Leonidas Stergiou
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 March 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Wattwil, Switzerland[1] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wil | |||
| 2015–2019 | St. Gallen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | St. Gallen II | 5 | (0) |
| 2019–2024 | St. Gallen | 139 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | → VfB Stuttgart (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2024– | VfB Stuttgart | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016–2017 | Switzerland U15 | 6 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Switzerland U16 | 8 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Switzerland U17 | 9 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Switzerland U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2020– | Switzerland U21 | 18 | (1) |
| 2022– | Switzerland | 6 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:36, 10 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 June 2024 | |||
Leonidas Stergiou (Greek: Λεωνίδας Στεργίου; born 3 March 2002) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart and the Switzerland national team.[2]
Club career
[edit]Stergiou initially made his competitive debut for the senior St. Gallen side on 6 February 2019, participating in a 3–1 victory against FC Zürich.[3]
On 22 August 2023, Stergiou joined VfB Stuttgart in Germany on loan.[4] Stergiou played just 39 minutes in the first half of the season, but made his first start in February and then became a regular starter.[5] On 4 May 2024, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 3–1 win over Bayern Munich.[6]
On 15 May 2024, the loan deal was made permanent and Stergiou signed a contract until June 2028 with VfB Stuttgart.[7]
International career
[edit]Stergiou played four games for Switzerland U15[8] and five for Switzerland U16.[9] He was the captain of Switzerland U21 at the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, where they reached quarter-finals.[10]
Stergiou made his debut for the Switzerland senior national team on 12 June 2022 in a Nations League game against Spain. He replaced Ricardo Rodriguez in the 79th minute as Switzerland won 1–0.[11]
In June 2024, he was named in the Swiss squad for UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. He replaced Silvan Widmer as a substitute in the 68th minute of the team's opening Group A match against Hungary.[12]
Personal life
[edit]Stergiou was born in Wattwil in the Toggenburg area of Switzerland, to a Serbian mother and a Greek father. After joining the FC St. Gallen academy at a young age he progressed through the ranks to the first team.[13][1]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of match played 10 May 2024
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| St. Gallen II | 2018–19 | Swiss 1. Liga | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| St. Gallen | 2018–19 | Swiss Super League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Swiss Super League | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | Swiss Super League | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Swiss Super League | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Swiss Super League | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 0 | |||
| Total | 139 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 153 | 1 | |||
| VfB Stuttgart (loan) | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 159 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 176 | 1 | ||
- ^ Includes Swiss Cup and DFB-Pokal
- ^ Appearance in UEFA Europa League
International
[edit]- As of match played 29 June 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 2022 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 0 | |
Honours
[edit]Individual
- Swiss Super League Young Footballer of the Year: 2020–21[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b St. Gallens Juwel im Interview - Leonidas Stergiou: «Irgendwann zum Fuchs werden», srf.ch, 16 December 2019
- ^ Leonidas Stergiou at Soccerway
- ^ "Portrait Leonidas Stergiou: Der stille Schaffer in der Innenverteidigung" (in German). FC St. Gallen. 16 December 2020.
- ^ "VfB sign Leonidas Stergiou". VfB Stuttgart. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry. "Euro 2024: complete guide to all 622 players". the Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ "Stuttgart 1–3 Bayern München". BBC Sport. 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Leonidas Stergiou signs long-term VfB deal". VfB Stuttgart. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ Schweizerischer Fussballverband - U-15, football.ch
- ^ Schweizerischer Fussballverband - U-16, football.ch
- ^ "Spain U21 v Switzerland U21 game report". UEFA. 1 July 2023.
- ^ "Switzerland v Spain game report". UEFA. 12 June 2022.
- ^ "Hungary 1-3 Switzerland LIVE: UEFA Euro 2024 - score, updates & reaction". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ Leonidas Stergiou, die Perle aus dem Toggenburg, nzz.ch, 6 February 2019
External links
[edit]- Leonidas Stergiou at St. Gallen's website
- Leonidas Stergiou at SFV (U17)
- Leonidas Stergiou at Soccerway.com
- Leonidas Stergiou at WorldFootball.net
- Leonidas Stergiou at Soccerbase.com
- Leonidas Stergiou at FBref.com
- Leonidas Stergiou at the German Football Association
 | ||
- 2002 births
- Living people
- Swiss people of Greek descent
- Swiss people of Serbian descent
- Footballers from the canton of St. Gallen
- Swiss men's footballers
- Men's association football defenders
- Switzerland men's under-21 international footballers
- Switzerland men's youth international footballers
- Switzerland men's international footballers
- Swiss 1. Liga (football) players
- Swiss Super League players
- FC St. Gallen players
- VfB Stuttgart players
- UEFA Euro 2024 players
- Swiss expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
- Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Germany
- 21st-century Swiss sportsmen