Quick Facts
Biography
Philippe Sylvain Senderos (born 14 February 1985) is a Swiss professional footballer who currently plays as a central defender for Rangers and the Switzerland national team.
He began his career at Servette, before moving to England as a teenager with Arsenal. He became a regular at Arsenal and won the FA Cup in 2005, and was loaned to Milan and Everton later on in his time at the club. He then moved to Fulham on a free transfer in 2010 and spent a brief spell in Spain at Valencia, before signing for Aston Villa in 2014. In January 2016, he returned to Switzerland to join Grasshoppers, before signing for Scottish club Rangers in August 2016.
A full Swiss international since 2005, Senderos has won 57 caps and scored 5 international goals. He was included in the Swiss squads for three World Cups and Euro 2008.
Club career
Servette
Senderos came up through the youth team set up at Swiss club Servette. After a few appearances in his first season, he soon became a regular player in the first team. On 27 July 2002, Senderos scored a brace (and his first goal) in a 2–0 win over Luzern. Senderos signed for Arsenal in December 2002, though he remained working at Servette until the following summer. Shortly after joining Arsenal, Senderos' father and agent said that he rejected a move to Real Madrid in favour of joining Arsenal. Senderos himself claimed he made the right decision joining the Gunners.
Arsenal
Shortly after joining Arsenal, his start did not come as planned after he suffered a recurrence of a back problem for six weeks and another injury on a fractured bone in his foot, leaving him out for the rest of the season. During the season, Arsenal went undefeated and won the league.
Senderos was an unused substitute when Arsenal won the Community Shield against Manchester United ahead of the 2004–05 season. He made his debut as a starter in a 2–1 win against Manchester City in the third round of the League Cup on 27 October 2004, and played his first Premier League match on 1 January 2005 as an 82nd-minute substitute for the injured Sol Campbell. Profiting from Campbell's injury, Senderos finished his first Premier League season with 13 appearances. Despite Campbell's recovery, Senderos played the 2005 FA Cup Final in his place, and won his first piece of silverware as Arsenal triumphed on penalties after a 0–0 draw with Manchester United.
After the season, Senderos committed his long-term future by signing an improved five-year deal. In the 2005 FA Community Shield, he was beaten by Didier Drogba for both goals as Arsenal lost 2–1 to Chelsea. During the 2005–06 season he scored his first Arsenal goal in a 2–1 loss to West Bromwich Albion on 15 October, and again in a 7–0 win over Middlesbrough on 14 January. He played in Arsenal's run to the final of the Champions League in 2005–06, but was an unused substitute in the final which they lost to Barcelona.
On 29 November 2006, Senderos was sent off for the first time in his career, in the 66th minute of Arsenal's 2–1 loss at Fulham, for two bookings for offences on Luís Boa Morte. Later on in the season, on 3 February 2007, he was sent off for the second time, a straight red card for a foul in the penalty box on Middlesbrough striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni.
Senderos received his third red card on 2 September 2007, after denying Nwankwo Kanu of Portsmouth a clear goalscoring opportunity, although Arsenal went on to win 3–1. In his last full season at the club (2007–08), Senderos added two more goals from 17 Premier League appearances: in a 3–2 win against Sunderland on 7 October and the 4th minute of a 2–0 win over Blackburn Rovers on 11 February.
Loan to Milan
Senderos fell out of favour with Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger. On 27 August 2008, he joined Italian club Milan on a season-long loan. Senderos described joining Milan as a "dream come true". He quickly picked up an injury and struggled to make the first team ahead of Paolo Maldini and Kakha Kaladze, but finally made his first full appearance for the Rossoneri in a UEFA Cup Group Stage tie against Portuguese side Braga, and came on as a substitute for his first Serie A appearance against Fiorentina, after half the season had gone. Despite wanting his move at Milan to be permanent, Senderos returned to Arsenal after 14 league appearances.
Loan to Everton
Senderos made only two appearances for Arsenal in 2009–10, both in the League Cup, and on 25 January 2010 joined Everton for the remainder of the season, where he wore the number 23, vacated by the departure of Lucas Neill. He made his first appearance for the club in a 1–0 win away against Wigan Athletic. He returned to Arsenal at the end of the season having made only three appearances (twice in the Premier League and once in the Europa League).
Fulham
On 8 June 2010, Senderos signed a three-year deal with Fulham on a free transfer. On 9 August, while training, Senderos tore his Achilles tendon, keeping him out for six months. He underwent surgery and was expected to be out for 6 months. He finally made his debut for Fulham on 30 April 2011 against Sunderland. He made his second appearance for Fulham against Birmingham, helping the team to a clean sheet with a number of good tackles and clearances. On 21 April 2012, he scored his first Premier League goal since joining Fulham as they beat Wigan Athletic 2–1 at Craven Cottage.
On 1 March 2013, Senderos signed a one-year contract extension keeping him at Craven Cottage until June 2014. On 21 October 2013, Senderos scored a goal in a 4–1 win over Crystal Palace.
Valencia
On 31 January 2014, Senderos joined Valencia CF from Fulham with just hours remaining before the transfer window was due to close. He made his debut for the team on 8 February 2014, playing 81 minutes in the 5–0 home win over Real Betis in a La Liga match, and netted his first goal (with a header) on 13 March 2014, in the 3–0 away victory over Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad in the first leg of the Last 16 of the UEFA Europa League.
