Johann Vogel

Johann Vogel

Personal information
Full name	Johann Louis François Vogel
Date of birth	(1977-03-08) 8 March 1977
Place of birth	Geneva, Switzerland
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1984–1992	Meyrin
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1992–1999	Grasshoppers	133	(13)
1999–2005	PSV	169	(7)
2005–2006	Milan	14	(0)
2006–2007	Betis	17	(0)
2008–2009	Blackburn Rovers	7	(0)
2012	Grasshoppers	3	(0)
Total		343	(20)
National team
	Switzerland U21	7	(0)
1995–2007[1]	Switzerland	94	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Johann Louis François Vogel (born 8 March 1977 in Geneva) is a former Swiss footballer.

Club career

Early career

Vogel joined Swiss amateur club Meyrin in his youth, but made the cut into professional football by joining Grasshoppers. In his time at Grasshoppers, he usually played central defence or rightback although on occasion, he could be called to feature in a central defensive midfield role.

In his role as a defensive midfield player, in which he uses his ability to pass accurately and to effectively retain possession of the ball, Vogel can be counted on to add depth to either defence or attack.

PSV and Milan

Dutch club PSV sought his services in 1999 and he became a prominent member of the team until he decided to leave to join Milan at the end of the 2004–05 season. In his final season with PSV, he was noted for forming a formidable midfield partnership with Mark van Bommel and Phillip Cocu where the club managed to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League tournament.

Real Betis

On 31 August 2006, he joined Real Betis in an exchange deal for Ricardo Oliveira. Vogel made his Betis debut against Athletic Bilbao on 10 September 2006 at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, which Betis won 3–0.

Vogel made his last La Liga appearance for Betis on 19 May 2007 against Tarragona. On 27 December 2007, he agreed to leave Betis after suing them.

Everton confirmed they were in talks to sign the player after being told he could leave his then club Real Betis in July 2007.^[2] However the deal hit problems due to Real Betis wanting payment for him.^[3]

Blackburn Rovers

On 18 March 2008, he agreed a two and a half year contract (with Blackburn having an option for a further year) with Mark Hughes' Blackburn Rovers.^[4][5] Vogel joined fellow Swiss footballers Stéphane Henchoz and Bruno Berner at Ewood Park, as well as his former PSV-colleague André Ooijer. After receiving International clearance to play for Blackburn Rovers on 25 March, he was given the number 8 shirt^[6] by Mark Hughes, the shirt vacated by Robbie Savage after his move to Derby County.

Vogel made his debut for Rovers on 5 April against Tottenham Hotspur.

However, in the 2008–09 season, Vogel found himself frozen out at Ewood Park. He came on as a substitute in a 3–1 defeat by Liverpool.

On 7 April 2009, his contract was terminated by Blackburn Rovers with immediate effect and by mutual consent.^[7] After that, he announced his retirement from professional football.

Grasshoppers comeback

Two and a half years after his retirement, Vogel decided to return to the field again. He made comeback with Grasshoppers where he made his professional debut and appeared in the starting line-up against FC Thun on 5 February 2012. After appearing in another two league matches, he retired for the second time.

International career

Vogel made his debut for Switzerland on 8 March 1995 in a 1–1 draw against Greece. Vogel has played in Euro 1996, Euro 2004, 2006 World Cup and has made 94 appearances in total for his country. He scored his first goal on 10 March 1999 in a friendly against Austria.

Until 8 March 2007, he was the captain of Switzerland.

Career statistics

^[8]

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	10 March 1999	Espenmoos, St. Gallen	Austria	1–1	2–4	Friendly
2.	15 August 2001	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna	Austria	1–0	2–1	Friendly

Honours

Grasshopper

• Swiss National League A: 3

1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98

• Swiss Cup: 1

1994

PSV Eindhoven

• Eredivisie: 4

1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05

• KNVB Cup: 1

2004–05

• Johan Cruijff-schaal: 3

2000, 2001, 2003

Individual

• Dutch Footballer of the Year: 1

2001

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Johann Vogel.

• Official website (German) (French)
• Johann Vogel – FIFA competition record
• Johann Vogel career statistics at Soccerbase
  
• Official La Liga career stats (Spanish)

Switzerland squad – UEFA Euro 1996
1 Pascolo 2 Hottiger 3 Quentin 4 Henchoz 5 Geiger (c) 6 Wicky 7 Fournier 8 Sylvestre 9 Grassi 10 Sforza 11 Chapuisat 12 Lehmann 13 Jeanneret 14 Türkyilmaz 15 Vega 16 Koller 17 Vogel 18 Rothenbühler 19 Sesa 20 Comisetti 21 Bonvin 22 Corminbœuf Coach: Artur Jorge

Switzerland squad – UEFA Euro 2004
1 Stiel (c) 2 Haas 3 Berner 4 Henchoz 5 M. Yakin 6 Vogel 7 Cabanas 8 Wicky 9 Frei 10 H. Yakin 11 Chapuisat 12 Zuberbühler 13 Zwyssig 14 Magnin 15 Gygax 16 Celestini 17 Spycher 18 Huggel 19 Barnetta 20 Müller 21 Rama 22 Vonlanthen 23 Roth Coach: Kuhn

Switzerland squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup
1 Zuberbühler 2 Djourou 3 Magnin 4 Senderos 5 Margairaz 6 Vogel (c) 7 Cabanas 8 Wicky 9 Frei 10 Gygax 11 Streller 12 Benaglio 13 Grichting 14 D. Degen 15 Džemaili 16 Barnetta 17 Spycher 18 Lustrinelli 19 Behrami 20 Müller 21 Coltorti 22 Yakin 23 P. Degen Coach: Kuhn