Eren Derdiyok embodies the stature and attributes typically associated with a top striker. At 1.90m and 83kg, the Swiss international has supplied his clubs with a steady stream of goals in recent years.
Born in Basel, Derdiyok joined current Swiss second division outfit BSC Old Boys as a youngster and remained there for fully 12 years. In 2006, after acquiring a first taste of life as a pro with Old Boys, he made the time-honoured switch to bigger neighbours and rivals FC Basel.
The 22-year-old spent three seasons with FCB, collecting a first trophy in April 2008 when Basel won the Swisscom Cup. Just a month later, the striker with Kurdish roots added another and even more significant medal to his collection when Basel won the league and completed the double.
Following another solid season in the Swiss top flight and a string of eye-catching performances for the national team, Bayer Leverkusen secured Derdiyok’s signature last summer. His first Bundesliga season in 2009-10 has been a creditable one as a foil to Bayer’s Germany international hitman Stefan Kiessling.
Derdiyok earned his first full cap on 6 February 2008, and although the Swiss ended up losing 2-1 to England, the striker achieved the notable feat of scoring on his debut. He was a member of the Switzerland squad for the UEFA EURO 2008 on home soil and featured in all three of his country’s matches.
If the young goal-getter can maintain the form shown in his maiden season in the German Bundesliga, Switzerland supremo Ottmar Hitzfeld will surely look to Derdiyok for inspiration and goals at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.
