Yann Sommer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Yann Sommer

Sommer playing for Inter Milan in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth	(1988-12-17) 17 December 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth	Morges, Switzerland
Height	1.83 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Inter Milan
Number	1
Youth career
1996–1997	FC Herrliberg
1997–2003	Concordia
2003–2005	FC Basel
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2007	FC Basel U21	42	(0)
2007–2014	FC Basel	113	(0)
2007–2009	→ FC Vaduz (loan)	50	(0)
2009–2010	→ Grasshoppers (loan)	33	(0)
2014–2023	Borussia Mönchengladbach	272	(0)
2023	Bayern Munich	19	(0)
2023–	Inter Milan	54	(0)
National team
2003–2004	Switzerland U16	10	(0)
2003–2005	Switzerland U17	10	(0)
2005–2007	Switzerland U19	18	(0)
2007–2011	Switzerland U21	31	(0)
2012–2024	Switzerland	94	(0)
Honours Men's football Representing  Switzerland UEFA European Under-21 Championship Runner-up 2011 Denmark
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:18, 19 January 2025 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Yann Sommer (born 17 December 1988) is a Swiss professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Inter Milan.

Sommer started his career at Basel in Switzerland. There, he won the Swiss Super League four times in a row. Later, he moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany, where he played for nine years. He also won the Swiss Challenge League and two Liechtenstein Football Cups while on loan at Vaduz.

Yann Sommer first played for the Swiss national team in 2012. He represented his country at the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018, and 2022. He also played in the UEFA European Championship in 2016, 2020, and 2024. He stopped playing for the national team in August 2024.

Playing for Clubs

Starting at Basel

Yann Sommer was born in Morges, Switzerland. As a child, he played for youth teams like Herrliberg and Concordia Basel. In 2003, he joined the youth setup of Basel. He signed his first professional contract with Basel in 2005. He quickly became the main goalkeeper for the under-21 team. He was also the third-choice goalkeeper for the senior team.

In 2007, Sommer signed a new contract with Basel until 2011. He was then loaned to Vaduz, a club in Liechtenstein. This helped him get more experience playing in first-team matches. He became Vaduz's main goalkeeper and played 33 games in the 2007–08 Swiss Challenge League season. He helped Vaduz get promoted to the Swiss Super League. His loan was extended until January 2009. He played his first Super League game for Vaduz on 20 July 2008. Basel called him back on 7 January 2009 because their main goalkeeper was injured.

Sommer made his Super League debut for Basel on 7 February 2009. Basel lost 3–2 to Young Boys. He played six matches for Basel that season. On 16 June, he joined Grasshoppers on loan for one season. He played 33 league matches during his time there.

On 14 June 2010, Sommer signed a five-year contract with Basel. He was the second-choice goalkeeper. In March 2011, Basel decided to make Sommer their main goalkeeper. Sommer played five Super League matches in the 2010–11 season. He was part of the team that won the championship.

Sommer in a Europa League match against Salzburg in March 2014

Sommer played his first UEFA Champions League game on 14 September 2011. Basel won 2–1 against Oțelul Galați. He was the main goalkeeper in the 2011–12 season. That year, Basel won both the league and the Swiss Cup.

At the end of the 2012–13 season, Sommer won the league title for the third time in a row. He played in all 36 league matches. Basel also finished second in the Swiss Cup. In the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, Basel reached the semi-finals. They were knocked out by Chelsea.

At the end of the 2013–14 season, Sommer won the league championship with Basel again. They also reached the final of the 2013–14 Swiss Cup. However, they lost 2–0 to Zürich. In the 2013–14 Champions League, Basel finished third in their group. This meant they moved to the Europa League knockout phase, where they reached the quarter-finals.

Overall, Sommer kept 65 clean sheets in 170 games for Basel. A clean sheet means he did not let the other team score any goals.

Moving to Borussia Mönchengladbach

Sommer with Gladbach in 2015

On 10 March 2014, Sommer signed a five-year contract with Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach. He joined them on 1 July. He was brought in to replace Marc-André ter Stegen, who had moved to Barcelona. In Sommer's first season, 2014–15, Gladbach finished third in the Bundesliga. This was the club's best league finish since 1978. The team also set a new record for not losing matches in a row.

Sommer's first game for Gladbach was against Homburg in the DFB-Pokal. Gladbach won 3–1. He played against VfB Stuttgart in the first league game, which was a 1–1 draw. Gladbach later qualified for the UEFA Champions League. At the end of the season, Sommer was named Gladbach's player of the season.

The 2015–16 season started badly. Gladbach lost their first game 4–0 to Borussia Dortmund. Sommer was criticized for one of the goals. After losing 3–0 to Sevilla in the Champions League, Sommer faced more criticism. After a fifth straight Bundesliga loss, coach Lucien Favre resigned. This was the club's worst start to a season ever.

