Benjamin Kevin Siegrist (born 31 January 1992) is a Swiss professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

, who plays in the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

for

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

as a goalkeeper. He was a member of the

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

squad at the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and went on to represent the Swiss Under-21s. In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, Siegrist was part of his nation's

FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fédération ...

winning side, during which he also received the competition's inaugural Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper. During seven years in the

Aston Villa Academy The Aston Villa Under-21s, formerly known as Aston Villa Reserves and Aston Villa Under-23s, are the most senior youth development team of Aston Villa and compete in Premier League 2 (Division 2) of the Professional Development League, the Pr ...

Siegrist undertook a series of short-term loans to

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

and

Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

sides. After a spell in the Swiss Super League with

Vaduz Vaduz ( or , High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' Hrsg. ...

, Siegrist signed for Scottish club Dundee United in 2018.

Club career

Aston Villa

Siegrist was born in

Therwil Therwil ( Swiss German: ''Därwyl'') is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. Geography Therwil has an area, , of . Of this area, or 46.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 24. ...

Basel-Country Basel-Landschaft or Basel-Country informally known as Baselland or Baselbiet (; german: Kanton Basel-Landschaft ; rm, Chantun Basilea-Champagna; french: Canton de Bâle-Campagne; it, Canton Basilea Campagna), is one of the 26 cantons forming ...

. Having been spotted playing for local side FC Therwil, Siegrist continued his youth career at

FC Basel Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel, FCB, or just Basel, is a Swiss football club based in Basel, in the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Formed in 1893, the club has been Swiss national champions 20 times, Swiss Cup winners 13 times, and ...

in his native Switzerland and during his time there he won both the Swiss U-16 league and cup double in 2008. In January 2009, just prior to his 17th birthday, he signed for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

of the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. He represented the reserve and academy teams, and in July 2010 he linked up with local side Tamworth with a view to a season-long loan. The loan move never materialised, but Siegrist did play for the club in two pre-season friendlies against Rugby Town and Leamington. As a Villa youth player, he helped the club to the reach the final of the 2009–10

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

(which was lost 3–2 on aggregate to

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

) and the 2011–12 Premier Reserve League South title. Ahead of the 2012–13 season Siegrist was promoted to Aston Villa's first team squad, receiving the number 39 shirt in the process.

Loans

Siegrist joined

Football League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...

on a one-month loan deal on 28 November 2013. He was given the number one shirt and was named on the bench for Albion's match with

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

on 30 November 2013. He made no appearances, largely due to the form of Dean Lyness, and returned to Aston Villa after one month. In March 2014 Siegrist joined

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...

of the

Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...

, the fifth tier of English league football, on loan until the end of the season. On 26 March 2014 Siegrist made his professional debut in a 3–0 win away to

Salisbury City Salisbury City Football Club was an English football club based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. They were formed in 1947 and played at The Raymond McEnhill Stadium. Salisbury had gained back-to-back promotions in recent years, first to the Conference S ...

. Siegrist played three matches for Cambridge conceding only one goal and helping the club to a second-place league finish and ultimately the

2014 Conference Premier play-off final The 2014 Conference Premier play-off Final, known as the 2014 Skrill Premier play-off Final for sponsorship reasons, was a football match between Cambridge United and Gateshead on 18 May 2014 at Wembley Stadium in London. It was the twelfth Con ...

, before a groin injury ended his spell at the club. Siegrist joined

Solihull Moors Solihull Moors Football Club is a professional football club based in Solihull, England. The club currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system, after achieving promotion from the National Leag ...

of the

National League North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...

on a one-month emergency loan on 8 October 2015 having recovered from a serious leg injury in May 2015. He played in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

third qualifying round for Solihull against

Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane. Worcester City's ...

