Xavier Margairaz (born 7 January 1984) is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
 Margairaz taking on Ronaldinho with Switzerland in 2006 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Xavier Margairaz[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 7 January 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Rances, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1996 | Rances | ||
| 1996–2000 | Yverdon Sport | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2003 | Lausanne-Sport | 46 | (3) |
| 2003–2005 | Neuchâtel Xamax | 34 | (5) |
| 2005–2007 | Zürich | 78 | (20) |
| 2007–2009 | Osasuna | 13 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Zürich (loan) | 13 | (2) |
| 2009–2012 | Zürich | 80 | (16) |
| 2012–2013 | Sion | 35 | (5) |
| 2014 | Servette | 10 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Lausanne-Sport | 53 | (3) |
| Total | 362 | (54) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2010 | Switzerland | 18 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editMargairaz was born in Rances. After beginning professionally with FC Lausanne-Sport and Neuchâtel Xamax, he was part of the 2005–06 and 2006–07 Super League-winning teams of Fussballclub Zürich.
In May 2007, Margairaz signed a three-year contract with Spanish side CA Osasuna,[2] where he struggled with first-team opportunities. In late February 2008, in a friendly match with SD Eibar, he suffered a serious knee injury (anterior cruciate ligament, internal lateral ligament and external meniscus). After a successful surgery in Geneva, he missed UEFA Euro 2008 as his recovery process was estimated to be of at least eight months;[3] this happened a week after another serious knee-injured central midfielder of the Navarrese club, Javad Nekounam, began training.
On 14 January 2009, Margairaz moved back to FC Zürich on loan until the end of the season.[4] In June, after he helped the team to another league title and Osasuna received €400.000, the move was made permanent.
On 15 September 2009, Margairaz became Zürich's first scorer in the UEFA Champions League, netting in a 2–5 home loss against Real Madrid in the group stage.[5] In January 2012, he moved to FC Sion on a three-and-a-half-year contract, leaving in June of the following year.[6]
International career
editA member of the Swiss national team since 2005, Margairaz was called up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where he had two late substitute appearances.[7][8]
Personal life
editMargairaz's older brother, Sascha, was also a footballer. He played mainly in the lower leagues and amateur football.[9][10]
Honours
editZürich
References
edit- ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Switzerland" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
- ^ Duo boost Osasuna forward line; UEFA, 19 June 2007
- ^ Margairaz se lesiona de gravedad y se perderá la Eurocopa (Margairaz suffers serious injury and he will miss the Eurocup); Marca, 27 February 2008 (in Spanish)
- ^ Margairaz zurück im FC Zürich (Margairaz returns to Zürich); NZZ Online, 14 January 2009 (in German)
- ^ Ronaldo has Madrid up and running; UEFA, 15 September 2009
- ^ Xavier Margairaz va quitter Sion (Xavier Margairaz to quit Sion); Le Matin, 2 June 2013 (in French)
- ^ France 0–0 Switzerland; BBC Sport, 13 June 2006
- ^ Switzerland 2–0 South Korea; BBC Sport, 23 June 2006
- ^ «Je suis devenu mature sur le tard» («I matured a bit late»); La Région, 10 September 2014 (in French)
- ^ Xavier Margairaz ou la bataille contre l’oubli (Xavier Margairaz or the battle against oblivion); La Région, 5 November 2014 (in French)
- ^ "Schweizer-Cup - Swisscom-Cup - Final". football.ch. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
External links
edit- Xavier Margairaz at Swiss Football League
- Xavier Margairaz at National-Football-Teams.com
- Xavier Margairaz – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Xavier Margairaz at Soccerway