Timo Hildebrand

Football player infobox
playername = Timo Hildebrand


fullname = Timo Hildebrand
height = height|m=1.86 [cite web | url = http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/hildebrandtimo/ | title = Timo Hildebrand | accessdate = 2007-10-26 ]
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1979|4|5
cityofbirth = Worms
countryofbirth = West Germany
currentclub = Valencia CF
position = Goalkeeper
clubnumber = 1
youthyears = 1984–1995
1995–1999
youthclubs = FV Hofheim/Ried
VfB Stuttgart
years = 1999–2007
2007–
clubs = VfB Stuttgart
Valencia CF
caps(goals) = 221 (0)
026 (0)
nationalyears = 1999–2001
2004–
nationalteam = Germany U-21
Germany
nationalcaps(goals) = 018 (0)
007 (0)
pcupdate = 00:00, May 12 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 12:57, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Timo Hildebrand (born April 5, 1979 in Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate) is a German professional football goalkeeper, who plays for Spanish club Valencia CF in La Liga, and the German national football squad.

He has a reputation for impressive reflexes and substantial ability in one-on-one situations. Hildebrand holds a Bundesliga record for keeping a clean sheet for 884 consecutive minutes in 2003/2004.cite web|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/UK_WORLDFOOTBALL/idUKL0467011120070704|title=Hildebrand aiming to oust Canizares at Valencia|publisher=Reuters|date=2007-07-04|accessdate=2007-07-04]

Club career

VfB Stuttgart

After starting his career at the little known FV Hofheim/Ried, Hildebrand joined the VfB 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.

In December 2006 he didn't accept the offer of VfB Stuttgart to extend his contract.Fact|date=February 2007 The club signed Raphael Schäfer of Bundesliga rivals 1. FC Nuremberg as a replacement for Hildebrand from the 2007-2008 season.

Valencia

Hildebrand joined the Spanish club Valencia CF on a free transfer on July 3, 2007, with Valencia unveiling Hildebrand via a news conference the next day on July 4, 2007.cite web|url=http://www.valenciacf.es/lanzador/lanzaHTM.asp?Pagina=Hildebrand.htm|title=Hildebrand - Nuevo Portero del Valencia Cf|date=2007-07-04|accessdate=2007-07-04 | language = Spanish] cite web|url=http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=343881|title=Hildebrand Relishing Valencia Challenge|publisher=Goal.com|date=2007-07-04|accessdate=2007-07-04] cite web|url=http://www.itv-football.co.uk/CL_Story/0,14272,6109_2467429,00.html|title=Hildebrand moves to Los Che|publisher=ITV Football|date=2007-07-04|accessdate=2007-07-04] He stated in the news conference that he would "give everything" to the club. He is being viewed as a replacement to the club's long-serving goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares. He received the number 13 jersey.cite web | url = http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/04072007/58/la-liga-hildebrand-lays-gauntlet-canizares.html | title=Hildebrand lays down gauntlet to Canizares | publisher=Eurosport | date=2007-07-04 | accessdate=2007-07-04]

He made his debut for Valencia on August 29, for the third qualification round second leg of UEFA Champions League against IF Elfsborg. He played the full 90 minutes of that game. Since the club's falling out with Cañizares, Hildebrand has become Valencia's first-choice goalkeeper.

International career

After making his debut for the German squad on 28 April 2004 in a friendly against Romania in Bucharest (which Germany lost 5-1, although Hildebrand only came on at half-time when the team was already losing 4-0), Hildebrand played his first match in an international tournament for Germany at the 2005 Confederations Cup against Argentina. As of now, Hildebrand has collected a total of 7 international caps, as well as 15 Under-21-caps.

He is considered one of Germany's rising stars and this is evident from the fact that he was selected as Germany's third-choice goalkeeper for the Euro 2004 in Portugal, the Confederations Cup 2005 in Germany, as well as for the 2006 World Cup. With Oliver Kahn having retired from the national team, Hildebrand has stepped up to become Germany's number two goalkeeper behind Arsenal's Jens Lehmann. To his own and many others' surprise, though, he was not selected to join Germany's squad for Euro 2008 by coach Joachim Löw. [cite web | url = http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=698991 | title = Hildebrand Stunned By Euro Snub | publisher = goal.com | date = 2008-05-16 | accessdate = 2008-05-16]

Honours

Germany

* 2006 FIFA World Cup Bronze medallist: 2006
* Confederations Cup Bronze medallist: 2005

VfB Stuttgart

* 2006/07 German Bundesliga
* DFB Pokal Runner-Up: 2006/07

Valencia CF

* Copa del Rey: 2007-08

References

External links

*
* [http://fussballdaten.de/spieler/hildebrandtimo/ Career stats at fussballdaten.de] de icon
* [http://www.lfp.es/historico/primera/plantillas/historial.asp?jug=7875 Player stats at www.lfp.es] es icon