Valentin Stocker facts for kids
Stocker in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Valentin Stocker | ||
| Date of birth | 12 April 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Lucerne, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left midfielder, Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2005 | SC Kriens | ||
| 2006–2007 | Basel | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Basel U-21 | 37 | (13) |
| 2008–2014 | Basel | 176 | (50) |
| 2014–2018 | Hertha BSC | 65 | (8) |
| 2018–2022 | Basel | 110 | (24) |
| International career | |||
| 2005 | Switzerland U-16 | 5 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | Switzerland U-17 | 11 | (6) |
| 2006 | Switzerland U-18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Switzerland U-19 | 13 | (3) |
| 2007–2009 | Switzerland U-21 | 7 | (2) |
| 2008–2016 | Switzerland | 36 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Valentin Stocker, born on April 12, 1989, is a former professional football player from Switzerland. He was known for playing in the midfield, often on the left side or as an attacking midfielder. He also played for the Swiss national football team.
Playing for Clubs
Starting with Basel
Valentin Stocker was born in Lucerne, Switzerland. He started playing football at a young age with SC Kriens from 1996 to 2005. In January 2006, he joined the youth team of Basel. He quickly showed his talent, helping the U-18 team win the Swiss championship and the national cup in 2006.
He also played for Basel's Under-21 team, which was in the third-highest league in Switzerland. His team became Swiss champions at the U-21 level in both 2007 and 2008.
Joining the Main Basel Team
In the 2007–08 season, Valentin was called up to the main Basel team. He signed his first professional contract on his 18th birthday. He made his first team debut in a Swiss Cup semi-final game in February 2008. A week later, he played his first league game.
Stocker scored his first league goal in March 2008. That season, Basel won both the Swiss Cup and the league championship, which is called a "double". Stocker played 11 league games and scored 3 goals.
Becoming a Key Player
In the 2008–09 season, Stocker became a regular player for Basel. He helped the team win the Uhrencup, a friendly tournament. Basel also played in the UEFA Champions League, which is a big European competition. They made it to the group stage, playing against famous teams like Barcelona.
In the 2009–10 season, Stocker became a very important player for Basel. He scored two goals in the Swiss Cup Final, helping Basel win 6–0. On the last day of the league season, Basel played against Young Boys with both teams having the same points. Stocker scored the first goal and helped with another, leading Basel to win 2–0 and secure another "double". He played 31 league games and scored 12 goals that season.
Facing an Injury
In the 2010–11 season, Stocker continued to play well, helping Basel win their third championship. However, in April 2011, he got a serious injury to his knee. This meant he had to stop playing for about six to seven months.
He returned to play in December 2011. That same day, his contract with Basel was extended. He came on as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League game against Manchester United, which Basel won, moving them forward in the competition. He even scored the winning goal against Bayern Munich in the next round. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Stocker won his fourth league title with Basel and his third "double" by also winning the Swiss Cup.
Leading the Team
In the 2012–13 season, Valentin Stocker had a special moment when he was chosen as team captain for the first time. This happened during a UEFA Europa League match in February 2013. Basel reached the semi-finals of the Europa League that season, which was a great achievement. At the end of the season, he won his fifth league championship with Basel.
The 2013–14 season was also very successful for Basel. Stocker won his sixth league championship. Basel also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League. Stocker played in 55 games that season, scoring 19 goals and helping with 14 assists.
Playing for Hertha BSC
On May 18, 2014, Valentin Stocker moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC, a club in the Bundesliga. He signed a four-year contract with them.
Coming Back to Basel
On January 10, 2018, Valentin Stocker returned to Basel, signing a new contract until June 2021.
In the 2018–19 season, Basel won the Swiss Cup. Stocker played in five cup games and scored two important goals in a quarter-final match.
Valentin Stocker retired from playing football at the end of the 2021–22 season, on May 17, 2022. Five days later, he played the last 14 minutes of his final professional game. He stayed with the club to work as an assistant to the sporting director.
During his time with Basel, Stocker won the Swiss championship six times and the Swiss Cup four times. He played a total of 515 games for Basel and scored 116 goals. He is one of the top five players in Basel's history for the number of competitive games played.
Playing for Switzerland
Valentin Stocker played for Switzerland at different age levels, including the U16, U19, and U21 teams. He made his debut for the Switzerland U16 team in April 2005.
He made his debut for the senior Switzerland national team on August 20, 2008. In that game, he scored the first goal in a 4–1 friendly win against Cyprus.
Stocker was part of Switzerland's team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played in one match during the tournament, starting in the opening game against Ecuador.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Basel | 2007–08 | Swiss Super League | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
| 2008–09 | Swiss Super League | 32 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 41 | 6 | |
| 2009–10 | Swiss Super League | 31 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 41 | 14 | |
| 2010–11 | Swiss Super League | 26 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 36 | 10 | |
| 2011–12 | Swiss Super League | 15 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 5 | |
| 2012–13 | Swiss Super League | 31 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 50 | 10 | |
| 2013–14 | Swiss Super League | 30 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 47 | 16 | |
| Total | 176 | 50 | 7 | 3 | 63 | 11 | 246 | 64 | ||
| Hertha BSC II | 2014–15 | Regionalliga Nordost | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | ||
| Hertha BSC | 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 28 | 3 | |
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 17 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 5 | |
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 68 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 77 | 9 | ||
| Basel | 2017–18 | Swiss Super League | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
| 2018–19 | Swiss Super League | 17 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 4 | |
| 2019–20 | Swiss Super League | 29 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 48 | 13 | |
| 2020–21 | Swiss Super League | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 4 | |
| Total | 68 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 23 | 3 | 102 | 23 | ||
| Career total | 314 | 74 | 24 | 9 | 89 | 14 | 427 | 97 | ||
International Goals
- Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Stocker goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 August 2008 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland |  Cyprus |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 12 October 2010 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland |  Wales |
1–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 3 | 4–1 | ||||||
| 4 | 31 March 2015 | Letzigrund, Zürich, Switzerland |  United States |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 5 | 5 September 2015 | St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland |  Slovenia |
2–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying | |
| 6 | 7 October 2016 | Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary |
3–2 | 3–2 | 2018 World Cup qualification |
Awards and Titles
Club Achievements
- Basel Youth Teams
- Swiss U-18 Champion: 2005–06
- Swiss U-19/U-18 Cup Winner: 2005–06
- Swiss U-21 Champion: 2006–07, 2007–08
- Basel Main Team
- Swiss Super League (6 times): 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
- Swiss Cup (4 times): 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2018–19
- Swiss Cup Runner-up (2 times): 2012–13, 2013–14
- Uhren Cup (2 times): 2008, 2013
Individual Awards
- Swiss Youngster of the Year: 2008–09
- Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2013
See also
In Spanish: Valentin Stocker para niños
