Philippe Senderos facts for kids
Senderos with Switzerland in 2006
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Philippe Sylvain Senderos | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 February 1985 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Geneva, Switzerland | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre back | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2002 | Servette | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Servette | 26 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Arsenal | 64 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | → AC Milan (loan) | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | → Everton (loan) | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2014 | Fulham | 57 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | Valencia | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Aston Villa | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Grasshoppers | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Rangers | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Houston Dynamo | 10 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2019 | Chiasso | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 209 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2016 | Switzerland | 57 | (5) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Philippe Sylvain Senderos (born on February 14, 1985) is a retired professional footballer from Switzerland. He played as a defender.
Senderos started his career at Servette in Switzerland. As a teenager, he moved to England to play for Arsenal. He played 116 games for Arsenal over seven seasons and helped them win the FA Cup in 2005. After playing on loan for Milan and Everton, he joined Fulham in 2010, where he played for four seasons. Later, Senderos played for clubs in Spain, England, Scotland, Switzerland, and the United States.
He also played for the Swiss national team from 2005 to 2016. He played 57 games and scored 5 goals for his country. Senderos was part of the Swiss teams for three FIFA World Cup tournaments and UEFA Euro 2008.
Club Career Highlights
Servette: Early Days
Philippe Senderos grew up playing in the youth system of the Swiss club Servette. After a few games in his first year, he quickly became a regular player for the main team. On July 27, 2002, Senderos scored two goals in a 2–0 win against Luzern. He signed with Arsenal in December 2002 but stayed at Servette until the next summer. Senderos chose Arsenal over Real Madrid, believing it was the right move for him.
Arsenal: A Big Move
Senderos's start at Arsenal was tough. He had back problems and a fractured foot bone, which kept him out for his first season. During that time, Arsenal won the league without losing a single game.
He made his first appearance for Arsenal on October 27, 2004, in a League Cup match against Manchester City. His first Premier League game was on January 1, 2005. He played in the 2005 FA Cup final and helped Arsenal win their first trophy with him, beating Manchester United on penalties.
After this success, Senderos signed a new five-year contract with Arsenal. In the 2005 FA Community Shield, Arsenal lost to Chelsea. During the 2005–06 season, he scored his first goal for Arsenal on October 15. He also played in Arsenal's journey to the Champions League final in 2006, where they lost to Barcelona.
Senderos received red cards in games against Fulham and Middlesbrough in the 2006-07 season. In his last full season at Arsenal (2007–08), he scored two more goals in the Premier League.
Loan to AC Milan
Senderos eventually played less for Arsenal. On August 27, 2008, he joined the Italian club AC Milan on loan for a season. He called joining Milan a "dream come true." He got injured early on and found it hard to get into the first team. He made his first full appearance for Milan in a UEFA Cup game. He played 14 league games for Milan before returning to Arsenal.
Loan to Everton
Senderos played only two games for Arsenal in the 2009–10 season. On January 25, 2010, he joined Everton on loan for the rest of the season. He played his first game for Everton in a 1–0 win against Wigan Athletic. He returned to Arsenal at the end of the season after playing only three games for Everton.
Fulham and Valencia: New Adventures
On June 8, 2010, Senderos signed a three-year deal with Fulham for free. While training on August 9, he tore his Achilles tendon, which kept him out of action for six months. He finally played his first game for Fulham on April 30, 2011, against Sunderland. On April 21, 2012, he scored his first Premier League goal for Fulham in a 2–1 win over Wigan Athletic.
On March 1, 2013, Senderos extended his contract with Fulham until June 2014. On October 21, 2013, he scored a goal in a 4–1 win against Crystal Palace.
On January 31, 2014, Senderos moved to Valencia in Spain. He made his debut for Valencia on February 8, 2014, in a 5–0 win against Real Betis. He scored his first goal for Valencia on March 13 in a 3–0 win against Ludogorets Razgrad in the Europa League.
