Euro 2008 Player Profile: Eren Derdiyok

It will take some time before the Swiss (and English) public will forget the extraordinary goal that Derdiyok scored in Capello’s first game as an England coach. England was leading 1-0 and suddenly, the Swiss debutant who had entered the game a couple minutes before, came out from nowhere to score his first goal on his first appearance for the Nati.

Who is Eren Derdiyok?
Born on the 12th of June 1988 (which makes him the youngest Swiss player at Euro 2008) Eren Derdiyok holds a Swiss and a Turkish passport but has chosen to play for his country of birth.
After having scored an impressive 7 goals in 7 games for Switzerland U-19 and 7 goals in 5 games for Switzerland U-21, Kuhn chose to call him for the adventure in the Nati and to strengthen the weakest part of Switzerland’s game, the attack.
He then played a further 72 minutes between the friendlies vs. Germany and Slovakia.

He started his career in 2005 with BSC Old Boys where he scored 10 goals in 18 games. In 2006 he was bought by FC Basel where he has scored 8 goals in 26 games (including a hattrick vs. FC Thun). He has won the “Swiss Youngster of the Year” Award in 2007 and has won the Swiss League and Swiss Cup with FC Basel in 2008.

The story has it that he scored BSC Old Boys’ only goal in a cup game vs. FC Basel where his team lost 6-1 to the Swiss giants. His first months in Basel aren’t the most memorable, despite holding an impressive scoring tally, he’s relegated to the Reserve team and fails to impress his coach who considers selling him off or loaning him to a smaller club. However, because of several injuries both at Basel and in the Nati (Frei and Streller) he’s given chances and he doesn’t fail them. His Wembley goal becomes the latest talk in England where he’s often compared to Owen (curiously enough, he dreams of playing in Newcastle).

1m90, 78 kg with a very powerful and precise shot, a true sniper. He’s very good at protecting the ball and is obviously good at headers. Furthermore, with a great personality he’s certainly bound to impress at Euro 2008.

Christian Gross has rejected a 6.5 Million Euro bid from England (Queen’s Park Rangers? Newcastle?) and apparently has no intention of selling the young talent. He’s valued 8 Million Euros, a price that will certainly rise, following the continental competition. According to the latest gossip, Naples and Palermo are thinking of strenghtening their attack by spending a fortune for the young player.

He has scored plenty of goals against tough opposition. Is Derdiyok going to be out there to become a National Hero and an ideal partner for Alexander Frei?