Yann Sommer is a Swiss footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Borussia Mönchengladbach
in the Bundesliga.
Since 2012 he also represents his country in the Swiss national football team.
Football career Club career
As a child Sommer played in the youth teams of his local side FC Herrliberg and later
by Concordia Basel.
He moved to the Basel youth in 2003.
He signed his first professional contract with Basel in 2005.
He became the first choice goalkeeper in the Under-21 squad almost immediately, fending
off opposition like Jayson Leutwiler and Orkan Avci, and was third choice for the senior
squad behind Franco Costanzo and Louis Crayton.
During the Summer of 2007, he signed a new contract, dated until 2011, and was loaned
out to Liechtensteiner club Vaduz to gain first-team experience in an environment somewhat
more competitive than with the Reserves in the Swiss 1.
Liga.
He was made the first-choice goalkeeper and played 33 matches over the course of the Swiss
Challenge League 2007–08 season, playing a major part in Vaduz's promotion to the Swiss
Super League.
His loan deal was extended, lasting until January 2009.
He made his Super League debut for Vaduz on 20 July 2008 in the 2:1 away win against Luzern.
Sommer was recalled to Basel on 7 January 2009 because their first choice goalie, Costanzo,
was injured.
He made his Super League debut for Basel in a 3–2 defeat to BSC Young Boys at the Stade
de Suisse, Wankdorf on 7 February 2009.
He played six games for Basel up until the end of the season.
On 16 June 2009, he joined Grasshopper on a one season-long loan.
During his season for the Grasshoppers he played 33 League matches.
On 14 June 2010 Yann Sommer signed a five-year contract with Basel.
He served as second goalie behind Franco Costanzo.
During March 2011 Basel announced that they would not prolong the contract with Costanzo
and therefore Sommer was to become the teams first-choice goalkeeper.
Sommer played five Super League games during the 2010-11 season and so was part of the
championship winning team.
Yann Sommer played his UEFA Champions League debut on the 14 September 2011 in the 2:1
home win against Oțelul Galați.
He was first choice goalkeeper 2011-12 and at the end of the 2011–12 season he won
the Double, the League Championship title and the Swiss Cup.
At the end of the Swiss Super League season 2012–13 Sommer won the Championship title,
having played in all 36 league matches, for the third time in a row.
He was Swiss Cup runner up.
In the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League Basel advanced to the semi-finals, there being matched
against the reigning UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea, but they were beaten 2-5
on aggregate.
On 10 March 2014 Basel announced that Sommer had agreed and signed a five-year deal with
Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach, effective from 1 July 2014.
International career Yann Sommer has represented Switzerland at
various age levels including Under-16s, Under-17s, Under-19s and Under-21s.
Sommer made his Swiss U-16s debut on 26 August 2003, but the match ended in a 0-5 defeat
against the Germany U-16s.
His U-17s debut was on 20 November 2003 in the 1-1 draw against England U-17s.
Sommer made his debut for the Swiss Under-21s on 22 August 2007, as he was substituted in
at half time during the 2-1 away win against the Belgium Under-21 team.
He was Goalkeeper and captain of the Swiss U-21 team that competed in the final tournament
of the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, hosted by Denmark between 11
and 25 June 2011.
The Swiss team reached the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Final on 25 June 2011
without conceding a goal, but then lost to Spain U-21 2-0.
This was Sommer's last game for the Under-21s.
Sommer made his debut for the senior side on 30 May 2012 in the Swissporarena, in Lucerne,
in the 0–1 defeat against Romania in a friendly match.
On 13 May 2014, he was named in the 23-men roster of the Swiss NT for the FIFA World
Cup 2014 in Brazil.
Honours Club
Vaduz Swiss Challenge League: 2007-08
Basel Swiss Super League: 2010–11, 2011–12,
2012–13, 2013–14 Swiss Cup: 2011–12
Uhren Cup: 2013 International
UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Runner-up: 2011
Individual UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
Team of the Tournament: 2011 References
External links Profile at FC Basel
Yann Sommer on the website of the Swiss Football League
Soccerway profile