Aston Villa: Back in England
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On June 5, 2014, Senderos joined Aston Villa on a two-year contract. The manager, Paul Lambert, noted that it would be Senderos's third World Cup, showing his experience. He played his first Premier League game for Villa on August 16, in a 1–0 win against Stoke City.
On September 3, 2015, Senderos was not included in Aston Villa's main squad for the first half of the 2015–16 season. He left the club by agreement on January 27, 2016.
Grasshoppers and Rangers: Swiss and Scottish Stays
On January 29, 2016, Senderos returned to Switzerland to sign a six-month contract with Grasshoppers.
After leaving Grasshoppers, Senderos joined the Scottish team Rangers on August 31, 2016. He said it was an easy decision to join such a big club. Senderos was sent off in his first game for Rangers, a 5–1 loss to Celtic. He left Rangers in May 2017.
Houston Dynamo and Chiasso: Final Chapters
On August 7, 2017, the Houston Dynamo in the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States announced they had signed Senderos. He played only two regular season games. However, injuries to other defenders allowed Senderos to play in the playoffs. He was even made captain in one important game, which Houston won.
Senderos scored in a 4–0 win against Atlanta United at the start of the 2018 season. He then got a hamstring injury and missed many games. On July 3, Senderos scored in the last minute to help Houston draw 2–2 with LAFC. In the next game, he scored two goals, leading Houston to a 3–0 win against Minnesota United. He played in every game of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup and helped the Dynamo win their first title in that competition. He got another hamstring injury in the final, which ended his season. His contract with Houston ended in 2018.
On September 10, 2019, Senderos signed with Chiasso in Switzerland. He played his first game for Chiasso on November 9. On December 16, he announced he was retiring from football.
International Career
Philippe Senderos played for Switzerland at all youth levels, starting from the under-15 team. He was also able to play for Spain or Serbia because of his parents. He was the captain of the Swiss under-17 team that won the 2002 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.
Senderos played his first game for the senior Swiss national team on March 26, 2005, in a 0–0 draw against France. In his fifth game, on September 7, 2005, he scored his first international goal in a 3–1 win against Cyprus. He was part of the Swiss team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He started in all three group matches and scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against South Korea. He broke his nose and hurt his shoulder in that game, which meant he couldn't play in the rest of the World Cup.
Senderos was captain for Switzerland for the first time on February 6, 2008, in a friendly game against England. He was also part of the Swiss team at UEFA Euro 2008, playing in all three group games.
He scored two goals in a 3–0 win against Luxembourg on October 10, 2009, during a qualifying game for the 2010 World Cup. He was chosen for the 2010 World Cup squad. In the first game, where Switzerland surprisingly beat Spain 1–0, he had to leave the game early due to an ankle injury.
Senderos was also selected for the 2014 World Cup, which was his third World Cup. He played his first game in the second match against France on June 20, 2014, coming on as a substitute. Switzerland lost that game 5–2.
Senderos was not chosen for the Switzerland squad for Euro 2016.
Personal Life
Philippe Senderos's mother is of Serbian background, and his father is Spanish. His brother, Julien, was a professional basketball player. On July 20, 2009, Senderos married Sara, an English woman with Iranian roots. Senderos can speak seven languages: English, French, Serbian, Spanish, German, Italian, and Farsi.
In 2012, there were false rumors from Turkey and Iran that he had converted to Islam. Senderos said, "That's not true. And I don't know where these rumors could have come from."
Honours
Arsenal
- FA Cup: 2004–05
- FA Community Shield: 2004
- Football League Cup runner-up 2006–07
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2005–06
Houston Dynamo
- U.S. Open Cup: 2018
Switzerland U17
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2002
Individual
- Credit Suisse Player of the Year: 2006
Images for kids
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Senderos playing for Fulham in February 2013
See also
In Spanish: Philippe Senderos para niños
