Theodor Gebre Selassie

Not to be confused with Haile Gebrselassie.
In this name, the family name is Gebre Selassie, not Selassie.
Theodor Gebre Selassie

Gebre Selassie in 2012
Personal information
Full name Theodor Gebre Selassie
Date of birth (1986-12-24) 24 December 1986
Place of birth Třebíč, Czechoslovakia
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Right back
Club information
Current team
 Werder Bremen
Number 23
Youth career
1992–1998 Velké Meziříčí
1998–2005 Vysočina Jihlava
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2005–2007 Vysočina Jihlava 18 (2)
2005–2006 → Velké Meziříčí (loan) 8 (0)
2007–2008 Slavia Prague 11 (0)
2008–2012 Slovan Liberec 97 (8)
2012– Werder Bremen 106 (7)
National team‡
2007–2008 Czech Republic U-21 6 (0)
2011– Czech Republic 31 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:35, 5 March 2016 (UTC).
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 September 2015

Theodor Gebre Selassie (born 24 December 1986) is a Czech football defender who plays for German club Werder Bremen and the Czech Republic national football team.

Having won the Czech First League with Slavia Prague in 2008 and Slovan Liberec four years later, he then signed for Bremen on a four-year contract.

Gebre Selassie made his international debut for the Czech Republic in 2011, becoming their first player of African descent, and was selected in their squad for UEFA Euro 2012.

Personal life

Gebre Selassie was born in 1986 in Třebíč in the former Czechoslovakia. His father, Chamola, is Ethiopian and arrived in the country as a doctor during the communist period. His mother, Jana, is Czech and a schoolteacher.[1][2] Gebre Selassie has a younger sister named Anna, who plays for the Czech Republic women's national handball team.[3]

Club career

Gebre Selassie began his football career in 1992, developing within the Czech youth system. For the next six years, he was a member of the Velké Meziříčí junior squad. He subsequently moved to Vysočina Jihlava, where he played for the club's youth team between 1998 and 2005.

As his family placed great importance on education, Gebre Selassie later almost abandoned football altogether to concentrate on a university degree. However, he eventually opted to join Velké Meziříčí's senior side in 2005.[2]

Gebre Selassie subsequently had a brief stint with Slavia Prague in the 2007–08 season, during which he won the Czech First League title. He then played for Slovan Liberec, where he again won the league title in the 2011–12 season.[1]

After playing all four of the Czech Republic's matches at UEFA Euro 2012, Gebre Selassie was signed on 22 June by Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga on a four-year deal.[1] On 24 August 2012, Gebre Selassie scored a goal in Bremen's first game of the season, heading an equaliser in a 1–2 away loss against reigning champions Borussia Dortmund.[4]

International career

In May 2011, Gebre Selassie received his first call-up to the Czech Republic national football team. On 4 June, he became the first player of African descent to play for the country,[5] making his debut as a half-time substitute for Ondřej Kušnír in a goalless draw against Peru at the Kirin Cup at Matsumotodaira Football Stadium in Matsumoto, Japan.

Gebre Selassie was later given the number 2 shirt in the Czech squad for UEFA Euro 2012. He was allegedly the target of racist chanting from Russia fans during the Czech Republic's match against Russia, which ended in a 4–1 victory for Russia.[6] During the tournament, he received attention from some of Europe's most successful clubs.[7] He started all four of the Czechs' games, as the side won its group before eventually losing to Portugal in the quarter-finals.[1] He scored his first senior international goal on 12 October 2012 in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Malta, opening a 3–1 victory in Plzeň.[8]

Career statistics

International

Czech Republic national team[9]
YearAppsGoals
201170
2012121
201380
201410
201540
Total321

International goals

Scores and results list the Czech Republic's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 October 2012 Stadion města Plzně, Plzeň, Czech Republic  Malta 1–0 3–1 2014 World Cup qualifier

Honours

Slavia Prague
Slovan Liberec

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Palmer, Justin (22 June 2012). "Czech defender Gebre Selassie joins Bremen". Reuters. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  2. 1 2 Kennedy, Paul (21 June 2012). "Gebre Selassie: 'I am glad I am different'". Soccer America Daily. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  3. ↑ Petrák, Michal. "Euro 2012: Czech Republic profile - Theodor Gebre Selassie". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Dortmund do it the hard way". Sky Sports. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Gebre Selassie close to Bremen move". ESPNSTAR. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "Watchdog says Russia fans abused Czech Selassie". The Times. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  7. ↑ Petrák, Michal (29 May 2012). "Euro 2012: Czech Republic profile – Theodor Gebre Selassie". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  8. ↑ Volynsky, Masha (15 October 2012). "Czechs beat Malta in World Cup qualifier". Radio Prague. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  9. ↑ "Theodor Gebre Selassie". National Football Teams. Retrieved 5 March 2014.

External links

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