Timo Hildebrand

Timo Hildebrand

Hildebrand celebrating Stuttgart's Bundesliga win in 2007
Personal information
Date of birth	5 April 1979
Place of birth	Worms, West Germany
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1984–1994	FV Hofheim/Ried
1994–1999	VfB Stuttgart
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1999–2007	VfB Stuttgart	221	(0)
2007–2008	Valencia	26	(0)
2008–2010	1899 Hoffenheim	38	(0)
2010–2011	Sporting CP	0	(0)
2011	Schalke 04 II	6	(0)
2011–2014	Schalke 04	39	(0)
2014–2015	Eintracht Frankfurt	3	(0)
National team
1999–2001	Germany U21	18	(0)
2002–2003	Germany Team 2006	2	(0)
2004–2007	Germany	7	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 December 2014. † Appearances (goals)

Timo Hildebrand (born 5 April 1979) is a retired German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Hildebrand holds a Bundesliga record for keeping a clean sheet for consecutive minutes (884 minutes) in 2003–04.^[2]

Club career

VfB Stuttgart

After starting his career at the little-known FV Hofheim/Ried, Hildebrand joined the Stuttgart youth team in 1994.

From the summer of 2000, he was the club's number one goalkeeper and contributed largely to Stuttgart's successes, particularly as part of what became known as "Stuttgart's young wild ones" team under coach Felix Magath who, due to financial restraints, had to rely on young players. Largely thanks to Hildebrand's steady performances, VfB Stuttgart managed to be Bundesliga runners-up in 2003 and survived the Champions League group stage the following season, before bowing out to Chelsea FC in the second round. Hildebrand also played a significant role in Stuttgart's victorious 2006–07 Bundesliga campaign, figuring as a backbone for the next generation of "wild ones" like Serdar Tasci or Mario Gómez and helping Stuttgart provide the third-best defence of the season. The 2006–07 campaign remains his greatest domestic success to this day, and his last season with Stuttgart as in December 2006 he did not accept the club's offer to extend his contract.

Valencia

Hildebrand joined the Spanish club Valencia on a free transfer on 3 July 2007, with Valencia unveiling Hildebrand via a news conference the next day on 4 July 2007.^[3][4] He stated in the news conference that he would "give everything" to the club. Hildebrand was being viewed as a replacement to the club's long-serving goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares.^[2][5] He made his debut for Valencia on 29 August, for the third qualification round second leg of UEFA Champions League against IF Elfsborg. He played the full 90 minutes of that game of which they won 2–1.

Hildebrand was Valencia's first-choice goalkeeper for most of the 2007–08 season, collecting a Copa del Rey trophy on the way. After the departure of manager Ronald Koeman, Hildebrand lost his place in the first team as Koeman's successor Unai Emery preferred newly signed Renan Brito. According to media coverage, Hildebrand refused consignment to the bench and was eventually cut from the squad altogether.^[6] Hildebrand had not been playing for Valencia for several months since the Supercopa de España second leg on 24 August 2008. On 4 December 2008, he left Valencia by mutual consent.^[7]

Hoffenheim

Hildebrand at practice with Hoffenheim in 2009.

On 10 December 2008, Hildebrand signed for the Bundesliga side 1899 Hoffenheim.^[8] He made his Bundesliga debut for Hoffenheim on 31 January 2009 in their 2–0 win at home to Energie Cottbus, being substituted in the 60th minute due to an injury.

In summer 2010, Hildebrand left Hoffenheim.^[9]

Sporting

Hildebrand signed a one-year deal with Portuguese Sporting CP and debuted on 16 October 2010 in a 2–1 win over GD Estoril Praia in the Portuguese cup.

After Hildebrand left Sporting, he was on trial with Manchester City on their pre-season tour of USA before the 2011–12 season,^[10] but they did not take up the option to sign him.^[11]

Schalke 04

Hildebrand signed onto Schalke 04 in the middle of the 2011–12 Bundesliga campaign after starting keeper Ralf Fährmann was injured.^[12]

Eintracht Frankfurt

On 25 September 2014 Hildebrand signed for Eintracht Frankfurt in the wake of a major injury to their first-choice keeper Kevin Trapp.^[13]

International career

After collecting 18 Under-21-caps, Hildebrand made his full international debut for Germany on 28 April 2004 in a friendly against Romania in Bucharest as he came on as a half-time substitute for Oliver Kahn with Germany losing 0–4, and eventually lost 1–5.

