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A photo from the history book: Philippe Senderos led Nati on the road to victory against South Korea in the Final to qualify for the round of 16 in 2006.
Andreas BoniDeputy Editor-in-Chief Blick Sport
It’s 2006, at the World Cup in Germany. Switzerland-South Korea in Hanover, third group match. Everything is at stake: Switzerland know that if they win, they will be in the round of 16. They are the games where heroes are born.
Philippe Senderos, the strong centre-back, got messed up in the 23rd minute. “A big ball of Hakan Yakin,” he says. “I put everything I have into it.” Senderos hits the ball and the opponent with his head: the ball ends up on goal for 1:0.
Senderos: «He was the perfect image of me, always ready to give everything for my team and for my country. I carried my head where others wouldn’t put their foot. It was head-to-head, border kick.”
A picture for the history books
Afterwards, Senderos doesn’t notice in his jubilant ecstasy, he bleeds. “He didn’t hurt with adrenaline and the joy of scoring. Suddenly I felt something rushing through my head and I saw that it was blood.” He immediately goes to the team doctor, gets treatment and absolutely wants to continue playing. Nati wins 2-0, reaches the round of 16 of the World Cup, where it fails on penalties against Ukraine.
A scar to this day
Senderos says this goal has shaped his perception of Switzerland: “When people see me, they immediately think of this goal. 16 years later I’m still often asked about it. “A scar still adorns the area between his eyes today. But it’s a good scar for a good memory.”
And it is here that Senderos draws the arc for Friday’s big blow against Serbia. “Players must always be aware that the World Cup is the finest moment of a player’s career. A stage to write history that stays in people’s minds for years.”
That’s why Yann Sommer and Nico Elvedi’s colds or Xherdan Shaqiri and Noah Okafor’s muscle problems don’t worry him much: “In tournaments like this you need all the players, everyone is ready. You have to use this big stage. It’s a great way for everyone to show off. It’s a great moment for Swiss football.”
Senderos has blue service
Today’s generation plays differently from his: “The national team today has much more speed and control than us.” This is why he sees Nati “in terms of experience, rhythm, technical-tactical and quality” ahead of Serbia. “But it will be a hot game.”
Senderos itself has Serbian roots. His father is Spanish and his mother is Serbian. “That’s right, my blood is half Serbian and half Spanish, but I’m Swiss.” His bond with Serbia isn’t too close: “My mother grew up in Argentina, I also have relatives there.”
The former centre-back, who played for clubs including Arsenal, Milan, Valencia and Glasgow Rangers, ended his career at Chiasso in 2019. Why in the lowlands of football? “It was clear to me that I wanted to come to Switzerland. I managed to get to Chiasso and feel that Swiss feeling again. I did a lot of networking and continued my education. And then came the opportunity with the Servette. Where he started at the age of five and broke into the first team, he heads up the sport and develops the club.
The 2006 World Cup hero is trying to give something back to Swiss football. Again with full commitment.
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