Johan Vonlanthen

Not to be confused with Jo Vonlanthen.
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Vonlanthen and the second or maternal family name is Benavídez.
Johan Vonlanthen

Vonlanthen playing for Switzerland in 2006
Personal information
Full name Johan Jarlín Vonlanthen Benavídez
Date of birth (1986-02-01) 1 February 1986
Place of birth Santa Marta, Colombia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Right winger
Club information
Current team
 FC Wil
Number 7
Youth career
1998–1999 FC Flamatt
1999–2001 Young Boys
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2003 Young Boys 27 (2)
2003–2006 PSV 29 (5)
2005 → Brescia (loan) 9 (0)
2005–2006 → NAC Breda (loan) 32 (6)
2006–2011 Red Bull Salzburg 85 (11)
2009–2010 → Zürich (loan) 27 (10)
2011–2012 Itagüí 6 (0)
2012 Wohlen 0 (0)
2013–2014 Grasshoppers 5 (0)
2014 → Schaffhausen (loan) 9 (1)
2014– Servette 32 (10)
National team
2001 Switzerland U-15 4 (1)
2004 Switzerland U-21 3 (1)
2004–2010 Switzerland 40 (7)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Johan Vonlanthen Benavídez (born 1 February 1986 in Santa Marta, Colombia) is a Swiss footballer who plays as a winger for Swiss Promotion League side Servette FC. His stepfather is a Swiss national, giving him the right to play for that country.

He announced the end of his active career after playing for Itagüí of the Colombian Primera División.[1] However, he came back out of retirement on May 2013 and signed on June for Grasshoppers.

Club career

Vonlanthen at Salzburg

Vonlanthen played as a junior for BSC Young Boys in Switzerland. In the 2001–02 season, he made his debut as a 16-year-old in the Swiss Super League starting eight games and appearing once as a substitute. In the summer of 2003, he was transferred to the Dutch Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven. On June 21st 2004, Vonlanthen became the youngest goalscorer when he scored for Switzerland vs France in Coimbra, Portugal at the age of 18 years and 141 days old.[2] He made a good initial impression and helped PSV qualified for the UEFA Champions League. After a good first season, he began to lose form and as a consequence was loaned out to Italian side Brescia Calcio for the last six months of the 2004–05 season. He was again loaned out to NAC Breda for the 2005–06 season.

At the start of the 2006–07 season, Vonlanthen transferred to Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga. On 13 July 2009, FC Zürich signed the Swiss forward on a season long loan deal. The move was not made permanent, and Vonlanthen returned to Salzburg for the start of the 2010–11 season.

Retirement and return

On 30 May 2012, Vonlanthen announced his retirement at age 26. According to him, he 'could not face the prospect of undergoing a knee operation'.[3]

However, on 13 June 2013, Vonlanthen came out of retirement to join Grasshoppers, signing a one-year deal with an option for a further two years.[4]

On 27 December 2013, Vonlanthen was loaned out to Swiss second division side Schaffhausen, due to a lack of playtime at Grasshoppers.[5]

International career

On 6 June 2004, Vonlanthen made his senior debut for the Swiss National Team against Liechtenstein. He came on as a substitute in the 81st minute to replace Alexander Frei. Switzerland went on to beat Liechtenstein 1–0.

At Euro 2004, Vonlanthen became the second youngest player to play in the tournament when he came on as a substitute against England. On 21 June 2004, Vonlanthen became the youngest scorer ever in the European Championships when he equalised against France, beating Wayne Rooney's record – which had only been set four days before – by three months.[6]

Since the European Championships in Portugal, Vonlanthen has managed to hold a regular position in the national team and as well as playing frequently in the under 21's side. He was part of the squad that very narrowly lost out to Spain on a place in the 2009 European Championships. He had scored the equalizer in the first leg in a 2–1 win but the Spanish came back to win 3–1 in the second leg and 4–3 on aggregate.

Vonlanthen was called up to the Swiss squad to play in 2006 World Cup, but was unable to participate due to a hamstring injury. He was also called up for Euro 2008.

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
2001–02Young BoysSuper League9000000090
2002–03161000000161
2003–042100000021
2003–04PSV EindhovenEredivisie193000030223
2004–05102000020122
2004–05BresciaSerie A9000000090
2005–06NAC BredaEredivisie326000000326
2006–07Red Bull SalzburgBundesliga355300031416
2007–08203000050253
2008–09293100040343
2009–10ZürichSuper League271024001033917
2010–11Red Bull SalzburgBundesliga1000000010
2011ItagüíLiga Postobón6000000060
2013–14GrasshoppersSuper League5000003080
Total Career total 22034640030425642

References

  1. ↑ "Johan Vonlanthen ya entrena con Itagüí" (in Spanish). Golgolgol.net. 16 August 2011.
  2. ↑ Glenday, Craig. Guinness World Records 2014. 2013 Guinness World Records Limited. pp. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-908843-15-9.
  3. ↑ "Youngest Euros scorer Vonlanthen retires at 26". FourFourTwo. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  4. ↑ "Vonlanthen to resume career with Grasshoppers". UEFA.com. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "Vonlanthen wechselt zu Schaffhausen" [Vonlanthen moves to Schaffhausen] (in German). Blick. 27 December 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Doyle, Paul (27 May 2008). "Euro 2008 team preview No1: Switzerland". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 6 March 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
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