Quick Facts
VirgoBiography
Diego Orlando Benaglio ([ˈdjeːɡo beˈnaʎʎo]; born 8 September 1983) is a Swiss footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club AS Monaco FC.
He spent most of his professional career with Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in Germany, winning the 2009 league championship and appearing in almost 300 competitive matches with the latter club. He also spent three years in Portugal, with Nacional.
Benaglio earned 61 caps for Switzerland, representing the nation in three World Cups and Euro 2008.
Club career
Early years / Nacional
Born in Zürich, Benaglio finished his development at hometown club Grasshopper Club Zürich. Still in his teens he moved to Germany and joined VfB Stuttgart, but appeared exclusively for the reserves during his three-year spell.
For the 2005–06 season, Benaglio moved to Portugal's C.D. Nacional, soon gaining favour over Henrique Hilário and becoming the Madeirans's undisputed first-choice after the veteran left for Chelsea. It was also during his first year that the team qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Wolfsburg
On 22 January 2008, Benaglio returned to Germany, signing for VfL Wolfsburg. He made his debut eight days later, helping his team advance to the quarter-finals of the German Cup after a penalty shootout win over FC Schalke 04.
In the 2008–09 campaign, Benaglio only missed three matches as the Wolves were crowned Bundesliga champions for the first time in their 64-year history. In the following year he appeared significantly less, due to injury.
On 23 January 2013, Benaglio signed a contract extension to keep him at the Volkswagen Arena until 2016. When the club won its first domestic cup on 30 May 2015, against Borussia Dortmund, he made late saves from Shinji Kagawa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to ensure the 3–1 victory.
Monaco
On 16 June 2017, 33-year-old Benaglio joined AS Monaco FC on a three-year deal. He made his Ligue 1 debut on 16 September, in a 3–0 home win over RC Strasbourg Alsace.
International career
A Swiss international since 2006, Benaglio was called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup as third-choice behind Pascal Zuberbühler and Fabio Coltorti, making his debut in a pre-tournament friendly against China on 3 June. With consistently good club performances in the following years, he was promoted to the starting line-up for UEFA Euro 2008 played on home soil, and became first-choice onwards.
As the national team qualified to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Benaglio played in all three group stage matches in an eventual group stage exit, conceding only one goal. This included a 1–0 win against Spain, who later won the tournament.
Benaglio captained the Swiss team at the 2012 Olympics, and played nine times during the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign, keeping six clean sheets. On 2 June 2014, he was named in the full side's list for the World Cup finals by national coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, saving a penalty kick from Karim Benzema in the second match but in a 2–5 defeat by France.
On 20 August 2014, Benaglio announced his retirement from international football.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 28 April 2019
| Club | Season | League | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wolfsburg | 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | Bundesliga | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 31 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | — | 48 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Monaco | 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 259 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 490 | 0 | ||
International
| Switzerland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2006 | 4 | 0 |
| 2007 | 4 | 0 |
| 2008 | 10 | 0 |
| 2009 | 7 | 0 |
| 2010 | 8 | 0 |
| 2011 | 8 | 0 |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 |
| 2013 | 6 | 0 |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 61 | 0 |
Honours
Wolfsburg
- Bundesliga: 2008–09
- DFB-Pokal: 2014–15