Under the new coach, André Schubert, the team improved a lot. They won four matches in a row. Sommer had to miss a game against VfL Wolfsburg because of a broken nose. He got the injury against Manchester City in the Champions League. Tobias Sippel played instead of him. Sommer played in all the remaining Bundesliga matches. His good performances led to interest from Manchester City.

Borussia Mönchengladbach finished fourth in the 2015–16 season. They qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League. They finished third in their group, which included Barcelona, Manchester City, and Celtic. They then reached the Europa League round of 16. They were knocked out by Schalke 04 because of the away goals rule.

In November 2019, Sommer extended his contract until 2023. In the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League, Borussia Mönchengladbach reached the round of 16. They lost to Manchester City. On 27 August 2022, Sommer made 19 saves in a 1–1 draw against Bayern Munich. This set a new record for saves in a Bundesliga game.

Playing for Bayern Munich

In December 2022, Bayern's main goalkeeper Manuel Neuer broke his leg. He was out for the rest of the season. So, Bayern needed a new goalkeeper. On 19 January 2023, Sommer left Gladbach after eight and a half years. He joined Bayern Munich on a contract until July 2025. He was sold for 8 million Euros. On 20 January, he played his first game for Bayern. It was a 1–1 draw against RB Leipzig.

Joining Inter Milan

On 7 August 2023, Sommer joined Italian club Inter Milan. He signed a contract until 2026. He was sold to Inter for 6.75 million Euros. Sommer won his first Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan. Inter won the game 5–1. Sommer was the main goalkeeper for Inter Milan all season. The team won the Italian League title for the 20th time in their history. In his first year with Inter Milan, he also won the Supercoppa Italiana. He ended the season as the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in the league. He was also named in the league's team of the season.

Playing for Switzerland

Youth Teams

Sommer played for Switzerland at different age levels. These included the under-16, -17, -19, and -21 teams. He played his first game for the Swiss U-16s on 26 August 2003. They lost 0–5 to Germany. His U-17s debut was on 20 November 2003. It was a 1–1 draw against England.

Sommer made his first professional appearance for the Swiss under-21s on 22 August 2007. He came on at half-time in a 2–1 win against Belgium. He was the goalkeeper and captain of the Swiss U-21 team in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. This tournament was held in Denmark in June 2011. The Swiss team reached the final on 25 June without letting in any goals. However, they lost 2–0 to Spain. This was Sommer's last game for the under-21 team.

Senior National Team

Sommer playing for Switzerland in November 2015

Sommer played his first game for the Switzerland senior team on 30 May 2012. It was a friendly match against Romania, and Switzerland lost 0–1. On 13 May, he was chosen for Switzerland's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He was the back-up goalkeeper to Diego Benaglio.

Sommer was one of three goalkeepers in Switzerland's UEFA Euro 2016 squad. He was Switzerland's main goalkeeper and played all four of their matches. Switzerland was knocked out by Poland in the round of 16. They lost 5–4 in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw.

He was also in Switzerland's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played his first World Cup game in the team's 1–1 draw with Brazil.

In May 2019, he played in the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. His team finished fourth.

Sommer was part of the Swiss squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, which was delayed. On 28 June 2021, Sommer saved a penalty from Kylian Mbappé during a penalty shootout. Switzerland won 5–4 against France in the round of 16, after a 3–3 draw. On 2 July 2021, he made eight saves in extra time against Spain in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals. However, Switzerland lost 1–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.

In 2022, Sommer was chosen for the Swiss squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was named Man of the Match in his team's first group game against Cameroon. His team won 1–0.

In June 2024, Sommer was selected for the Switzerland squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He was the starting goalkeeper in all his country's matches, helping them reach the quarter-finals.

Later that year, on 19 August, he announced he was retiring from the national team.

About His Life

Yann Sommer married Alina in August 2019. They started dating in 2016. Their daughter, Mila, was born on 4 November 2019.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Honours

FC Vaduz

• Swiss Challenge League: 2007–08
• Liechtenstein Cup: 2007–08

FC Basel

• Swiss Super League: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
• Swiss Cup: 2011–12

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2022–23

Inter Milan

• Serie A: 2023–24
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2023

Individual

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2011
• Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2013–14
• Credit Suisse Player of the Year: 2016, 2018, 2021
• Bundesliga Fantasy Team of the Season: 2019–20
• Serie A Team of the Season: 2023–24
• The Athletic European Men's Team of the Season: 2023–24
• Serie A Team of the Year: 2023–24
• ESM Team of the Year: 2023–24

See also

In Spanish: Yann Sommer para niños