Judging by the number of club sides he has played for - just two - Stephane Grichting is one of the most settled players in the Swiss national team. The 31-year-old began his career with FC Sion, where he rose through the youth ranks into the first team.
Before signing his first professional contract, Grichting also successfully completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter, though it quickly became clear that he had made the right choice in pursuing a career at the top level of Swiss football.
The bullish defender made over 100 appearances for Sion before a move to French top flight club Auxerre in the summer of 2002, and he has since become a permanent fixture in the Ligue 1 outfit's starting line-up.
Grichting made his international debut over six years ago and has remained a regular member of the Switzerland squad ever since. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany, he played almost the whole of the second round clash with Ukraine and also appeared in his country's UEFA EURO 2008 group stage match against Portugal.
Grichting has enjoyed the full backing of Ottmar Hitzfeld since he took over as coach, appearing in nine of Switzerland's ten qualification matches and playing a major role in the Schweizer Nati's second successive qualification for football's showpiece event. The 1.84m-tall defender will now be hoping his international experience will help the squad improve on their achievements in Germany four years ago.
