Sebastian Deisler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sebastian Deisler

Deisler in 2005
Personal information
Full name	Sebastian Toni Deisler
Date of birth	(1980-01-05) 5 January 1980 (age 45)
Place of birth	Lörrach, West Germany
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Right midfielder, attacking midfielder
Youth career
1985–1988	FV Tumringen
1988–1990	TuS Stetten
1990–1995	FV Lörrach
1995–1998	Borussia Mönchengladbach
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–1999	Borussia Mönchengladbach	17	(1)
1999–2002	Hertha BSC	56	(9)
2002–2007	Bayern Munich	62	(8)
Total		135	(18)
International career
1999	Germany U-21	3	(0)
2000–2006	Germany	36	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Sebastian Toni Deisler (born 5 January 1980) is a German former professional footballer. He played as a right midfielder, which means he played on the right side of the field, and also as an attacking midfielder, helping to create goals.

Sebastian started his career at Borussia Mönchengladbach as a young player. After one season, he moved to Hertha BSC in 1999. Later, in 2002, he joined one of Germany's biggest clubs, Bayern Munich. He also played for the German national team from 2000 to 2006.

Many people thought Sebastian would become a huge star in German football. However, he faced many challenges. He had several serious knee injuries and also struggled with his mental health, feeling very sad and stressed. Because of these difficulties, he decided to retire from football in January 2007, when he was only 27 years old.

Club Career Highlights

Early Days at Borussia Mönchengladbach

Sebastian Deisler began playing football at a young age. He joined his first club, FV Tumringen, when he was six years old. When he was 15, a big club called Borussia Mönchengladbach noticed his talent. He joined their youth team in 1995 and played there until 1998.

He started his professional career with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1998. His first game in the Bundesliga, Germany's top football league, was on 8 September. During the 1998–99 season, he played 17 league games and scored one goal. This goal helped his team win 2–0 against 1860 Munich. Unfortunately, his team finished last that season and was moved down to the second division.

Moving to Hertha BSC

After Borussia Mönchengladbach was moved down a division, Sebastian Deisler moved to Hertha BSC in Berlin. This happened in 1999. Hertha BSC was a bigger club and offered him the chance to play in the Champions League. Even though he was only 19 when he arrived, and had a serious knee injury in 1999, Sebastian became a key player in Hertha's midfield.

He was becoming the main creative player for Hertha. But then, in October 2001, he had another knee injury. This meant he missed the rest of that season. Around the same time, a German newspaper reported that Sebastian had agreed to join FC Bayern Munich. He was set to move to Bayern at the start of the 2002–03 season and had received money from the club.

Sebastian faced a lot of criticism from fans and the media. They were upset that he hadn't announced the agreement sooner and had accepted money. Sebastian later explained that Hertha BSC's manager had asked him to keep it a secret to avoid problems. While at Hertha, Sebastian helped the club win the 2001 DFB-Ligapokal, which is a German cup competition.

Time at Bayern Munich

Deisler during training with Bayern Munich, 2005

In July 2002, Sebastian joined Bayern Munich with a four-year contract. He arrived at Bayern already injured from his previous season. Sadly, his time at Bayern was difficult. He only played in 62 league games over four and a half years. Because of his many injuries, he couldn't stay a regular starter for long periods.

At the same time, Sebastian found it hard to handle the high pressure of playing for a big club like Bayern. He started to feel very sad and stressed, which is sometimes called depression. He received help for this at a clinic in Munich starting in November 2003. After several months, he returned to the team. However, he had another difficult period in October 2004.

Sebastian seemed to be getting back to his best from the 2004–05 season onwards. He played well for most of 2005. After another star player, Michael Ballack, left Bayern, Sebastian was expected to become the main player in Bayern's midfield. But in March 2006, he injured his right knee again. This injury meant he missed the World Cup that was held in Germany.

Even though Sebastian returned to play in November, he felt very tired. He also felt he could never fully trust his often-injured knee again. So, on 16 January 2007, he announced he was retiring from football. Bayern's general manager said that Sebastian's contract, which was supposed to last until 2009, would be put on hold. Sebastian later said he realized that professional football was not the right path for him.

International Career for Germany

Sebastian Deisler played for the German national team between 2000 and 2006. He played in 36 international games and scored three goals for his country. His first game for Germany was a friendly match against the Netherlands on 23 February 2000.

Four months later, he was part of the German team at the Euro 2000 tournament. He played in all three group matches, but Germany did not do well and left the competition early. On 2 September 2000, he scored his first goal for Germany. It was the first goal in their 2–0 win over Greece during a qualifying game for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Sadly, because of his injuries, Sebastian missed both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. He also missed UEFA Euro 2004. In 2005, he played in all five of Germany's matches at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany. His last game for the German national team was a friendly match against Italy on 1 March 2006.

Personal Life

Sebastian Deisler is married to Eunice dos Santos Santana, who is from Brazil. They have a son named Raphael. Sebastian went to a technical college. He enjoys basketball, food, music, and movies as his hobbies. In September 2007, Sebastian shared that he was writing a book. The book was released in 2009. As of 2014, he lived in Freiburg.

Career Statistics

These tables show how many games Sebastian Deisler played and how many goals he scored for his clubs and for the German national team.

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Deisler goal.

List of international goals scored by Sebastian Deisler

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	2 September 2000	Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany	Greece	1–0	2–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	24 March 2001	BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany	Albania	1–0	2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	9 May 2002	Schwarzwald-Stadion, Freiburg, Germany	Kuwait	3–0	7–0	Friendly

Honours and Achievements

Sebastian Deisler won several trophies during his career with different clubs and also achieved success with the German youth national team.

With Hertha BSC

• DFB-Ligapokal: 2001 (a German league cup)

With Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06 (Germany's top league championship)
• DFB-Pokal: 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06 (Germany's main knockout cup competition)
• DFB-Ligapokal: 2004

With Germany U18 Team

• European Under-18 Football Championship runner-up: 1998 (finished second in this youth tournament)

With Germany National Team

• FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2005 (finished third in this international tournament)

See also

In Spanish: Sebastian Deisler para niños