- Christophe Berra
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Christophe Berra 
Personal information Full name Christophe Berra[1] Date of birth 31 January 1985 Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] Playing position Centre back Club information Current club Wolverhampton Wanderers Number 16 Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 2003–2009 Heart of Midlothian 123 (4) 2009– Wolverhampton Wanderers 80 (0) National team‡ 2007 Scotland B 1 (0) 2008– Scotland 18 (1) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 May 2011.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 25 May 2011Christophe Berra (born 31 January 1985) is a Scottish international footballer who currently plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Contents
Club career
Hearts
Berra joined Hearts on 26 April 2002 from their youth development system.[3] He is one in a long line of young defenders, particularly central defenders, to have progressed through the Hearts youth system,[4] including Paul Ritchie and Alan McLaren.
After impressive performances in the youth and Under-21 teams, Berra made his first team debut on 30 November 2003 as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat at Dundee United. He made only a handful of further appearances during the remainder of the 2003–04 season, but continued his development over the following campaigns, becoming an important member of the first team squad.
He scored the important second goal in a 2–0 victory against Kilmarnock[5] in season 2005–06 which was pivotal in the Tynecastle club's push towards UEFA Champions League qualification. That season also saw him gain a Scottish Cup winner's medal after being a non-playing substitute in the 2006 Scottish Cup Final win against Gretna.
In July 2006, Berra signed a five-year deal with Hearts, before going on to play in the club's European ties in Champions League qualifiers and the UEFA Cup during a season that saw the club finish fourth. The following season, he became the youngest captain in the SPL[6] after the departure of the previous Hearts captain Craig Gordon to Sunderland in August 2007.
Wolves
Berra won international recognition at the end of the 2007–08 season and, during the close season, his growing reputation attracted the attention of Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers. They made a reported £1.5 million bid to sign him,[7] but it was not considered as Hearts were without a manager at the time. Wolves returned with an improved offer – reportedly £2million – on 27 January 2009, but it was again rejected.[8] However, he eventually signed for Wolves for an undisclosed fee – believed to be around £2.5m[9] – in a four-and-a-half-year deal on transfer-deadline day, 2 February 2009, going on to help them win promotion to the Premier League.[10]
International career
Berra has been capped by Scotland at different age levels and also for the senior squad. He made his international debut as a substitute, on 30 May 2008 in Scotland's 3–1 friendly match defeat to the Czech Republic at the AXA Arena in Prague. He was also eligible to play for France, through his father's French lineage.
Berra made his first start for the national team in the Amsterdam ArenA on 28 March 2009 in the match against the Netherlands.[11]
Berra scored his first goal for Scotland on 25 May 2011 against Wales in the 2011 Nations Cup.[12]
International goals
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 25 May 2011 Aviva Stadium, Dublin 
Wales3–1 3–1 2011 Nations Cup Honours
- Hearts
- Scottish Cup (1): 2005–06
- Wolves
References
- ^ "Statistics" (PDF). Premier League. http://www.premierleague.com/staticFiles/7b/53/0,,12306~152443,00.pdf. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
- ^ "Premier League Player Profile". Premier League. http://www.premierleague.com/page/PlayerProfile/0,,12306~29393,00.html. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Hearts' vision can spur on other clubs". The Scotsman. UK. http://sport.scotsman.com/top-stories/Hearts-vision-can-spur-on.2373514.jp. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ^ Hearts 2–0 Kilmarnock, BBC Sport, 15 April 2006.
- ^ "Berra becomes new Hearts captain". bbc.co.uk. 10 August 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/6940106.stm. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ^ "Wolves make bid to capture Berra". BBC Sport. 2 June 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/7431856.stm. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
- ^ "Hearts reject Wolves' Berra bid". BBC Sport. 27 January 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/7853964.stm. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
- ^ "Berra completes Wolves transfer". BBC Sport. 2 February 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wolverhampton_wanderers/7856537.stm. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
- ^ "Berra Deal Complete". wolves.co.uk. http://www.wolves.co.uk/page/News/0,,10307~1542290,00.html. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
- ^ "McCormack & Berra start for Scots". BBC Sport. 28 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7963110.stm. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
- ^ "Scotland beat Wales in Carling Nations Cup". BBC Sport. 25 May 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13350599.stm. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
External links
- Official club profile
- Christophe Berra career stats at Soccerbase
- Christophe Berra at scottishfa.co.uk
- Hearts appearance stats at londonhearts.com
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. – current squad 1 Hennessey · 3 Elokobi · 4 Edwards · 5 Stearman · 6 Craddock · 8 Henry · 9 Ebanks-Blake · 10 Fletcher · 11 Ward · 12 Hunt · 14 Johnson · 16 Berra · 17 Jarvis · 19 Hammill · 20 Milijaš · 23 Zubar · 24 O'Hara · 27 Winnall · 29 Doyle · 30 Doherty · 31 de Vries · 32 Foley · 34 Guedioura · 35 Cassidy · 37 Forde · 38 Harris · 39 Ihiekwe · 40 Hemmings · 41 Price · 42 Spray · 43 Reckord · 45 McCarey · 46 Gorman · 47 Ebanks-Landell · 48 McGroary · Manager: McCarthy
Categories:- Living people
- 1985 births
- Sportspeople from Edinburgh
- Scottish footballers
- Association football defenders
- Scottish Premier League players
- Scottish Premier League young player of the month awards
- Scottish people of French descent
- Scotland international footballers
- Scotland under-21 international footballers
- Scotland B international footballers
- The Football League players
- Heart of Midlothian F.C. players
- Heart of Midlothian F.C. captains
- Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
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