Raphaël Wicky

Raphaël Wicky
Wicky coaching Basel in 2017
Personal information
Full name Raphaël Wicky[1]
Date of birth (1977-04-26) 26 April 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth Leuggern, Switzerland
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1984–1990 Steg
1990–1993 Sion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1997 Sion 130 (3)
1997–2000 Werder Bremen 92 (1)
2001 Atlético Madrid 11 (0)
2001–2007 Hamburger SV 126 (4)
2007 Sion 5 (0)
2008 Chivas USA 5 (0)
Total 369 (8)
International career
1996–2008 Switzerland 75 (1)
Managerial career
2009–2010 Thun (youth)
2010–2013 Servette (youth)
2013–2016 Basel (U18)
2016–2017 Basel (U21)
2017–2018 Basel
2019 United States U17
2020–2021 Chicago Fire
2022–2024 Young Boys
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raphaël Wicky (born 26 April 1977) is a Swiss football coach and a former player. He was most recently the manager of Swiss Super League club Young Boys,[2][3] whom he led to a domestic double. He was a defensive midfielder who could also play in defence and was known for his combative style.[4]

His playing career was spent mostly in the German Bundesliga with Werder Bremen and Hamburg, as well as a brief spell in Spain's Segunda División with Atlético Madrid. He earned 75 caps for Switzerland between 1996 and 2008, playing at two European Championships and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

As a manager, he won the Swiss Super League and Swiss Cup double with Basel in 2017, and also spent two years in Major League Soccer with the Chicago Fire. He returned to Switzerland in 2022 with Young Boys and won his second Swiss Super League title in 2023.

Club career

Born in Leuggern in the canton of Aargau, Wicky started his career with Sion, and went on to represent Werder Bremen.[5] n 25 January 2001, he joined Atlético Madrid, then in the Segunda División.[6]

After only eleven games in Spain, he returned to the Bundesliga on 6 December 2001, signing for Hamburger SV until the end of the season with the option to extend until June 2005.[7] He returned to Sion on a three-year contract on 23 August 2007, after losing first-choice status with Hamburg under manager Huub Stevens following a period of injury.[8]

Wicky signed on a free transfer with Los Angeles–based Major League Soccer side Chivas USA in February 2008.[9] Wicky made his debut as a substitute in Chivas' season opener against Dallas on 30 March. His season was cut short due to ankle injury, making just five appearances in his first MLS season. He underwent surgery to repair the injury in July 2008 and was placed on the team's season-ending injury list on 15 September.

On 26 January 2009, Chivas USA announced that they had re-signed Wicky to a one-year deal.[10] Five weeks later, on 3 March, he announced his retirement from professional football, citing "personal reasons."[11]

International career

Internationally, Wicky was part of the Swiss national teams at Euro 96 and Euro 2004[12] as well as at the 2006 World Cup.

In 75 appearances, he scored one goal, to open a 3–1 win away to the Faroe Islands in qualification for the last of those tournaments on 4 June 2005.[13]

International goals

Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wicky goal.[14]
List of international goals scored by Raphaël Wicky
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 4 June 2005 Svangaskarð, Toftir, Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands 1–0 3–1 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification

Managerial career

Upon retiring, Wicky coached the youth teams of Thun in 2009[15] and a year later Servette.[16]

In 2013, he moved into the youth ranks of Basel.[17] He became first-team manager on 21 April 2017, replacing Urs Fischer after a boardroom change.[18] Days later, the team wrapped up an eighth consecutive league title,[19] and on 25 May won the Swiss Cup with a 3–0 victory over Sion at the Stade de Genève.[20] On 26 July 2018, having finished as runner-up in the domestic league and having been eliminated in the semifinal of the cup as well as having started the new season poorly, with elimination by PAOK in the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League, he was sacked.[21]

On 8 March 2019, Wicky was named the head coach of the United States Under-17 Men's National Team.[22] On 27 December 2019, he was named the head coach of Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire.[23] He missed the MLS Cup playoffs by one point in 2020, and was fired on 30 September 2021.[24]

On 2 June 2022, his return to the Swiss Super League as the new head coach of Young Boys was announced.[2]

He was terminated by Young Boys on 4 March 2024.[25] This came following a string of poor results, including elimination from the UEFA Europa League to Sporting CP and from the Swiss Cup to Swiss Challenge League side Sion, as well as seeing their lead at the top of the Swiss Super League melt to just one point ahead of Servette.

