Philippe Senderos Bio Send To Friend  

Philippe Senderos has always been talked about as a player of potential but the defender struggled to live up to the early hype that surrounded him. He was born in Geneva to a Spanish father and a Serbian mother - meaning his international options were varied. However, he chose Switzerland, captaining them to victory in the European Under-17 Championships in 2002 and attracting attention from a host of European heavyweights. It was Arsene Wenger who snapped him up from Swiss side Servette and he made his Gunners debut aged 19. Senderos looked a tremendous prospect and eventually displaced Sol Campbell as the Gunners' first-choice centre back alongside Kolo Toure. He made seven appearances in Arsenal's run to the 2006 Champions League final, with the Gunners not conceding in any of those games - stifling Juventus and Real Madrid's plethora of attacking talent along the way. However, injury ruled him out of the final defeat to Barcelona.

In the summer of 2006, Campbell left Arsenal for Portsmouth, paving the way for Senderos to become a regular starter. But after several high-profile mistakes, Senderos was dropped from the side and the arrival of William Gallas in 2007 relegated the Swiss defender to the subs bench on a more regular basis. After only 14 league starts in the 2007-08 season, he was sent out on loan to AC Milan for the 2008-09 campaign but he made just seven Serie A starts for the Rossoneri. A loan move to Everton in January 2010 may aid his claims for a first-team place though.

He made his full international debut for Switzerland in a 00 draw against France in Paris in 2005. After playing a big part in Switzerland's successful qualifying campaign, he played in all three group games at the 2006 finals, netting against South Korea in the final group game. A broken nose and shoulder ligament damage ruled him out of Switzerland's last-16 defeat to Ukraine. In Euro 2008, he played every game as hosts Switzerland bowed out at the group stage.

Strengths: With the help of his 6ft 3in frame, Senderos is an accomplished header of the ball and has a strong sense of timing in the tackle to make up for a lack of pace.

Weaknesses: Prone to both injuries and errors, and has always lacked pace. He is a confidence player and when his morale is low his judgment is often badly affected.

Career High: Playing at the World Cup with Switzerland in 2006 and netting in his side's 2-0 group stage victory over South Korea that ensured progression to the knockout stages. The Swiss were knocked out of the tournament despite not conceding a single goal at the finals.

Career Low: Having to watch Arsenal's 2006 Champions League final defeat from the bench after injury ruled him out of the starting line-up. He had been an integral part of the Gunners' progression to the final.

Style: Tenacious defender who is strong in the air and thrives on being given a run of games to prove himself. When Senderos plays, clean sheets are a regular occurrence and this is no coincidence.

Quotes: "The best ten years are now coming for him. Philippe is an intelligent boy with a very good attitude and you don't ever question that." Arsene Wenger, September 2009.

Trivia: Senderos speaks five languages - French, German, Italian, English and Spanish.

Soccernet says: His loan move will boost his chances of selection for Switzerland. Has always looked solid when he's come in for the national team though and his Champions League, World Cup and European Championship experience will be valuable.