The rebirth of Swiss football in the early 90s, after decades of darkness, had three faces in particular: that of Totem Chapuisat, a striker who became a Borussia Dortmund legend; surveyor Ciriaco Sforza, who passed through Inter and became a symbol of Kaiserslautern in Germany; and then, that Ellen Sutter, Joe was perhaps the most talented of the three, but is remembered more for his actions off the pitch than for the pitch, where he was one of a kind “what if”. With a lot, a lot of quality in the feet.
Now aged 53, Sutter is not fully recognized as one of the architects of the Swiss Risorgimento. Or rather, it is not appreciated as it deserves it. Indeed, his fame lies in his homeland. How far is it from mythical status. Situation in which the person concerned, however, would not recognize himself at all. Shy, non-conformist. A football idealist. Actually, in the ball. What then, we got better than others while playing football, but if it was for him he would be a hairdresser, because it would make him feel better. he kept wandering grasshoppers I Youth boys, before returning to the ‘Grasshoppers’ of Zurich, the team from his hometown (Bern) and thanks for finding its size ottamaro hitzfeld,
Chosen by Goal
Freedom. On and off the pitch. Freedom of thought and action, to express oneself as you deem fit. Which had drunk the whole of Switzerland. From the time he was seventeen on the national team, his country saw in him hope for a better football future. that future had found him Roy hodgson, who took it up in 1993 3rd place in the FIFA rankings. Sutter was the pivot of the team, which then also focused on qualifying. usa 1994 world cup, Leaving Portugal and Scotland behind, leaving only Italy behind. A Nightmare’s End: The last participation took place in 1966.
In the United States, at the World Cup, Sutter captivated the audience with his plays on the left side of the pitch. He also scored a goal against Romania in the group stage, which they still define. His best match in the national team – Together against the United States, in the same group. Switzerland went to the second round, then defeated the clearly superior Spain 3–0. Sutter watched that game off the bench with an ankle problem. Maybe his presence won’t change that.
in home Bavaria Monaco, Meanwhile, he was convinced that Talent, already known as a rival (he played at Nuremberg in 1993/94), had the right requirements to be part of the team coached by Giovanni Trapatoni. From a technical point of view, definitely yes. less for others. While the Bavarian players ended up on the covers of magazines in the period in which the team was nicknamed FC Hollywood, Sutter distinguished himself for not being the spotlight type. opposite of this.
The Swiss have always been very calm, who attached great importance to health and He ate some meat. However, the one that drove you crazy (and not in a good way) Uli hoiness, President of Bayern, whose family’s economic fortune rests on a company that, in fact, produces meat. Uli once said that “A player who does not eat meat cannot take the field”.
Alain was a very young Bavarian. Plus to the fact that he was a teetotaler. Or rather, more than a teetotaler: against alcohol. in all its forms. Contrary to the policy of a club historically sponsored by a major brewery company. What happened at Oktoberfest caused a stir: Sutter not only touched the beer, but He didn’t even want to take normal photos with mugs with his teammates.
On the pitch, however, his talent and his long blond hair were a magnet for the eyes. He attracted attention. So much so that he was the idol of Julian Nagelmann, That he was 7 years old when Sutter was playing at Bayern, but was impressed by his extraordinary form.
“One day we were going to the stadium and we were on the highway” The current Bayern manager told UEFA.com, “Allen Sutter passed in the car next door: I was six or seven, I waved to greet him and he replied, It was a very special moment”.
Idle with Bayern ended early after 31 appearances, one goal and a few assists. In 1995, during the current season, he moved to Freiburg in search of a relaunch. Meanwhile, Sutter had reported himself to the world in June of that year for the protests in a match between Sweden and Switzerland. With the teams standing on the pitch, the Swiss winger opened a banner bearing the inscription “Stop It, Chirac”, Chirac was the President of France and the message was a harsh attack on him Nuclear tests being carried out by France in Mururoa, An island in Polynesia in the middle of the Pacific. This was seen as an insult. That moment is still remembered today as the moment Switzerland lost its neutrality in football. This was not the only act of protest and rebellion in the life of Sutter, who also campaigned against animal experiments and power in football.
Artur George, then whistled, at one point They decided to drop him from the national team. It was rumored that Sutter had a cult of his own, that he no longer had a sense of belonging. He played his last match for the national team in April 1996 at the age of 28. Then, in 1997, it was decided to leave European football and fly to the United States.
“The USA was perfect. No one knew me. I could do whatever I wanted. I had to go my own way” He reminded me of ‘Zwolf’.
he married Dallas Burn, He was the highest paid player in all of American football, perhaps even the strongest: “He won the game alone”, Remember comrades.
Return across the Atlantic, three years after the World Cup in the United States. A new experience, in a country that was almost a dream for him.
“With two friends in Switzerland we made a promise to each other when we finished our careers” We would have gone on Route 66″, He told ‘Tampa Bay Times’.
It’s no coincidence that, well, Played ‘Super Sutter’ in a shirt number 66. Sometimes even with a bandana on the head. Arriving in MLS, he wanted to sign a 10-year contract with the league to play all the franchises. In fact, his experience quickly ended. at the age of 30, in 1998, during a pre-season training session at the high school center, which placed him He put his foot in a hole which was too deep and got injured while jogging. He could never return to the field.
“I had to make a difficult decision at the time. There were two options: either to continue playing, fulfilling my four-year contract with the Dallas Byrne and performing an artificial hip joint at age 40, or stop and To heal completely. I chose the latter. I still had so many years of my life that I wanted to enjoy myself. I also wanted to have kids and go out and play with them painlessly. Today I’m glad I made that choice”.
After the career, Sutter worked on television and as a technical associate at Winterthur and beyond. Today he is DS of St. Gallen. He returned to Switzerland, where he had never been particularly loved. Perhaps for his waste of talent, perhaps for his neutral demeanor, his idealism. Maybe because of not keeping promises. Of course, as a footballer he was himself till the end. And that’s fine with him.
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