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Thomas Hitzlsperger
German footballer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Thomas Hitzlsperger (born 5 April 1982) is a German director of football and former footballer who played as a midfielder. In February 2019, he was appointed Head of Sport of VfB Stuttgart and was subsequently promoted to CEO. In March 2022, he stepped down from this position.[3]
![]() Hitzlsperger in 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Thomas Hitzlsperger[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | (1982-04-05) 5 April 1982 (age 42)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Munich, West Germany | |||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
1988–1989 | VfB Forstinning | |||||||||||||||||||
1989–2000 | Bayern Munich | |||||||||||||||||||
2000–2001 | Aston Villa | |||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
2001–2005 | Aston Villa | 99 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||
2001 | → Chesterfield (loan) | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
2005–2010 | VfB Stuttgart | 125 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||
2010 | Lazio | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
2010–2011 | West Ham United | 11 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
2011–2012 | VfL Wolfsburg | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
2012–2013 | Everton | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
Total | 259 | (31) | ||||||||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
Germany U19 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2002–2004 | Germany U21 | 20 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
2004–2010 | Germany | 52 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
As a player he spent the early part of his career playing for Aston Villa in England (accompanied by a short loan spell at Chesterfield), before returning to Germany to play for Stuttgart, where he was a member of the team which won the Bundesliga in 2007. In 2010, he signed for Italian side Lazio, before moving back to England to join West Ham United later that year. He then had brief spells with Wolfsburg and Everton.
Hitzlsperger also represented the Germany national team, earning 52 caps and being selected for the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. Following a series of injuries, he retired from football in September 2013. After his retirement, he came out as gay, the highest-profile male footballer in the world to do so.[4]