Thomas Hitzlsperger facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Thomas Hitzlsperger

Hitzlsperger in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Hitzlsperger
Date of birth	(1982-04-05) 5 April 1982 (age 43)
Place of birth	Munich, West Germany
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1988–1989	VfB Forstinning
1989–2000	Bayern Munich
2000–2001	Aston Villa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2001–2005	Aston Villa	99	(8)
2001	→ Chesterfield (loan)	5	(0)
2005–2010	VfB Stuttgart	125	(20)
2010	Lazio	6	(1)
2010–2011	West Ham United	11	(2)
2011–2012	VfL Wolfsburg	6	(0)
2012–2013	Everton	7	(0)
Total		259	(31)
International career
	Germany U19
2002–2004	Germany U21	20	(3)
2004–2010	Germany	52	(6)
Medal record Representing  Germany FIFA World Cup Bronze 2006 UEFA European Championship Runner-up 2008
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas Hitzlsperger (born 5 April 1982) is a German football expert and former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder. After his playing career, he became Head of Sport at VfB Stuttgart in February 2019. He later became the CEO of the club. He left this role in March 2022.

As a player, Thomas started his career with Aston Villa in England. He also had a short loan spell at Chesterfield. He then returned to Germany to play for Stuttgart. There, he helped the team win the Bundesliga title in 2007. In 2010, he joined the Italian team Lazio. Later that year, he moved back to England to play for West Ham United. He also played briefly for Wolfsburg and Everton.

Hitzlsperger also played for the German national team. He played 52 games for his country. He was part of the squad for the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. He retired from football in September 2013 due to injuries. After retiring, he became a well-known advocate for acceptance and diversity in sports.

Thomas Hitzlsperger's Club Career

Starting Out in Football

Thomas Hitzlsperger began his youth career at VfB Forstinning in 1988. He then joined the Bayern Munich Junior Team. He left Bayern Munich at the end of the 1999–2000 season.

Playing for Aston Villa

After a short try-out with Celtic, Hitzlsperger joined Aston Villa in England. He moved there for free from Bayern Munich in August 2000. He played his first game for Aston Villa on 13 January 2001. It was a 3–0 loss to Liverpool. He came on as a substitute late in the game. This was his only game in his first season in England.

While at Aston Villa, Hitzlsperger was loaned to Second Division club Chesterfield. This was during the 2001–02 season. He played his first game for Chesterfield in a 1–0 win against Kidderminster Harriers. He played six games for Chesterfield in total. Aston Villa called him back early because many of their players were injured. On 20 April 2002, he scored his first senior goal in a 2–2 draw against Leicester City.

Hitzlsperger became a regular player for Aston Villa when Graham Taylor became the new manager. On 14 December 2002, he scored a goal from 30 yards out. This goal helped Aston Villa win 2–1 against their rivals West Bromwich Albion. He was an important player for Aston Villa when they finished sixth under manager David O'Leary. However, he played less in the next season. Fans liked Hitzlsperger a lot when he left Aston Villa. He was known as Der Hammer (The Hammer) because of his powerful left-foot shots. He also learned to speak English very well.

Success at Stuttgart

Hitzlsperger celebrates winning the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart in 2007

Hitzlsperger joined VfB Stuttgart in Germany in the summer of 2005. He moved there for free from Aston Villa. He quickly became a key player for Stuttgart. In his second season, the team won the Bundesliga title. Hitzlsperger played a big part in their success. He played in 30 of their 34 league games and scored seven goals. He scored a very important goal in the final game of the season against Energie Cottbus. If Stuttgart had lost that game, Schalke 04 would have won the title. Stuttgart won the title thanks to a goal by Sami Khedira.

On 14 August 2007, Hitzlsperger signed a new contract with Stuttgart until 2010. On 22 July 2008, he became the new team captain. This happened after Fernando Meira left the team. However, on 1 December 2009, the new manager Markus Babbel removed him as captain.

Time at Lazio

On 31 January 2010, Hitzlsperger moved to Lazio in Italy. He signed a six-month contract. He scored his only goal for Lazio on 15 May in a 3–1 win against Udinese.

Playing for West Ham United

Hitzlsperger with West Ham in 2011

Hitzlsperger signed a three-year deal with English club West Ham United in June 2010. He had an injury and did not play his first game for West Ham until 21 February 2011. This was an FA Cup match against Burnley. He scored a goal in that game from 25 yards out. This was a "trademark thunderbolt" shot. West Ham won the game 5–1. Six days later, he played his first league game for West Ham. It was a 3–1 win against Liverpool. He scored his first league goal for West Ham on 5 March in a 3–0 win against Stoke City. At the end of the season, West Ham was moved down to the Football League Championship. Hitzlsperger's contract was then ended.

