Football fans are rather used to seeing Switzerland at major tournaments these days.

After a string of poor qualifying performances throughout the early and mid 1900s, the Swiss have been a mainstay at both the World Cup and Euros, only missing out a small handful of times since the turn of the century.

There’s more to it than just qualification. They’ve regularly made it out of the group stages of most tournaments, and pushed some of the best teams in the world all the way. Many will remember the 2010 World Cup, where they beat eventual champions Spain in the group stages.

That isn’t to say that they didn’t have some memorable moments earlier on. In 1934, ’38 and ’54, they managed to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the latter two being under legendary manager, Karl Rappan.

This inevitably means that some fine players have turned up over the years, so here are the 15 best players to represent Switzerland.

15

Tranquillo Barnetta

Siphiwe Sibeko via Reuters

Career Span: 2002-2019

Not every great international is remembered for spectacular moments. In Tranquillo Barnetta’s case, his value came from the fact that coaches could always trust him. Whether deployed on the left wing or more centrally, he brought balance in the way that he played, and rarely let Switzerland down in 75 appearances. Across more than a decade in the national team, Barnetta featured at multiple World Cups and European Championships, helping the country establish itself as a regular presence on the international stage. His lengthy spell at Bayer Leverkusen further underlined his quality, with the Swiss international proving himself in one of Europe’s strongest leagues year after year.

14

Hakan Yakin

Career Span: 1994-2013

Jason Cairnduff via Reuters

There was always a sense that something might happen when Hakan Yakin had the ball. While Switzerland have produced plenty of hard-working and dependable players over the years, few possessed Yakin’s ability to unlock a defence or decide a match with a moment of genius. Yakin played 87 times for Switzerland after turning down the opportunity to represent Turkey for personal reasons, and he’d go on to represent them at two World Cups and two Euros.

After impressing at club level in Switzerland, Paris Saint Germain seemingly signed him for £1 million in 2003, but his contract was ripped apart when issues with his groin surfaced that ended up costing him almost two years of his career.

13

Gokhan Inler

Career Span: 2002-2024

Alex Morton via Reuters

The midfielder was Switzerland’s driving force in the centre of the pitch for almost a decade, earning 89 caps. He was a composed, natural leader who had a rare talent for scoring long-range strikes with both feet. As captain, he led Switzerland to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup, while his club career saw him become one of Serie A’s most respected midfielders with Udinese and Napoli.

Despite it being a rather depressing stint, Inler owns a Premier League winners medal with Leicester City. After a £5 million move from Napoli in 2015, he would only play 10 competitive matches for the Foxes. His time in the Midlands ultimately led to him being dropped from the national side, and he’d never represent his country again.

12

Kubilay Turkyilmaz

Career Span: 1986-2002

John Siblet via Reuters

Born to Turkish parents, “Kubi” spent 13 years as Switzerland’s attacking talisman, netting 34 times in 62 appearances, a record that stood until Alexander Frei finally surpassed it in 2008. He led the line in Switzerland’s return to the international stage in the 1990s, featuring at both the 1994 World Cup and Euro ’96. At club level, he won the Turkish league with Galatasaray and scored against Manchester United in the Champions League and won Swiss Footballer of the Year three times.

11

Jacques Fatton

Career Span: 1943-1963

Jacques Fatton was a left-winger with a natural eye for goal. He scored 28 times in 53 appearances for Switzerland and was the country’s most dangerous attacker throughout the late 1940s and into the 1950s. He featured in both the 1950 and 1954 World Cups and was a serial top scorer in the Swiss league with Servette, netting 32 goals in a single season at his peak. Four Swiss league titles and a stint at Lyon added to a career that made him one of the most free-scoring forwards his country has ever produced.

10

Stephan Lichtsteiner

Career Span: 2006-2019

Switzerland’s former captain had notable spells at the likes of Juventus and Arsenal. Lichtsteiner was one of the most consistent right-backs around during his prime, and spent 13 years representing his national team.

Making his debut in 2006, Lichsteiner went on to compete in five major tournaments before his retirement in 2019. With 108 caps to his name, the former defender is one of just seven players to have reached a century of appearances for Switzerland. He did so in 2018 ahead of that summer’s World Cup.

9

Ricardo Rodriguez

Career Span: 2011-Present

One of the few players to have surpassed Lichtsteiner when it comes to caps, Ricardo Rodriguez has had an almighty international career. Making his debut at 19, the left-back has been ever present since the moment he integrated himself into the national set-up.

In terms of his club career, the defender has had prominent spells at the likes of Wolfsburg, A.C. Milan, Torino and now Real Betis. Throughout his career, Rodriquez has built a reputation for set-pieces, with him regularly being assigned free kicks, penalties and corners for both club and country.

8

Alain Geiger

Career Span: 1980-1996

Alain Geiger defied the typical centre-back stereotype with his 5’11” frame, proving height and physicality weren’t essential for international success. Over a 20-year career, he earned 112 caps for Switzerland. The defender captained Switzerland in the 1994 World Cup and Euro 96, ending his international career with a draw against England, the team he made his debut against.

Geiger’s club career was mostly in Switzerland, where he won two league titles and three cups with Sion and Servette. His crowning achievement was leading Neuchatel Xamax to their only two Swiss League titles.

7

Heinz Hermann

Career Span: 1978-1991

Heinz Hermann achieved an impressive array of honours during his career and given the fact that he never managed to play in a single major tournament for his country, his record of 118 caps is all the more incredible.

Recognized for his exceptional quality, he was considered the best Swiss player from the mid to late 80s. Hermann’s excellence was further acknowledged as he won Switzerland’s Footballer of the Year award five consecutive times from 1984 to 1988. Since his retirement, the 66-year-old has held other roles in football, such as the academy manager at Basel and director of football at FC Luzern.

