Philipp Degen facts for kids
Degen with Borussia Dortmund in 2007
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 February 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Liestal, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.85 m | ||
| Playing position | Right back, right winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1987–1995 | FC Oberdorf | ||
| 1995–2001 | Basel | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2005 | Basel | 82 | (4) |
| 2005–2008 | Borussia Dortmund | 68 | (1) |
| 2008–2011 | Liverpool | 7 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → VfB Stuttgart (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2011–2016 | Basel | 76 | (7) |
| Total | 238 | (12) | |
| National team | |||
| 2001 | Switzerland U-17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2001 | Switzerland U-19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Switzerland U-20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Switzerland U-21 | 14 | (0) |
| 2005–2009 | Switzerland | 32 | (0) |
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Philipp Degen (born on February 15, 1983) is a retired professional football player from Switzerland. He usually played as a right back. He could also play as a left back or on the right wing.
Degen played for the Swiss national team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. His team reached the last 16. He was also chosen for UEFA Euro 2008 but did not play in any games.
He started his professional career at FC Basel in Switzerland. After four seasons, he moved to Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He then joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2008. After facing many injuries at Liverpool, he returned to Basel in 2011. Philipp Degen retired from football at the end of the 2015/16 season. He won eight Swiss championship titles during his career.
Contents
Club Career
Basel
Philipp Degen and his twin brother, David, started playing youth football at FC Oberdorf. In 1995, they both joined the youth teams of FC Basel.
Philipp Degen joined Basel's main team for the 2001–02 season. He played his first game for the team on July 8, 2001. Basel won the championship title that season. They also won the Swiss Cup, completing a "double" (winning both the league and cup).
In his second season, Degen played more often. Basel finished second in the league but won the Swiss Cup again. This meant they defended their title from the previous year.
In the 2003–04 season, Degen became a regular player. He scored his first goal for Basel on July 26, 2003. Basel had a great start to the season, winning their first 13 matches. They won the championship with 85 points. Degen played in 32 out of 36 league matches that season.
Basel continued their success in the 2004–05 season. They did not lose any of their 17 home games. They won the Swiss championship again, finishing 10 points ahead of the second-placed team.
During his first four seasons with Basel, Degen played 82 league games and scored four goals. He helped the team win three league titles and one domestic cup.
Borussia Dortmund
After his successful time at Basel, Degen moved to Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He played for them for three seasons. He appeared in 68 first-team games and scored one goal. His last season at Dortmund, the 2007–08 season, was affected by injuries. He only played in 16 games that year.
Liverpool
On July 3, 2008, Degen signed a four-year contract with Liverpool. He joined them for free. Liverpool's manager, Rafael Benítez, said Degen was an "offensive player with great energy." He believed Degen would be a good addition to the team.
Degen played his first game for Liverpool on July 12, 2008, in a friendly match. His first official game was in the Football League Cup on September 23, 2008. However, he got injured during this game and was out for two months.
He returned to play in November 2008 but suffered another foot injury. Degen said this was the "worst thing that had ever happened" to him. In January 2009, he got another foot injury.
After 14 months at Liverpool, Degen finally made his league debut on September 12, 2009. He came on as a substitute in a 4–0 win. He later got his first Premier League start on October 31, 2009. However, he was sent off (given a red card) in that game. Despite his injuries, Degen kept working hard. He said he felt he could still improve a lot.
Stuttgart
On August 8, 2010, Degen was loaned to VfB Stuttgart until the end of the season. He played only five games for Stuttgart.
Return to Basel
On August 31, 2011, Liverpool let Degen go. He then asked his old club, Basel, if he could train with them. The new manager, Heiko Vogel, offered him a contract.
Degen played his first game back for Basel in the Swiss Cup on November 20, 2011. He scored a goal in that game. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Degen helped Basel win both the league championship and the Swiss Cup again. This was another "double" for him.
He continued to win championships with Basel. He won the Swiss Super League title in 2013. In the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, Basel reached the semi-finals.
Degen won his sixth league championship with Basel at the end of the 2013–14 season. They also reached the Swiss Cup final but lost. In the 2014–15 season, Basel won the championship for the sixth time in a row. They also reached the Champions League knockout stage.
Under manager Urs Fischer, Degen won the Swiss Super League championship for the eighth time in his career. This was his fifth title in a row with Basel.
Philipp Degen ended his football career at the end of the 2015–16 FC Basel season. Between 2001 and 2005, and again from 2011 to 2016, Degen played 333 games for Basel. He scored 18 goals in total. During his time with FC Basel, he won the Swiss championship eight times and the domestic cup twice.
International Career
Degen played for Switzerland at different age levels. These included the Under-17s, Under-19s, Under-20s, and Under-21s.
He played for the Swiss national team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. They were knocked out by Ukraine in the last 16. Even though he had been injured, Degen was part of the Swiss team for UEFA Euro 2008. However, he did not play in any games, and Switzerland was knocked out early.
He played his last game for the Swiss national team on November 14, 2009, against Norway.
Personal Life
Philipp Degen has a twin brother named David. David was also a professional footballer and played for FC Basel too. David retired from football at the end of the 2013/14 season.
Honours
FC Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
- Swiss Cup: 2002–03, 2011–12
- Swiss Cup runner up: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
- Uhren Cup: 2013
See also
In Spanish: Philipp Degen para niños
