Valentin Stocker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Valentin Stocker

Stocker in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Valentin Stocker
Date of birth	(1989-04-12) 12 April 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Lucerne, Switzerland
Height	1.79 m
Playing position	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)
National team
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)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Valentin Stocker (born 12 April 1989) is a Swiss former professional footballer. He played as a left midfielder or an attacking midfielder. He also played for the Switzerland national team. Stocker is known for his long and successful career with FC Basel, where he won many championships.

Valentin Stocker's Football Journey

Early Career and Youth Teams

Valentin Stocker was born in Lucerne, Switzerland. He started playing football at a young age. From 1996 to 2005, he played for the youth teams of SC Kriens.

In January 2006, Stocker joined the youth academy of Basel. He played for their Under-18 team. In his first season, 2005–06, his team won both the Swiss U-18 championship and the U-19/18 national cup. He also played for Basel's Under-21 team. This team won the Swiss U-21 championship in 2006–07 and defended their title in 2007–08.

Joining FC Basel's Main Team

In the 2007–08 season, Valentin Stocker was called up to the main team of FC Basel. He signed his first professional contract on his 18th birthday. Soon after, he got an extension to his contract.

Stocker made his first team debut in the Swiss Cup semi-final on 27 February 2008. Basel won that game 1–0. A week later, he played his first league game. He scored his first league goal on 16 March against FC Sion.

On 6 April, Basel won the Swiss Cup final. On 10 May, Stocker helped Basel win the league championship by scoring a goal and assisting another. This meant Basel won the national double (both the league and the cup) in his first season. He played 11 league games and scored 3 goals.

Success and Championships with Basel

In the 2008–09 season, Stocker became a regular player for Basel. He helped Basel win the Uhrencup at the start of the season. Basel also played in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League. Stocker scored his first European goal in a qualifying match. Basel reached the group stage but did not advance further. In the league, Basel finished third, and Stocker played 32 games, scoring 5 goals.

The 2009–10 season was very successful for Stocker and Basel. They played in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League group stage. Stocker became a key player for the team. In the Swiss Cup Final, he scored two goals as Basel won 6–0. On the last day of the league season, Basel played against BSC Young Boys in a match that would decide the championship. Stocker scored the first goal and assisted another, helping Basel win 2–0 and secure another national double. He played 31 league games and scored 12 goals.

In the 2010–11 season, Stocker helped Basel win their third championship title. However, he got a serious knee injury (cruciate ligament rupture) in April 2011. This injury kept him out of the game for several months.

Stocker returned to play in December 2011 during the 2011–12 season. He scored a winning goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16. At the end of this season, Stocker won his fourth league title with Basel, which was his third double, as Basel also won the Swiss Cup.

In the 2012–13 season, Stocker was captain for the first time in a Europa League match. Basel reached the semi-finals of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, which was a great achievement. At the end of the season, he won his fifth championship title with Basel.

The 2013–14 season was also very successful. Stocker won his sixth league championship title with Basel. They also reached the final of the Swiss Cup. Basel played many matches that season, including in the Champions League and Europa League. Stocker played in 55 games, scoring 19 goals and providing 14 assists.

Time at Hertha BSC

On 18 May 2014, Valentin Stocker moved to Hertha BSC, a club in Germany. He signed a four-year contract. Hertha BSC paid around €5 million for him. He played for Hertha for about three and a half years.

Return to FC Basel and Retirement

On 10 January 2018, Valentin Stocker returned to FC Basel. He signed a 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 the quarter-finals.

On 17 May 2022, Basel announced that Stocker would retire from playing football at the end of the 2021–22 season. He would stay at the club to work as an assistant to the sporting director. Five days later, on 22 May, Stocker played the final 14 minutes of his last professional game.

During his time with FC 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 the club's history for the number of competitive games played.

Playing for Switzerland

Valentin Stocker played for various Swiss national youth teams, including the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, Under-19, and Under-21 teams.

He made his debut for the senior Switzerland national team on 20 August 2008. This was the first match for the new manager, Ottmar Hitzfeld. Stocker 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 Overview

Valentin Stocker had a long and successful career. Here is a summary of his appearances and goals for his main clubs:

International Goals for Switzerland

Valentin Stocker scored 6 goals for the Switzerland national team. Here are his goals:

List of international goals scored by Valentin Stocker

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 Achievements

Valentin Stocker won many titles and awards during his football career:

Club Achievements

With 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

With FC 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

Images for kids

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  Valentin Stocker in 2014

See also

In Spanish: Valentin Stocker para niños