6

Stephane Chapuisat

Career Span: 1989-2004

A key player for Switzerland throughout the 1990s, Stephane Chapuisat earned over 100 caps, participating in two European Championships and the 1994 World Cup.

Chapuisat spent much of his club career with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund, contributing to a golden era by winning back-to-back league titles and the Champions League in 1996-97. He netted over 297 times in all competitions during a career that lasted over 15 years.

Two years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo fired back at criticism regarding his performances at Euro 2024 and his emotional reaction to missing a penalty against Slovenia during the tournament. The then-39-year-old was seeking to become the first player to ever score in six European Championships and was given the golden opportunity to do so and give his side the lead during the Round of 16 clash.

Instead, the Portuguese icon was denied by a flying stop from Jan Oblak, and when the whistle blew for half-time of extra time, Ronaldo could be seen, tearful, being consoled by his teammates. However, while talking on his record-breaking YouTube channel, the former Real Madrid star hit back at the reaction to the incident – seemingly calling out two well-known English pundits.

Ronaldo Appeared to Target Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer

Speaking during a conversation with former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldo revealed his true feelings about the backlash he received from pundits following his penalty miss. He was quoted in The Express, who seem to think he was taking a dig at the BBC’s Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer when saying:

It was believed that the ex-Real Madrid icon was making reference to comments that Lineker and Shearer made in an episode of ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast titled ‘The Ronaldo Show.’ Former World Cup Golden Boot winner Lineker described Ronaldo’s antics as childish, while his co-host labelled the reaction as ‘hysterical.’

Ronaldo Explained Why He Cried After Euro 2024 Penalty Miss

Elaborating further on his emotional miss from 12 yards, Ronaldo explained what caused him to have such a visceral reaction:

Regardless of the criticism, Ronaldo has continued with his international career and will lead the line for Portugal at the 2026 World Cup. This will be his sixth time attending the FIFA tournament with his nation, and will probably be his final chance of winning it.

All stats courtesy of Transfermarkt – accurate as of 12/06/2026

Disgraced former BBC pundit Jermaine Jenas furiously clashed with a TV presenter live on air this week while discussing the sexting scandal that cost him his job nearly two years ago. The retired Tottenham midfielder broke his silence on his dismissal from the broadcaster during an appearance on Good Morning Britain on Friday.

Now 43, Jenas – once tipped by Premier League viewers as the heir apparent to Gary Lineker in the broadcasting world – saw his life turned completely upside down after being dismissed by the BBC in August 2024. He was sacked after admitting to sending lewd messages to two former colleagues.

The fallout also led to the breakdown of his marriage to wife Ellie Penfold, despite early hopes the couple could patch things up, while his talent agency cut ties with him over his inappropriate behaviour. The wounds that stemmed from that period of his life have been reopened this week thanks to a car-crash interview.

Jenas Involved in Car-Crash Interview 2 Years After BBC Axe

Although he spent months pushing back against his vilification – making several appearances on talkSPORT to avoid disappearing completely from the spotlight – Jenas has now found himself at the centre of another controversy following a less-than-flattering Good Morning Britain segment, as cited by Wales Online.

“It’s been a tough two-year period, in particular [for] my family… I got to this point where I was like, ‘I feel like I need to start speaking,'” Jenas began his interview with presenters Kate Garraway and Ranvir Singh, as he detailed his fall from grace. “I’ve lost everything, essentially. My job, my family, everything was kind of taken away from me. And that’s not for me to decide the punishment, but that’s exactly what happened – it’s what I had to face.” Then the grilling began, with Singh questioning (watch the full segment below):

Jenas replied: “I’ve always apologised. I don’t think that’s something I’ve not done. I’ve always apologised to everybody who was involved.” Singh then followed up: “Do you recognise that you were in the wrong in that way?” To which Jenas added: “In the way that I was in a position of power in my role in my job, it was something that I shouldn’t have been doing.

“But also, this was a marital thing and more than anything, I need to apologise to my wife over everything. I’m not here begging for a job; I’m not here because I want to be back in television. That’s not where I’m at.” In a particularly awkward moment, Jenas then visibly took issue with the line of questioning, adding he had already been “heavily punished”.

Singh then continued to press: “I’m not saying that, I just find it interesting because you’re skirting around things. For example, you say that’s been taken away, but people might say you put yourself in that position, you risked it all by doing what you did.”

In agreement, Jenas added: “Granted, I put myself in that position, but the learning from it doesn’t always have to be negative. I think in this industry, we’re so obsessed with saying, ‘He’s been cancelled’. It’s like, hang on a minute. I’m a person who’s learned a lot from my mistakes. I’m a person who’s had a brilliant career and really enjoyed my time on television, but there is a lot for me to give back.

“I’m not saying on television, it could be on a different platform where I know a lot of people feel how I feel. I’m a human being; we make mistakes. You two can’t sit in front of me and tell me you’ve never made a mistake in your life.”

Jenas Now Lives A Different Life With New Love Interest & Job

Last year, Jenas went into detail regarding his plans for the future, including a new podcast and production company – both new ambitions that he has been successful with so far. “You eventually land in a place, where I am now, where I still feel like I’m evolving and growing,” he said on The Dressing Room Podcast.

While chatting to former Premier League peers Joe Cole, Carlton Cole and Wayne Bridge, the disgraced pundit spoke positively about what’s to come, but made it clear he no longer wanted to work for others. “But I am happy, yeah.

All of this new work comes under his new production company ‘Pivot Productions’, which is focused on producing celebrity-led shows, social issue documentaries, and podcast content. Meanwhile, he has found love a year on from his divorce, with a woman 12 years his junior, with the 43-year-old quietly dating Paris-based brunette Anne, 31, for six months, insiders have revealed.