wigan paid a fee of £2,500,000, which was the biggest transfer fee in Brann's history.

First Seasons (2005-2007)

Scharner joined Wigan for the second half of the 2005-2006 season. In his very first game for Wigan, he scored the winning goal against Arsenal in the League Cup. He then started in the League Cup final that season, where Wigan lost to Manchester United. He scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–1 draw with Everton. He quickly became a regular starter, playing all games from the 22nd round onwards and scoring three goals.

He continued to be a leading player in the 2006-2007 season, when Wigan was fighting to stay in the Premier League. He scored two goals in a game against Everton. An injury kept him out for part of the second half of the season. He returned later and scored a crucial goal in the last game of the season against Sheffield United. This goal helped Wigan avoid being relegated to a lower league by a very small difference in goals.

Later Seasons and Player of the Year (2007-2010)

The 2007-2008 season also saw Wigan battling to stay in the Premier League. Paul Scharner was a very important part of the team, starting almost every game. He scored four goals and was named Wigan's Player of the Year. Wigan finished the season in 13th place.

In the 2008-2009 season, Scharner played 27 league games and helped Wigan finish in a strong eleventh place. On March 22, 2009, he became the first Wigan player to play 100 Premier League games.

In his final season for Wigan (2009-2010), he played in all 38 league games and scored four goals. After a big loss to Manchester United, Wigan's manager, Roberto Martínez, started using Scharner more in an attacking midfield role. On August 30, 2009, he scored his first goal of the season against Everton. He announced on April 19, 2010, that he would be leaving Wigan Athletic at the end of the season.

Moving to West Bromwich Albion

On August 30, 2010, Scharner joined West Bromwich Albion, a team that had just been promoted to the Premier League. He signed a two-year deal. He joined West Brom because he wanted to play more as a midfielder, as the manager, Roberto Di Matteo, planned to use him there.

After his league debut, West Brom had a good run of five games without losing. He scored his first goal for West Brom in a 4-1 win against Everton, which was West Brom's first league win at Goodison Park since 1979. He scored four goals that season, and his club finished in eleventh place.

In the 2011-2012 season, his last year in the Premier League, Scharner played 29 games for West Brom, mostly as a starter. He scored three goals. On October 22, 2011, Scharner scored a memorable winning goal in a 2-1 away win against rivals Aston Villa. This was Albion's first league win at Villa Park since 1979. West Brom finished in tenth place that season. Scharner announced on May 8 that he would be leaving West Brom to find a new challenge.

Short Time at Hamburger SV

After his contract with West Bromwich Albion ended, Scharner was linked to other clubs. He eventually moved to the German club Hamburger SV, where he signed a two-year contract. When he first met the coach, Thorsten Fink, Scharner had a list of ten questions he wanted to ask, which impressed Fink.

Returning to Wigan and FA Cup Win

After playing four games for Hamburg in the 2012-2013 season, Scharner was loaned back to his former club, Wigan Athletic, on the last day of the transfer period. He helped Wigan reach the FA Cup final by beating Millwall 2–0 at Wembley. Scharner said this was his "best moment in football."

On May 11, 2013, Scharner won the FA Cup with Wigan. He played the entire game in a surprising 1–0 win against Manchester City. Just three days later, Wigan was relegated from the Premier League after a 4–1 defeat against Arsenal.

International Career

Scharner started playing for Austria at the under-21 level, making his debut against Spain in 2000. He played a total of twelve matches for the U-21 team.

He made his debut for the senior Austria national football team in a 0–0 draw with Cameroon on April 17, 2002. He played in the qualification games for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but Austria did not qualify. Scharner stepped away from international football in August 2006 after a loss to Hungary. He later tried to return in 2008, when Austria co-hosted the 2008 UEFA European Championship, but the coach did not pick him.

After the coach changed, Scharner was called up again and even became team captain from 2009 to 2010. In August 2012, he was permanently removed from the team after leaving the team hotel. This happened because the coach, Marcel Koller, did not give him a main role in the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification games. The Austrian Football Association stated that he would not play for Austria again. He played a total of 40 matches for the national team.

How Paul Scharner Played

Scharner usually played as a central defender or a midfielder. However, he was known for being able to play almost any position on the field for Wigan, except left back. This ability to play many roles was clear early in his career. Even at Austria Wien, his former coach Joachim Löw used him in various positions. While he always played well, he preferred to be in a defensive role.

His former coach at West Brom, Roberto Di Matteo, described Scharner as a "powerful, competitive player." He said Scharner was good with the ball, strong in both penalty areas, could play in many positions, and also scored goals.

Another important part of his playing style was his strong focus and professionalism. He carefully planned his training, goals, and achievements. Since he was twelve, he controlled his diet, and since he was fifteen, he trained with a personal mental coach. He believed that training his mind was as important as training his body for success. His coach at HSV, Thorsten Fink, said that Paul was a leader who always stepped up, especially in tough situations.

His Public Image

Paul Scharner sometimes had disagreements with coaches at his clubs and with the national team. These situations often got attention from the media. For example, in 2003, he was suspended from Austria Wien after he refused to come on as a substitute to play on the right side of midfield.

In Norway, fans affectionately called him fussballgott, which means "football-god." He was seen as a leader and an important part of the team. In England, he is remembered for his professionalism, focus, and energetic performances. He also had a close connection with the fans of his teams.

Scharner was also known for his many different haircuts. He would cut and dye his hair in various styles and colors.

Personal Life

Paul Scharner is married to Marlene, and they have three sons: Constantin, Benedict, and Paul Jr. He studied electrical engineering. His hobbies include skiing, reading, motorcycling, and billiards.

Career Statistics

Club

As of 19 May 2013.

International

Statistics as of 19 August 2012.

Honours and Awards

Austria Wien

• Austrian Bundesliga: 2002–03
• Austrian Cup: 2002–03
• Austrian Supercup: 2003

SK Brann

• Norwegian Cup: 2004

Wigan Athletic

• FA Cup: 2012–13
• Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06

Individual Awards

• SK Brann's Player of the Year: 2005
• Wigan Athletic's Player of the Year: 2008

See also

In Spanish: Paul Scharner para niños