Preview: For once, the unofficial football focus series's Euro 2008 special puts the spotlight on a goalkeeper. I had realised in my past three entries (just check under 'Road to Euro 2008 (Part Two') that it has been the strikers in the spotlight. And to be fair, it will be Euro 2008 co-host Switzerland national team's current first-choice goalkeeper. So don't say I never feature anyone from either the national teams of the co-hosts.
I had always wondered what is the nationality of Wolfsburg's goalkeeper Diego Benaglio...that is until his interview on Deutsche Welle's Bundesliga Kick Off. A Swiss with Italian roots.
It's the winter break transfer window. And as a Bundesliga fan, I did keep track of who's in, who's out in the Bundesliga. I remembered after Felix Magath came to Wolfsburg (his last job was at Bayern Munich before he was given the sack as a result of Bayern's poor showing in the 2006/07 season), he totally transformed the squad. Being given the money to get in players he want. That was ahead of the 2007/08 season (which has been concluded on Saturday). There were questions whether Magath is able to blend his squad together (other than the fact he did something no other Bundesliga club has done - other than taking on the role of the coach at Wolfsburg, being the sporting director/general manager as well...something common in England, or the Premier League to be precise). But then there was a problem. A goalkeeping problem. Simon Jentzsch was not performing well.
There has been rumours that coach Felix Magath may be getting Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann. But the word from London is that the current Germany first-choice keeper is staying put. Magath then turned to someone whom he used to know he was the VfB Stuttgart coach (2001-2004) - Diego Benaglio. Prior to reuniting with his former coach, Benaglio was playing in Portugal's CD Nacional. Benaglio's first Bundesliga stint at Stuttgart...he was 19 years of age. When the guys at Stuttgart was then nicknamed 'the young and wild' or 'Junge Wilde'. Anyhow, Benaglio's decision to move to Wolfsburg was purely because he used to play under Felix Magath. Nothing else.
I mentioned about Benaglio's Italian roots in the first paragraph. Prior to his return to the Bundesliga, he was also linked to Lazio as well. Lazio, being based in Italy's capital of Rome. Normally any other footballer will prefer Italy or maybe Spain given of the culture and the footballing aspects as well. Make no mistake about it, though England is also another preferred destination for any aspiring footballer but then there are times we are hear of interviews from footballers complaining about the English weather (not sunny all the time), the food. But the current first-choice keeper for Switzerland is not thinking about it. It's about making best career move. Wolfsburg, the club may not resonate with many but the city itself, maybe. One of Germany's known car brands Volkswagen, which is also the sponsor of the football club as well, is from there.
But since Diego Benaglio's arrival at Wolfsburg, he had kept a number of clean sheets. In the Kick Off interview, when being asked if he is a team player, the answer was 'definitely'. Win as a team, lose as a team...it's the same thing. And the 'Wolves' are in the UEFA Cup next season as well. This is after the club's 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund. It was only after their win over VfB Stuttgart in the previous matchday there is a realistic chance of the club playing European football next season (which is going well beyond coach Felix Magath's initial expectations of the club).
Despite Benaglio's age (he's 24), he's the first-choice goalkeeper for his country Switzerland as well under national coach Jakob 'Kobi' Kuhn. It might had been a risky undertaking, given Kuhn is overlooking the 37-year-old Pascal Zuberbühler, who has played 50 international games compared to Benaglio's ten games so far. But then his performance at Wolfsburg is enough to convince the national coach.
But if there is something that poses a 'problem' at Wolfsburg for Benaglio, it's the language problem. The Swiss international speaks Swiss-German. Yes, it's different from the usual German. Just like there are different kinds of English (British, American, Australian, Canadian etc.).
Swiss football's most golden moment was when Roy Hodgson (yes, the current Fulham manager) helped ended the Nati's (the Swiss national team's nickname) international wilderness since the 1960s by guiding Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup in the USA and Euro 1996 in Hodgson's native England. This time they enter Euro 2008 as the co-host, alongside with Austria. They are being drawn in Group A with the Czech Republic (which is also the opening match as well), Portugal and Turkey. Goalkeepers also play a part in their national teams' performances and it was partly the reason why Germany went all the way to the 2002 World Cup final (only to lose to Brazil) when Oliver Kahn was at goal. If the current Swiss national team is able to repeat the feats of the class of 1994 and 1996, that will be an achievement and Benaglio can be considered among the reasons why.
A goalkeeper who does not follow the norms when it comes to deciding his career move. It's about what is/are the deciding factor(s) in a move from one club to another, not because of non-football reasons. That is Diego Benaglio for you.
