2008–09 FC Zürich season

FC Zürich

2008–09 season
Manager	Bernard Challandes
Stadium	Letzigrund
Swiss Super League	1st
Swiss Cup	Quarter-finals
UEFA Cup	First round
Top goalscorer	Almen Abdi (19)

During the 2008–09 Swiss football season, FC Zürich competed in the Swiss Super League.

Season summary

FC Zürich managed to reclaim the Swiss league title (their last as of 2016), but were knocked out of the Swiss Cup in the quarter-finals. The club were knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the first round by Italian giants AC Milan.

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  SUI Johnny Leoni 2 DF  FIN Veli Lampi 3 FW  GEO Giorgi Ivanishvili 4 DF  SUI Fabrizio Di Gregorio 5 MF  SUI Xavier Margairaz (on loan from Osasuna) 6 MF  SRB Radovan Savić 7 MF  SUI Silvan Aegerter 10 MF  NGA Onyekachi Okonkwo 11 MF  SUI Adrian Nikçi[notes 1] 12 FW  GLP Alexandre Alphonse[notes 2] 13 DF  SUI Florian Stahel 14 MF  SWE Dusan Djurić 15 DF  SUI Daniel Stucki

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 DF  SUI Philippe Koch 17 MF  TUN Yassine Chikhaoui 19 DF  SUI Alain Rochat[notes 3] 21 DF  SUI Heinz Barmettler[notes 4] 22 GK  SUI Orlando Lattmann 23 MF  SUI Almen Abdi[notes 5] 25 FW  SUI Admir Mehmedi[notes 6] 26 MF  LIE Martin Büchel 27 FW  SUI Marco Schönbächler 28 FW  USA Remo Staubli 29 FW  FRA Eric Hassli 30 DF  FIN Hannu Tihinen 32 GK  ITA Andrea Guatelli

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 3 DF  SUI Mehdi Challandes (on loan to Yverdon Sport) 4 DF  CHI Adán Vergara (on loan to FC Luzern) 5 DF  SUI Oumar Kondé (on loan to Chengdu Blades) 8 FW  SWE Emra Tahirović[notes 7] (on loan to Örebro)

No. Pos. Nation Player 9 MF  SWE Andrés Vasquez[notes 8] (to FC Zürich II) 20 FW  BRA Sílvio (on loan to FC Wil) 24 MF  SUI Luca Ladner (on loan to FC Wohlen)

Notes and references

Notes

1. Nikçi was born in Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia (now Bosnia-Herzegovina), but also qualifies to represent Switzerland internationally and has represented them at U-21 level, and has also expressed interest in representing Albania internationally.
2. Alphonse was born in Paris, France, but also qualifies to represent Guadeloupe internationally and made his international debut for Guadeloupe in 2009.
3. Rochat was born in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada, but was raised in Switzerland from the age of two and made his international debut for Switzerland in June 2005.
4. Barmettler was born in Zürich, Switzerland, and made his international debut for Switzerland in November 2009, but also qualifies to represent the Dominican Republic and would make his international debut for the Dominican Republic in September 2012.
5. Abdi was born in Prizren, SFR Yugoslavia (now Kosovo), but also qualifies to represent Switzerland internationally and made his international debut for Switzerland in August 2008.
6. Mehmedi was born in Gostivar, SFR Yugoslavia (now Macedonia), but was raised in Switzerland from the age of two and represented Switzerland at every youth level up to U-21, and would make his international debut for Switzerland in 2011.
7. Tahirović was born in Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia (now Bosnia-Herzegovina), but was raised in Sweden and has represented them at U-21 level.
8. Vasquez was born in Lima, Peru, but also qualifies to represent Sweden internationally and has represented them at U-17, U-19 and U-21 level.

References

1. "FootballSquads - Zürich - 2008/09".