Manuel Akanji, Yann Sommer, Granit Xhaka: Who are Switzerland's top Champions League performers?
Friday, December 20, 2024
Article summary
Which Swiss players have the most appearances and goals in Europe's leading club competition?
Article top media content
Article body
Basel and Young Boys have flown the flag for Switzerland in the UEFA Champions League in the 21st century, but Swiss players' European triumphs have largely come after moving abroad. Stéphane Chapuisat and Ciriaco Sforza enjoyed success with German sides in the 1990s and 2000s, while Manuel Akanji tasted Champions League glory with Manchester City in 2023.
Last updated 20/12/2024
Most appearances by Swiss players in the UEFA Champions League (group stage/league phase to final)
53: Manuel Akanji (Basel, Dortmund, Manchester City)
52: Johann Vogel (Grasshoppers, PSV Eindhoven, AC Milan)
51: Yann Sommer (Basel, Mönchengladbach, Bayern München, Inter)
36: Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lille, Juventus)
36: Xherdan Shaqiri (Basel, Bayern München, Liverpool)
35: Patrick Müller (Lyon)
33: Roman Bürki (Dortmund)
28: Granit Xhaka (Basel, Mönchengladbach, Arsenal, Leverkusen)
27: Remo Freuler (Atalanta, Bologna)
27: Gregor Kobel (Dortmund)
27: Marco Streller (Basel)
Top-scoring Swiss players in the UEFA Champions League (group stage/league phase to final)
8: Alexander Frei (Basel)
7: Stéphane Chapuisat (Dortmund)
7: Kübilay Türkyilmaz (Galatasaray, Grasshoppers)
6: Noah Okafor (Salzburg, AC Milan)
5: Eren Derdiyok (Basel, Leverkusen, Galatasaray)
5: Admir Mehmedi (Zürich, Dynamo Kyiv, Leverkusen)
4: Marco Streller (Basel)
4: Breel Embolo (Basel, Schalke, Mönchengladbach, Monaco)
4: Fabian Frei (Basel)
4: Haris Seferović (Real Sociedad, Benfica)
4: Dimitri Oberlin (Basel)
Most appearances by Swiss players in UEFA club competition*
115: Fabian Frei (Basel, Mainz)
106: Yann Sommer (Vaduz, Basel, Mönchengladbach, Bayern München, Inter)
100: Valentin Stocker (Basel, Hertha)
97: Granit Xhaka (Basel, Mönchengladbach, Arsenal, Leverkusen)
91: Pascal Zuberbühler (Grasshoppers, Basel, Leverkusen)
81: Johann Vogel (Grasshoppers, PSV Eindhoven, AC Milan)
80: Benjamin Huggel (Basel, Frankfurt)
73: Marco Streller (Basel, Stuttgart)
69: David Degen (Basel, Young Boys)
68: Gökhan Inler (Zürich, Udinese, Napoli, Beşiktaş, Başakşehir)
Top-scoring Swiss players in UEFA club competition*
32: Alexander Frei (Luzern, Servette, Rennes, Dortmund, Basel)
25: Stéphane Chapuisat (Lausanne, Dortmund, Grasshoppers, Young Boys)
24: Marco Streller (Basel, Stuttgart)
18: Valentin Stocker (Basel, Hertha)
18: Hakan Yakin (Basel, Grasshoppers, St. Gallen, Luzern)
17: Claudio Sulser (Grasshoppers)
17: Kübilay Türkyilmaz (Bologna, Galatasaray, Grasshoppers)
16: Raimondo Ponte (Grasshoppers, Nottingham Forest, Bastia)
14: Jean-Paul Brigger (Sion, Servette)
13: Fabian Frei (Basel, Mainz)
13: Admir Mehmedi (Zürich, Dynamo Kyiv, Freiburg, Leverkusen, Wolfsburg)
Notable firsts
First Swiss player to appear in a European Cup Winners' Cup final
René Botteron (Barcelona 2-1 Standard Liège, 1981/82)
First Swiss player to appear in a UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League final
Stéphane Chapuisat (Dortmund 1-6 agg Juventus, 1992/93)
First Swiss player to win the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
Ciriaco Sforza (Bayern 5-1 agg Bordeaux, 1995/96)
First Swiss player to win the European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League
Stéphane Chapuisat (Dortmund 3-1 Juventus, 1996/97)
No Swiss players ever appeared in a European Cup Winners' Cup final win, though Guerino Gottardi was an unused substitute as Lazio beat Mallorca 2-1 in the 1999 final.
More like this?
Argentina's top Champions League performers
Belgium's top Champions League performers
Brazil's top Champions League performers
Croatia's top Champions League performers
Denmark's top Champions League performers
England's top Champions League performers
France's top Champions League performers
Germany's top Champions League performers
Italy's top Champions League performers
Netherlands' top Champions League performers
Poland's top Champions League performers
Portugal's top Champions League performers
Serbia's top Champions League performers
Spain's top Champions League performers
Switzerland's top Champions League performers
Türkiye's top Champions League performers
USA's top Champions League performers
Wales' top Champions League performers
Africa's top Champions League performers
Asia's top Champions League performers
Australia/New Zealand's top Champions League performers
Central and North America's top Champions League performers
South America's top Champions League performers
*UEFA club competitions means European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, European/South American Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup