Thomas Hitzlsperger German Footballer Born 1982 in Munich

Thomas Hitzlsperger is a German former footballer and football executive. A midfielder with a strong left foot, he was born on 5 April 1982 in Munich, played in Germany, England and Italy, and won 52 caps for the national team before moving into club administration.

Early life

Hitzlsperger was born in Munich, the youngest in a family of seven children, and grew up in Forstinning. He started in the youth team of VfB Forstinning in 1988 and moved to the youth ranks of Bayern Munich, where he stayed until 2000. He also passed through Germany's under-15, under-16, under-17, under-18, under-20 and under-21 sides before his senior call-up.

Career

In 2000 he left Bayern on a free youth transfer to Aston Villa. He made his debut in January 2001 as a late substitute against Liverpool and spent part of the 2001–02 season on loan at Chesterfield. After scoring his first senior goal against Leicester City in April 2002, he became a regular in the Villa side. A long-range goal in December 2002 secured a 2–1 win over West Bromwich Albion, and his hard shooting earned him the nickname Der Hammer among supporters.

He joined VfB Stuttgart in summer 2005 on a free transfer. In 2006–07 he played in 30 of 34 league games and scored seven times as Stuttgart won the Bundesliga. His equaliser against Energie Cottbus in the last match of the season kept the title race in Stuttgart's hands. He was named club captain in July 2008 and lost the role in December 2009.

In January 2010 he moved to Lazio on a six-month deal and scored once, against Udinese. That June he signed a three-year contract with West Ham United. Injury delayed his debut until an FA Cup tie with Burnley on 21 February 2011, when he scored in a 5–1 win. West Ham were relegated that season and his contract ended. VfL Wolfsburg signed him in August 2011, and he left after one season. In the Bundesliga he made 131 appearances for Stuttgart and Wolfsburg combined and scored 20 goals. Everton took him on a short-term contract in October 2012, later extended to the end of that season. In September 2013 he announced his retirement, citing the strain of repeated transfers and some injuries.

For Germany he made his debut on 9 October 2004 in a 2–0 win in Iran. He was in the squads for the 2005 Confederations Cup and the 2006 World Cup, where he played the last eleven minutes of the third-place match against Portugal. On 6 September 2006 he came on as a substitute against San Marino and scored twice in a 13–0 win. At the 2008 European Championship he started all three knockout games, including the semi-final against Turkey, where he set up Philipp Lahm's late winning goal, and Germany lost the final to Spain. His 52nd and last cap came on 11 August 2010. He also appeared in the 2006 film Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen.

Recognition

Hitzlsperger's honours include the Bundesliga title with Stuttgart in 2006–07, a place in that season's kicker Team of the Season, and third place at the 2006 World Cup and the 2005 Confederations Cup. He was named footballer of the month in 2007 and received the Julius Hirsch Prize in 2011 and the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt. In 2020 he was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and in 2026 the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg.

Public roles

After retiring he worked as a television pundit. On 12 February 2019 he became head of sport at VfB Stuttgart and was later promoted to chief executive, a post he left in early 2022. In January 2025 he was announced as a board member of Hellas Verona after the club's takeover by Presidio Investors. In 2024 he presented his autobiography, Mutproben, and Aston Villa named him to its Honorary Anniversary Board ahead of the club's 150th anniversary season.

Personal life

Hitzlsperger developed an interest in economics while living in England and studied investment strategies there, though he did not finish the course. He has written for Störungsmelder, a website that promotes discussion of racism and xenophobia in Germany.