Stephan Lichtsteiner

Stephan Lichtsteiner (born 16 January 1984) is a Swiss former professional footballer.

An attacking right-back or wing-back, he was known for his energetic runs down the right wing, as well as his stamina and athleticism, which earned him the nicknames "Forrest Gump" and "The Swiss Express".

Lichtsteiner made his first team debut with Grasshopper Zürich during the 2001–02 season in the former Nationalliga A (now the Swiss Super League) but only made one league appearance.

The following season, he began to establish himself as a first team regular and helped the club to the league title.

He began his professional career with Grasshopper, winning a league title in 2002–03, and moved to Lille in 2005, helping the French club to Champions League qualification in his first season with the team.

During the 2004–05 season Lichtsteiner sealed a transfer to French side Lille OSC as one of five Swiss players to enter Ligue 1 in the summer of 2005.

He became a regular in his first season and helped Lille to a third-place finish to secure a Champions League spot.

His last season ended disappointingly as Lille finished seventh in the league and missed out on European football next season by a single point.

However, Lichtsteiner ended the season with 4 goals, his highest tally.

A full international from 2006 to 2019, Lichtsteiner earned 108 caps for Switzerland, making him their third most-capped player of all time.

He represented his country at two UEFA European Championships and three FIFA World Cups.

In 2008, he joined Italian club Lazio, and won both the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana the following year.

After some good performances at UEFA Euro 2008, several clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain and Everton, expressed interest in signing Lichtsteiner.

He rejected PSG's bid and, in July, signed a four-year contract with Italian side S.S. Lazio for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of €1.5 million as a replacement for fellow Swiss international Valon Behrami, who went to West Ham United.

In the April Derby della Capitale against cross-city rivals Roma, he scored his first goal to put Lazio 3–1 up in a heated derby encounter, which ended in a 4–2 win to Lazio, and resulted in numerous bookings.

Lichtsteiner himself was also booked for a heated confrontation with Roma defender Christian Panucci, after the Italian had fouled him.

During the season, Lichtsteiner formed an attacking tandem down the flanks with Serbian international full-back Aleksandar Kolarov on the other side of the pitch.

Although Lazio finished tenth, they ended the season on a high by winning the Coppa Italia, and thus earning a place in the UEFA Europa League the next season.

He played a part in Lazio's successful campaign, scoring in the penalty shoot-out against Sampdoria in the final, and also claimed the Supercoppa Italiana at the beginning of the next season.

After Kolarov's departure, his future at Lazio became increasingly in doubt, as several clubs expressed interest in him.

At the end of the 2010–11 season, he opted not to see out the final year of his contract, despite the Biancocelesti qualifying for the Europa League.

In 2011, he signed for Juventus for a fee of €10 million.

He played 257 total games for the Turin side over seven years and won 14 trophies, including the Serie A title in each of his seasons with the team.

On 27 June 2011, Juventus confirmed that Lichtsteiner had undergone a medical in Turin and reached an agreement with Lazio to pay €10 million in three installments.

The transfer was confirmed on 1 July 2011.

He marked his debut on 11 September 2011 against Parma by scoring the first goal in the 4–1 home victory, the first league goal to be scored in Juventus' new stadium.

Juventus went on to win the Scudetto and he played a vital part in their strong defensive record, only missing a handful of matches through injury and suspensions.

Lichtsteiner repeated his opening matchday feat the following season by converting his left-sided counterpart Kwadwo Asamoah's pass in the 2–0 win.

He played fewer matches during 2013–14 season due to injuries but contributed three goals in all competitions and won his third consecutive Serie A title.

His crossing and ball-playing ability from the right flank, as well as his ability to make attacking runs to get on the end of Andrea Pirlo's long passes, came to the fore as a right-sided wing-back in Conte's 3–5–2 formation.

As a result, he finished the season as Juventus's top assist-maker in the league, alongside Paul Pogba, with eight.

In 2015, he was named Swiss Footballer of the Year.

Lichtsteiner was born in Adligenswil, Canton of Lucerne and played for the local football club.

He left home as a teenager to play for Grasshopper Zürich.

While living in Zürich he completed a banking apprenticeship with Credit Suisse but ultimately chose a career in football.

On 6 June 2015, Lichtsteiner started for Juventus in the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final as the team were defeated 3–1 by Barcelona at Berlin's Olympiastadion; he was involved in Álvaro Morata's temporary equalising goal.

On 23 September 2015, Lichtsteiner was substituted at half time during a league match against Frosinone due to breathing difficulty.

It was later necessary for heart surgery to be performed to correct cardiac arrhythmia, which caused him to be out for a month.

In the summer of 2018, he was signed by Premier League side Arsenal, where he spent a season before moving to German club Augsburg the following summer.

Lichsteiner announced his retirement from football after a season at the club.