Chapuisat savours Swiss role

In Switzerland, no one has forgotten the name of Stéphane Chapuisat. The striker was a legend for BV Borussia Dortmund between 1991 and 1999 and won the UEFA Champions League with the German side in 1997. He played in Switzerland's only previous UEFA European Championships in 1996 and 2004, and now, as one of the ambassadors for UEFA EURO 2008™, the Swiss hero is excited by the prospect of experiencing the competition on home soil.

'Extraordinary for Switzerland'
A Lausanne native, Chapuisat ended his playing career in the Swiss second division with local side FC Lausanne-Sport last spring and will turn 39 on the eve of next summer's final. "I would rather have participated in it as a player, but age decided otherwise," he told uefa.com. Not that his heart will be any less in it come 2008. "I will rejoice at the opening game," he said. "It will be extraordinary for Switzerland."

'Incredible enthusiasm'
Last summer in Germany, energised by the tens of thousands of supporters who crossed the border to encourage them, Switzerland came agonisingly close to reaching the quarter-finals, losing out on penalties against Ukraine. "There was incredible enthusiasm surrounding football for a month," Chapuisat said. "I'm sure that will also be the case in 2008 because we will be perfect hosts. Why not try and do even better than Portugal in that sense?"

'Winning mentality'
On the pitch, Portugal got to the final of the EURO they hosted in 2004, and Switzerland are looking towards 2008 with confidence high having qualified for the last two major tournaments, as well as winning the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in 2002. "When I made my debut in the national team [in 1989], we usually lost to the big nations," said Chapuisat, who was capped 103 times. "Nowadays when young players make the senior team, they have a winning mentality and no fear." Coach Jakob Kuhn has done his best to foster that belief and has announced his ambition to win UEFA EURO 2008™, an expression of pride Chapuisat applauds. "The Swiss really need this new attitude," he said. "Of course it will be very difficult, but believing is a very important first step."

Senderos praise
The only Swiss player to have won the UEFA Champions League, Chapuisat claimed three national titles - two in Germany and one in Switzerland - and was voted the best Swiss player of the past 50 years. However, while he was the star of his generation, his pick of the current crop is a defender from Arsenal FC. "Philippe Senderos is progressing at a very big club and is already enjoying a magnificent career," he said. "Above all, he has this winning mentality that symbolises the new Swiss team."