Managerial statistics

As of match played 25 May 2024[citation needed]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Basel Switzerland 3 June 2017 26 July 2018 51 29 9 13 94 54 +40 056.86 [26]
United States U17 United States 8 March 2019 27 December 2019 17 9 2 6 39 27 +12 052.94 [27]
Chicago Fire United States 27 December 2019 29 September 2021 52 12 14 26 63 85 −22 023.08 [28]
Young Boys Switzerland 2 June 2022 4 March 2024 100 59 22 19 218 93 +125 059.00
Total 220 110 47 63 411 256 +155 050.00

Honours

Player

Sion

Werder Bremen

Hamburger SV

Manager

Young Boys

References

  1. ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Switzerland" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Raphael Wicky ist der neue YB-Trainer" [Raphael Wicky is the new YB coach]. BSC Young Boys. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Raphael Wicky freigestellt, Joël Magnin übernimmt" (in Swiss High German). BSC Young Boys. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Raphael Wicky". BBC. 25 May 2004. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  5. ^ aphaël Wicky : “Mon but contre Marseille en Coupe d'Europe a réellement lancé ma carrière” Oproxifoot.ch
  6. ^ "Wicky llega a Madrid confiado en subir al Atlético a Primera" [Wicky arrives at Madrid trusting Atlético to rise to Primera]. ABC (in Spanish). 25 January 2001. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  7. ^ "El atlético Wicky ficha por el Hamburgo hasta final de temporada" [Atlético's Wicky signs for Hamburg until the end of the season]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 6 December 2001. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Wicky signs on at Sion". UEFA. 23 August 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Chivas signs Wicky". mlsnet.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009.
  10. ^ "Wicky Re-Signs With Chivas For '09". MLS Daily. 26 January 2009. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  11. ^ "Chivas USA's Wicky Announces Retirement". MLS Daily. 2 March 2009. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
  12. ^ Keller, Marco (11 June 2004). "La Suisse fait monter la pression" [Switzerland turn up the pressure] (in French). UEFA. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  13. ^ "World Cup 2006 qualifying review". BBC Sport. 4 June 2005. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Wicky, Raphaël". National Football Teams. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  15. ^ Ratschläge eines Auszubildenden‚ bernerzeitung.ch, 20 November 2009
  16. ^ Wicky übernimmt Servettes Nachwuchs‚ blick.ch, 31 July 2010
  17. ^ "UEFA Youth League FC Basel 2016-17 squad". UEFA. 13 September 2016.
  18. ^ RAPHAEL WICKY IST AB SOMMER 2017 DER NEUE TRAINER DES FCB Archived 27 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine‚ fcb.ch, 21 April 2017
  19. ^ "Le FC Bâle est (encore) champion de Suisse" [FC Basel is (still) champion of Switzerland]. Le Temps (in French). 29 April 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Coupe de Suisse: Bâle met un terme à la légende de Sion en finale" [Swiss Cup: Basel put an end to Sion's fairytale in the final] (in French). RTS. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Football: Wicky mis à la porte par le FC Bâle!" [Football: Wicky shown the door by FC Basel!]. Le Matin (in French). 26 July 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  22. ^ "Raphael Wicky Named Head Coach of U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team". ussoccer.com.
  23. ^ "Chicago Fire FC Names Raphael Wicky Head Coach | Chicago Fire FC". 27 December 2019.
  24. ^ "Chicago Fire FC moves on from head coach Raphael Wicky". SoccerWire. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  25. ^ "Raphael Wicky freigestellt, Joël Magnin übernimmt" (in Swiss High German). BSC Young Boys. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  26. ^ "FC Basel: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  27. ^ "United States U17: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  28. ^ "Chicago Fire FC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Coupe de Suisse: Christophe Bonvin, le recordman du FC Sion". rts.ch. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  30. ^ "FK Vojvodina 1–1 Werder Bremen". leballonrond.fr. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  31. ^ "Valencia 0-0 Hamburg (Aggregate: 0 - 1)". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2006. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
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