Now 32, Christoph Spycher is one of the more experienced members of the Swiss national squad. Just like former coach Jakob Kuhn before him, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld relied heavily on the left-back's defensive qualities as the Nati secured direct qualification for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.
Spycher began his professional career in 1999 with FC Lucerne, where he quickly became a first team regular before being snapped up by Super League giants Grasshoppers Zurich after two terms.
Between 2001 and 2005, Spycher was a regular on the left flank and played a major role in the club's title success in 2003, before deciding on a move to Germany following four very successful years at the Letzigrund Stadium.
Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt secured the 1.74m defender's services and before long Spycher had again cemented his place in Eagles' starting line up, becoming club captain ahead of the 2009/10 season.
Spycher made his debut for the Nati in 2003 and has been a regular fixture in the squad ever since. Having previously appeared at UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal, Germany 2006 and UEFA EURO 2008 on home turf, South Africa 2010 will be the Wolhusen-born defender's fourth consecutive major international tournament.
Spycher was selected by Hitzfeld for six of Switzerland's qualifying matches en route to qualification for the first FIFA World Cup to be held in Africa and his experience on the biggest stage will no doubt prove crucial as the Swiss attempt to better their second round exit of four years ago.
