Tranquillo Barnetta
Encyclopedia
Tranquillo Barnetta is a Swiss
footballer who plays as a midfielder
for Bayer Leverkusen and the Swiss national team
. He usually plays out wide as a winger but can also play in a more withdrawn role as a defensive midfielder.
in his hometown but was soon snapped up by German side Bayer Leverkusen
in January 2004 During his first season at Bayer, he had a loan spell at Hannover 96
, returning to Bayer in March 2005.
After a good showing at the World Cup in Germany, Barnetta became a regular in the Bayer squad. The 2008–09 season was one to forget for him, after Bayer finished two places lower than the previous season and his goals tally dropped slightly. During the summer transfer window, he was linked with a move away from Bayer as his place in the squad seemed under threat from loanee Toni Kroos
. He regained his good form in the 2009–10 season, scoring a brace in only his second league game of the season and contributing to Bayer's unbeaten run for the entire first half of the season.
along with senior teammates Philippe Senderos
and Reto Ziegler
. He has been a member of the senior
national team and was first called up to the squad for the Euro 2004 but did not make an appearance. At the 2006 World Cup
, he scored the second goal in Switzerland's group stage win over Togo
, but missed a penalty kick
in the shootout
with Ukraine winning 3–0. On 4 July, Barnetta was shortlisted for the tournament's Best Young Player award. He was ever present in 2010 World Cup
qualifying as the Swiss secured a place by finishing top of their group. On 4 June 2011, Barnetta scored two free kicks in quick succession against England in the Euro 2012 qualifiers
.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
footballer who plays as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for Bayer Leverkusen and the Swiss national team
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
. He usually plays out wide as a winger but can also play in a more withdrawn role as a defensive midfielder.
Club
Barnetta started his career with St. GallenFC St. Gallen
Football Club St. Gallen 1879 is a Swiss football club based in St. Gallen. The club is currently playing in the 2011/12 Swiss Challenge League.-Brief history:...
in his hometown but was soon snapped up by German side Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
in January 2004 During his first season at Bayer, he had a loan spell at Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...
, returning to Bayer in March 2005.
After a good showing at the World Cup in Germany, Barnetta became a regular in the Bayer squad. The 2008–09 season was one to forget for him, after Bayer finished two places lower than the previous season and his goals tally dropped slightly. During the summer transfer window, he was linked with a move away from Bayer as his place in the squad seemed under threat from loanee Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos is a German international footballer who plays for Bayern Munich as an attacking midfielder. He is the older brother of Werder Bremen forward Felix Kroos.-Early career:...
. He regained his good form in the 2009–10 season, scoring a brace in only his second league game of the season and contributing to Bayer's unbeaten run for the entire first half of the season.
International
Barnetta was in the squad that won the 2002 U17 European Championships2002 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
-Group B:---------------------Group C:---------------------Group D:---------------------Quarterfinals:-------------Semifinals:-----Third Place Playoff:-Final:-References:**...
along with senior teammates Philippe Senderos
Philippe Senderos
Philippe Sylvain Senderos - is a Swiss footballer who plays as a defender for Fulham and the Switzerland national football team. Previously he has played for Servette, Arsenal, A.C...
and Reto Ziegler
Reto Ziegler
Reto Ziegler is a Swiss footballer who plays for Turkish Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe.-Early career:Ziegler was in the summer of 2004 signed by Tottenham Hotspur to a contract initially meant to begin on 1 January 2005, when his contract with Grasshoppers expired...
. He has been a member of the senior
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
national team and was first called up to the squad for the Euro 2004 but did not make an appearance. At the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, he scored the second goal in Switzerland's group stage win over Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
, but missed a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in the shootout
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
with Ukraine winning 3–0. On 4 July, Barnetta was shortlisted for the tournament's Best Young Player award. He was ever present in 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of...
qualifying as the Swiss secured a place by finishing top of their group. On 4 June 2011, Barnetta scored two free kicks in quick succession against England in the Euro 2012 qualifiers
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...
.
International goals
As of 9 June 2011| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 March 2006 | Hampden Park Hampden Park Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland... , Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly | ||
| 2. | 27 May 2006 | St. Jakob-Park St. Jakob-Park ' is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland... , Basel Basel Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany... |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly | ||
| 3. | 19 June 2006 | Westfalenstadion Westfalenstadion Westfalenstadion is an association football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the home stadium of the Borussia Dortmund football team playing in the German Bundesliga.... , Dortmund Dortmund Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union.... |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 World Cup | ||
| 4. | 22 August 2007 | Stade de Genève Stade de Genève Stade de Genève is a stadium in the greater Geneva, Switzerland area . It has a capacity of 30,084.-Overview:The stadium was completed in 2003 by Zschokke Construction S.A. after nearly three years of construction... , Geneva Geneva Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... |
1–0 (penalty Penalty kick A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play... ) |
2–1 | Friendly | ||
| 5. | 2–0 | ||||||
| 6. | 7 September 2007 | Ernst Happel Stadion Ernst Happel Stadion The Ernst Happel Stadium in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna, is the largest stadium in Austria. It was built between 1929 and 1931 for the second Workers' Olympiad to the design of German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer... , Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | ||
| 7. | 4 June 2011 | Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007... , London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
1–0 | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine... |
||
| 8. | 2–0 | ||||||
External links
- barnettafan.ch – Tranquillo Barnetta's official fanshop
- Leverkusen who's who