Diego Benaglio is one of the most famous acting Swiss football players. In position, he is the goalkeeper, for many years of the game he earned the captain's armband both in the club and in the national team. But what path did the 32-year-old goalkeeper go before getting to where he is now? Diego Benaglio was born on September 8, 1983 in Switzerland, and he stands for the national team of this country, although he also has Italian roots.
Carier start
As a young boy, Diego Benaglio changed several football academies in Switzerland until he was at the age of 16 at the academy of one of the leading Swiss clubs called Grasshoppers. It was with this club at the age of 18 that he signed his first professional contract - then he already began to show himself as a great talent. Naturally, his performances immediately attracted the attention of his neighbors, and a year later, for a modest sum of 150 thousand euros, the 19-year-old talent moved to the German “Stuttgart”. Diego Benaglio predicted a great career, but he was clearly destined to reveal himself not in Stuttgart.
Bad streak
Unfortunately for Diego Benaglio, the biography of the football player at that moment went a little different than he would have liked. In those days, “Stuttgart” was a fairly strong club, so there were very few chances in which Diego could prove himself. There were also three more goalkeepers, two of whom were extremely outstanding - the Bosnian Adnan Masic and the rising German talent Timo Hildebrand. That is why a year later the 20-year-old goalkeeper was reduced to a double, where he began to show quite good football. Naturally, the goalkeeper did not want to be content with performances in one of the lower German leagues, but he was not invited to the main team, so in 2005, when his contract expired, he decided not to renew the agreement. Fortunately, the Portuguese club Nacional was found, which offered the 22-year-old goalkeeper a contract. So Benaglio ended up in Portugal, where he was able to open up.
Portuguese rise
Diego Benaglio, whose photographs had previously been in many Swiss magazines, was a new genius for fans of his native country, a promising man. But in the end, a new hope went far to the not the strongest club of the far from the strongest championship. However, as it turned out, everything was just beginning - in the “Nacional” Benallo quickly won a place in the first team, moving the current Portuguese goalkeeper. He began to show incredible results - in three years he played in 69 matches and attracted the attention of many fairly strong clubs, one of which was Wolfsburg. And in 2008, the 25-year-old goalkeeper went to Germany, signing a contract with the “wolves” - the club, which eventually became a real home for him.
Career at Wolfsburg
The arrival of Diego Benallo, whose personal life was concentrated precisely in Germany, had a very positive effect on the team’s performances. Moreover, he very successfully came to the club, which after a long break was able to succeed in the national championship - in the first year of his stay at the Wolfsburg club, Diego was able to become a champion, having moved Bavaria. Benaglio performs at Wolfsburg to this day, last season having won another trophy with the club - the German Cup. However, apparently, his days are already numbered here.
The fact is that he began to make many mistakes, to miss more and more goals. This year, Wolfsburg could not get into not only the Champions League, but even the Europa League. Therefore, the club management is already looking for a younger goalkeeper with a greater prospect. So, rumors are circulating throughout the press that Diego Benallo may return to his own Grasshoppers club, which is showing interest in him. But so far nothing has been decided, Benallo's replacement has not been found, so there is a possibility that Diego will spend the next season in Wolfsburg.
Team appearances
Benallo’s level as a goalkeeper can also be judged by the fact that for a long time he was the main goalkeeper of the Swiss national team. He received the first call in 2006 at the age of 23 - and since then he has been the team leader. He took part in 61 matches, having missed a total of 62 goals - a pretty good result for the team is not the highest level. However, in 2014, after eight years in the national team, Benaglio announced that he was finishing his speeches here, giving way to Jan Sommer and other candidates in his place.
The reason was his personal life - Benallo said that he wants to spend more time with his wife Nadine, as well as with his two daughters.
Unfortunately, Diego could not win a single trophy for the national team, but he spent two world championships in the first team, and his first European championship in 2008 - as a reserve goalkeeper. But in club football, he still managed to achieve success by winning two championships - one for Grasshoppers, the other for Wolfsburg, and one Cup, again, for Wolfsburg. Naturally, this is not a dream career, but for a goalkeeper from a rather weak football country, who did not play for the strongest clubs, this is a pretty good result, and Benallo can be happy with his career.