Aston Villa
On 5 June 2014, Senderos joined Aston Villa on a two-year contract. He was signed by Paul Lambert, who said in the run-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup: "This will be Philippe's third World Cup finals and there aren't too many players who compete at that level over that stretch of time. He'll be a great addition to the group."
He made his league debut in a 1–0 win at Stoke City 16 August, playing the full 90 minutes of the match. During the fourth game of the season, Senderos assisted Gabriel Agbonlahor, who scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win over Liverpool, taking Villa to 2nd in the league.
On 9 October 2014 he sustained a thigh injury whilst on international duty sideling him for a month. Shortly after his return he received a Calf injury, again whilst on international duty, this time leading to a five-month absence.
On 3 September 2015, it was announced that Philippe had been left out of Aston Villa's 25 man squad for the upcoming season, meaning that he would be unable to play for the club in competitive fixtures until January 2016 at the earliest. On 27 January 2016 Senderos left Aston Villa after agreeing with the club management to terminate his contract by mutual consent.
Grasshoppers
On 29 January 2016, just days after being released by Aston Villa, Senderos returned to his native Switzerland, signing with Grasshoppers on a six-month contract.
Rangers
After being released by Grasshoppers, Senderos signed for Scottish Premiership team Rangers on a one-year deal in August 2016, following a lengthy trial period. Upon signing, he stated that it was a "no-brainer" to join such a big club. Senderos was sent off on his debut for Rangers, a 5–1 defeat at Celtic on 10 September 2016.
International career
Senderos is a former youth international and has played at all levels of football from the under-15s upward for Switzerland, though he was also eligible to play for Spain or Serbia through his parents. He was captain of the Swiss under-17 squad that won the 2002 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship.
He made his full international debut on 26 March 2005 in Switzerland's 0–0 draw against France in Paris. On his fifth cap, away to Cyprus on 7 September 2005, he scored his first international goal by opening a 3–1 win. On 12 November 2005, he opened the scoring in Switzerland's win over Turkey in the play-offs. After playing in Switzerland's successful qualifying campaign, he was named in their 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. He started alongside Patrick Müller in all three of Switzerland's group matches, and scored the first goal of the 2–0 win in the third match against South Korea. He broke his nose and suffered shoulder ligament damage in the match, which ruled him out of the remainder of Switzerland's World Cup campaign.
He captained Switzerland for the first time on 6 February 2008, a 2–1 friendly defeat away to England in which he was substituted after 55 minutes for Stéphane Grichting. Senderos was also part of the Swiss squad at the UEFA Euro 2008 finals, appearing in all three group matches as the team failed to qualify for the knockout stages.
Senderos scored a brace in a 3–0 win away win in Luxembourg in a World Cup qualifier on 10 October 2009, and was selected in the Swiss final squad for the 2010 World Cup. In the first match, where Switzerland shocked Spain 1–0, he was substituted in the 36th minute after injuring his ankle seriously in an accidental collision with teammate Stephan Lichtsteiner. Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said after the match: "He has a sprained ankle, possibly a ruptured ligament. If that is the case, it would be very difficult to replace him."
He was chosen in the Swiss squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, his third edition of the tournament. He made his first appearance in the second game, against France on 20 June 2014, replacing the injured Steve von Bergen after 9 minutes; Switzerland lost 5–2.
Senderos was omitted from the Switzerland squad for Euro 2016.
Personal life
Senderos is a child of Serbian (Zorica Novković) and Spanish (Julián Senderos) immigrants. On 20 July 2009, Senderos married his Iranian girlfriend Sara. Senderos speaks six languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Serbian and Italian. His brother Julien was a professional basketball player until 2011.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Servette | 2001–02 | Nationalliga A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Nationalliga A | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 23 | 3 | |||
| Total | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 26 | 3 | ||||
| Arsenal | 2003–04 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 13 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 64 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 116 | 4 | ||
| Milan (loan) | 2008–09 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | – | 19 | 0 | ||
| Everton (loan) | 2009–10 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | |
| Fulham | 2010–11 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 28 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 1 | |||
| Total | 57 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 68 | 2 | |||
| Valencia | 2013–14 | La Liga | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 11 | 1 | ||
| Aston Villa | 2014–15 | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Grasshoppers | 2015–16 | Swiss Super League | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| Rangers | 2016–17 | Scottish Premiership | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 196 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 270 | 10 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 2005 | 9 | 2 |
| 2006 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 57 | 5 | |
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 29 February 2005 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia |  Cyprus | 1–0 | 3–1 Win | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 12 November 2005 | Stade de Suisse, Bern |  Turkey | 1–0 | 2–0 Win | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 23 June 2006 | AWD Arena, Hannover |  South Korea | 1–0 | 2–0 Win | FIFA World Cup 2006 |
| 4. | 10 October 2009 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg | 1–0 | 3–0 Win | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2 |
| 5. | 10 October 2009 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 2–0 | 3–0 Win | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2 |
Honours
Club
- FA Cup: 2004–05
- FA Community Shield: 2004
- UEFA Champions League: Runner-up 2005–06
International
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2002