Hildebrand was selected for three consecutive tournaments for Germany, Euro 2004, 2005 Confederations Cup and 2006 World Cup, as Germany's third-choice goalkeeper behind Jens Lehmann and Oliver Kahn. He played his first competitive international at the 2005 Confederations Cup against Argentina (final score 2–2). He was the only member of the 2006 World Cup squad who did not play at the tournament, as Germany came third on home soil.^[14]

After Kahn's retirement from international football in 2006, Hildebrand stepped up to become Germany's number two and was Jens Lehmann's natural replacement during the Euro 2008 qualification.^[15] Somewhat surprisingly, Joachim Löw dropped Hildebrand from the final squad for the tournament and picked Robert Enke and René Adler ahead of him. Although Löw stated that Hildebrand was an important player and may return to the set-up in near future,^[16] he has yet to appear for Germany since Euro 2008.

Career statistics

As of 20 December 2014

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Germany			League		DFB-Pokal		Europe		Total
1999–00	Stuttgart	Bundesliga	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
2000–01			32	0	5	0	6	0	43	0
2001–02			31	0	3	0	0	0	34	0
2002–03			20	0	1	0	4	0	25	0
2003–04			34	0	0	0	8	0	42	0
2004–05			34	0	3	0	7	0	44	0
2005–06			31	0	2	0	6	0	39	0
2006–07			33	0	6	0	0	0	39	0
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Europe		Total
2007–08	Valencia	La Liga	26	0	3	0	3	0	32	0
2008–09			0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Germany			League		DFB-Pokal		Europe		Total
2008–09	Hoffenheim	Bundesliga	10	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
2009–10			28	0	0	0	0	0	28	0
Portugal			League		Taça de Portugal		Europe		Total
2010–11	Sporting	Primeira Liga	0	0	1	0	2	0	3	0
Germany			League		DFB-Pokal		Europe		Total
2011–12	Schalke 04	Bundesliga	6	0	0	0	5	0	11	0
2012–13			21	0	3	0	3	0	27	0
2013–14			12	0	2	0	6	0	20	0
2014–15	Frankfurt		3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Total	Germany		301	0	25	0	45	0	371	0
	Spain		26	0	3	0	3	0	32	0
	Portugal		0	0	1	0	2	0	3	0
Career total			327	0	29	0	50	0	406	0

Honours

Club

VfB Stuttgart^[17]

• Bundesliga: 2006–07
• DFB Pokal Runner-up: 2006–07

Valencia CF^[17]

• Copa del Rey: 2007–08

International

Germany^[18]

• FIFA World Cup Third Place: 2006
• FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place: 2005

Individual

• ESM Team of the Year: 2003-04

References

1. "Timo Hildebrand Official Profile". Retrieved 26 October 2009.
2. "Hildebrand aiming to oust Canizares at Valencia". Reuters. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
3. "Hildebrand - Nuevo Portero del Valencia Cf" (in Spanish). 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
4. "Hildebrand moves to Los Che". ITV Football. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
5. "Hildebrand lays down gauntlet to Canizares". Eurosport. 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
6. "David Silva fällt lange aus". kicker.de. 22 September 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
7. "Valencia release keeper Hildebrand from contract". ESPNsoccernet. 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
8. "Perfekt: Hildebrand zu 1899". kicker.de. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
9. "Wege von 1899 Hoffenheim und Timo Hildebrand trennen sich am Saisonende". TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (in German). 27 April 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
10. "Summer Tour: Training Day 13". Manchester City C.F. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
11. "Mancini entscheidet sich gegen Hildebrand" (in German). kicker.de. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
12. "Hildebrand to join Schalke". Bundesliga. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
13. "Frankfurt sign ex-Germany keeper Hildebrand". DW. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
14. "Germany 3-1 Portugal". BBC Sport. 8 July 2006. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
15. "Ich erwarte nicht, dass Löw anruft" (in German). Stuttgarter Nachrichten. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
16. "Hildebrand schöpft wieder Hoffnung". kicker.de. 9 August 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
17. "T. Hildebrand". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
18. "Timo Hildebrand" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 13 December 2014.

External links

• Official website (German)
• Timo Hildebrand profile at Fussballdaten