Brief Spells at Wolfsburg and Everton

On 17 August 2011, Hitzlsperger signed a three-year deal with German club Wolfsburg. He had been released by West Ham three months before. His contract with Wolfsburg was ended at the end of the season. He played 131 games in the Bundesliga for Stuttgart and Wolfsburg. He scored 20 goals in the German top league.

On 19 October 2012, Hitzlsperger joined English club Everton. He had been trying out with the club. He signed a short contract until January 2013. He played his first game for Everton as a substitute in a 2–1 win against Sunderland. On 11 January 2013, he extended his contract until the end of the season. He was released by Everton at the end of the season.

In September 2013, at age 31, Hitzlsperger announced he was retiring from football. He said it was because of "many transfers and some injuries." He had offers to keep playing, but he felt he needed "something else."

Thomas Hitzlsperger's International Career

Hitzlsperger playing for the Germany football team

Hitzlsperger was the captain of the German under-19 team. He also played for the under-21 team. He was then called up to the senior national team by manager Jürgen Klinsmann. He played his first game for Germany on 9 October 2004. It was a 2–0 win against Iran. He came on as a substitute in the 68th minute.

He played in the 2005 Confederations Cup. He also played in the 2006 World Cup. In the World Cup, he only played for 11 minutes in the third-place game against Portugal. He scored his first goals for Germany on 6 September 2006. These were in a European Championship qualifying game against San Marino. Hitzlsperger came on as a substitute and scored Germany's 9th and 11th goals. Germany won the game 13–0, which was a record win.

Germany's coach Joachim Löw picked Hitzlsperger for the 2008 Euros. He did not start in any of the three group games. Hitzlsperger came on as a substitute in wins against Poland and Austria. He did not play in the loss to Croatia. In the later knockout games, he started all three matches. He helped his team beat Portugal in the quarter-final. He also helped Philipp Lahm score a winning goal in the 90th minute against Turkey in the semi-final. Germany lost 1–0 to Spain in the final. Hitzlsperger was substituted in the second half of that game.

Hitzlsperger remained a key player in the 2010 World Cup qualifying games. He played in almost every match and scored a goal. However, he was not chosen for Germany's World Cup squad in June 2010. His international career ended on 11 August 2010. He had played 52 games for his country.

Thomas Hitzlsperger's Management Role at VfB Stuttgart

On 12 February 2019, Thomas Hitzlsperger became the Head of Sport at VfB Stuttgart. He was later promoted to CEO of the club. He left this role in January 2022 to go back to working in television.

Thomas Hitzlsperger's Personal Life

Thomas Hitzlsperger is the youngest child of Ludwig and Anneliese Hitzlsperger. He was born in Munich and grew up in Forstinning. He has five brothers and one sister. Hitzlsperger is interested in economics. While he was in England, he studied investment strategies. He also visited the Bank of England to talk about money with the bank's governor, Mervyn King.

Hitzlsperger has written for Störungsmelder. This is a website that fights against racism and encourages talks about acceptance in Germany.

In June 2007, Hitzlsperger ended his eight-year relationship with his girlfriend, Inga. They were supposed to get married a month later. On 8 January 2014, after he retired, he became a very well-known male footballer to speak openly about his identity. He said he had only understood this about himself in the past few years. Many former teammates from the German national team supported him. Lukas Podolski called his decision "brave" and "an important sign of our time." Coach Joachim Löw said it was a "personal" decision and that he "deserved respect from every side."

In January 2024, Aston Villa named Hitzlsperger to their Honorary Anniversary Board. This was before the club's 150th anniversary season.

In March 2024, Hitzlsperger released his autobiography. In the book, he talks about his personal journey and his work as an activist for LGBTQ+ rights.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

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

List of international goals scored by Thomas Hitzlsperger

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	6 September 2006	Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	9–0	13–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
2				11–0
3	6 June 2007	AOL Arena, Hamburg, Germany	Slovakia	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
4	17 November 2007	Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany	Cyprus	4–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
5	6 February 2008	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Austria	1–0	3–0	Friendly
6	6 September 2008	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	5–0	6–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Honours and Awards

VfB Stuttgart

• Bundesliga: 2006–07 (Winner)
• DFB-Pokal runner-up: 2006–07 (Second Place)

Germany National Team

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2008 (Second Place)
• FIFA World Cup third place: 2006 (Third Place)
• FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2005 (Third Place)

Individual Awards

• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2006–07
• Federal Cross of Merit (2020)

Images for kids

• 

  Hitzlsperger in 2022

See also

In Spanish: Thomas Hitzlsperger para niños