News

Fabian Schär: "The Crowning Moment of My Season"

• Michael Krobath, Journalist

23.08.2013

The "Credit Suisse Rookie of the Year" is Fabian Schär. A conversation about his meteoric rise from bank employee to new member of the national team, unfair opponents, and nerves of steel.

Copyright image: © PHOTOPRESS/Alexandra Wey

Michael Krobath: Fabian Schär, congratulations on being voted "Credit Suisse Rookie of the Year 2013." What does the award mean to you personally?

Fabian Schär: It is the crowning moment of my season and a great honor. Two tough competitors, Haris Seferovic and Josip Drmic, were also nominated and they deserved the award just as much.

Do you remember your very first medal?

That must have been at an indoor football tournament or a ski school race. I was involved in both sports when I was a kid. Over the years, I won a few more awards which are kept in my parents' house in Wil.

Last summer, you experienced a meteoric rise from the Challenge League to being a regular player for FC Basel. Can you remember your first game at professional level?

It was an away game against Lausanne and ended one-all. It was a reasonable debut, with no special incidents.

What was your best moment in last year's season?

The Super League title will certainly be unforgettable, but the most emotional was winning the penalty shoot-out against Tottenham Hotspur, which meant that we qualified for the semi-finals of the Europa League. The atmosphere at a packed St. Jakob Park stadium was really stirring.

And what was the most bitter moment?

Losing to Grasshoppers in the cup final on penalties. Falling at the last hurdle is tough, and I had a sleepless night afterwards.

Who is the best opponent you have faced in your career so far?

Eden Hazard of Chelsea. With his dribbling he made life extremely difficult for us, he's totally unpredictable and it's difficult to get the ball off him even with a foul.

And who was the most unfair?

The Brazilian Hulk of Zenit St. Petersburg. He's a bit of a bruiser who uses his upper body and his elbows a lot. As a defender, you have to put up with quite a lot.

How to you react to verbal fouls?

There are trash-talk specialists who hurl insults at you for 90 minutes. I try to ignore such provocations but sometimes things get a bit over the top and I defend myself with a pithy comment. It's all part of football and is forgotten after the final whistle.

Where have you made a noticeable improvement in your first year as a professional?

I was able to gain a huge amount of experience this year – thanks too to the large number of matches in international competitions. I have added to my tactical knowledge and got mentally used to the faster tempo and the rhythm of play.

What do you still have problems with?

As I am relatively tall, I have to work a lot on speed and maneuverability.

Your career hasn't run in a straight line. You were discovered relatively late and at FC Wil you were even demoted for a time from the U-20 team to the B-Juniors. Were there times when you thought of giving up?

Not for a moment. I always knew that football was my life.

When did you first realize that you were good enough to be a pro?

When I was promoted to the second team at FC Wil at the age of 16, and then very quickly was allowed to train with the first team. That's when I felt that I was close to making it.

Your trainer at FC Basel is Murat Yakin. He was once a brilliant center back and a very similar type of player to you. Your childhood idol?

When you're a kid you don't model yourself on defenders, you idolize the players who score the goals.

What do you do better than him?

Shoot penalties. My success rate is 100 percent, I have no idea what his was (laughs). Joking aside, maybe we are similar types of player but I am not even close to achieving as much as he did.

You made your debut in the national team in the 1:0 win against Brazil. How did you learn about the call-up?

Six days before the match. I was just on my way to training when Philipp Ebneter, the national team manager, called me with the good news.

As a newcomer, are you allowed to choose who you share a room with?

I knew that my two Basel team mates Valentin Stocker and Fabian Frei shared a room, and I chose Timm Klose. It's a good match: He's also a center back and a great guy.

In your successful international debut against the five-time world champions, you gave the impression of being completely untroubled and relaxed, as always. Don't you get at all nervous?

It may seem like that from the outside but at such times there's quite a lot going on inside me. But in general I'm pretty relaxed about life, it's true. I have nothing to lose, tackle every task in a positive way and believe deeply that it will turn out well.

You completed your commercial banking apprenticeship and were still working part-time at the bank last year. Does that help you in your career as a footballer?

In contrast with most footballers, I have a qualification in the bag, which gives you a reassuring feeling. And it is certainly not a disadvantage to know how to deal with money.

Isn't the everyday life of a footballer sometimes too monotonous?

Not at all. A dream has come true: I was able to make my hobby my profession.

Talking of dreams: Presumably the 2014 World Cup in Brazil features in yours, does it?

Sure. But the road to the World Cup is long and hard. First of all, I must back up my last season's performances. That's going to be hard enough.

Swiss Football Awards 2013

Replacing the traditional Football Night, the first Swiss Football Awards ceremony was held on August 11, 2013. The best male and female footballers, as well as teams, goals, and performances of the year were honored at an open-air gala in front of the Culture and Congress Center (KKL) in Lucerne. The award "Credit Suisse Player of the Year" for the best player in the national team went to Diego Benaglio. Last season, the almost 30-year-old VfL Wolfsburg goalkeeper made a key contribution to Switzerland starting its World Cup qualification without a defeat, and only conceding one goal in six matches. This was the second time Diego Benaglio has won the award, following on from 2009.

Voted the best female player for the fourth time was Lara Dickenmann. The 27-year-old midfielder from Kriens has been one of the Swiss national team's top players for years and is the most successful Swiss woman footballer ever. She has been playing for Olympique Lyon since 2009, where she has won the French Championship title five times and last season contested the Champions League final for the third time.

The Awards at a Glance

• Credit Suisse Player of the Year, men: Diego Benaglio (VfL Wolfsburg)
• Credit Suisse Player of the Year, women: Lara Dickenmann (Olympique Lyon)
• Credit Suisse Rookie of the Year: Fabian Schär (FC Basel 1893)
• Coach of the Year: Uli Forte (Grasshopper Club Zurich)
• Swiss Cup Team of the Year: Grasshopper Club Zurich
• Most Important Goal of the Year: Haris Seferovic (1:0 for Switzerland against Cyprus)
• Coolest Goal of the Year: Dario Koller (SC Brühl)
• Fair Play of the Year: FC Lucerne women
• Referee Performance of the Year: Esther Staubli
• Save of the Year: Diego Benaglio (double save in the Switzerland - Norway game)