, the Moors forced a replay with a 1–1 draw in the first match but lost 1–0 in the replay, despite a string of fine saves from Siegrist. Siegrist made his league debut in a 1–1 draw away to Tamworth on 17 October 2015. Siegrist was named man of the match in a 2–2 draw with

Lowestoft Town Lowestoft Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. They are currently members of the and play at Crown Meadow. History The club was established in 1887 as Lowestoft F.C. by a merger of East Suf ...

on 7 November 2015, making a string of saves to keep Moors in the game. Following a loan extension until March 2016 his good form continued as Moors moved clear at the top of the league in January 2016, they went on to win the league a few weeks after Siegrist's departure. On 19 March 2016, Siegrist joined

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...

on loan until the end of the season as cover, ultimately only playing a single match.

Vaduz

Siegrist signed for

in the

Swiss Super League The Swiss Super League (known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a Swiss professional league in the top tier of the Swiss football league system and has been played in its current format since the 2003–04 season ...

in the Summer 2016 transfer window for a fee of £210,000.

Dundee United

Siegrist signed a two-year contract with

Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland Scotland (, ...

club

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

in June 2018. Manager Csaba László initially used Siegrist as understudy to Matej Rakovan, but he had become first choice by the time

Robbie Neilson Robbie Neilson (born 19 June 1980) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian. Neilson, who played as a right-back, started his senior career with ...

became manager later that year. Siegrist was part of the Dundee United team that were declared Championship winners in 2019–20, and were subsequently promoted to the

. He made his 100th appearance for the club against

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

in February 2021. He made 131 saves in Premiership matches during the 2020–21 season, the most of any goalkeeper in the league, and won the club's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards, despite missing the end of the season with a broken wrist. In June 2021, United rejected an official bid to buy Siegrist from English

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

club

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

. In the following summer, Siegrist left Dundee United as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

Celtic

On 21 June 2022, Siegrist signed for Celtic as a free agent on a 4-year deal. On 31 August 2022, he made his official debut for the club in a 4-1 away win against Ross County in the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

second round.

International career

Siegrist has been part of Switzerland squads at U17, U18, U19, and U21 level. Siegrist won the

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

with his nation: the goalkeeper was an integral part of the side that beat the hosts in the final and won the tournament's first Golden Glove award as a result. He was chosen as a backup goalkeeper for Switzerland's U21 squad at the

2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *'' ...

, but remained an unused substitute throughout the tournament as Switzerland lost 2–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. In 2012, Siegrist was chosen as a backup goalkeeper to

Diego Benaglio Diego Orlando Benaglio (born 8 September 1983) is a Swiss former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent most of his professional career with Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in Germany's top flight, the Bundesliga, winning the 2009 league champ ...

for

Pierluigi Tami Pierluigi Tami (born 12 September 1961) is a Swiss football manager and a former defender. He also holds Italian citizenship. Career He was in charge of the Switzerland national under-21 football team, and also worked as an assistant to coach O ...

's 18-man squad to represent Switzerland at the

2012 London Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Career statistics

Honours

Basel Academy * Swiss U-16 League: 2007–08 * Swiss Cup U-16 Cup: 2007–08 Aston Villa Academy & Reserves *

runners-up: 2009–10 * Premier Reserve League South: 2011–12 Cambridge United *

runners-up & Play-off winners: 2013–14 Solihull Moors *

: 2015–16 FC Vaduz *

Liechtenstein Football Cup The Liechtenstein Football Cup is Liechtenstein's premier football competition, and has been organised annually by the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) since 1946. The winner qualifies to take part in the UEFA Europa Conference League. ...

: 2016–17, 2017–18 Dundee United *Scottish Championship: 2019–20 Celtic *

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

Switzerland *

UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the compe ...

runners-up:

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Individual *

– Golden Glove:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegrist, Benjamin 1992 births Living people Sportspeople from Basel-Landschaft Swiss men's footballers Switzerland men's under-21 international footballers Switzerland men's youth international footballers Swiss expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Olympic footballers for Switzerland Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Men's association football goalkeepers Aston Villa F.C. players Burton Albion F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Solihull Moors F.C. players Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players FC Vaduz players Dundee United F.C. players Celtic F.C. players National League (English football) players English Football League players Swiss Super League players Swiss Challenge League players Scottish Professional Football League players Swiss expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Liechtenstein Expatriate men's footballers in Liechtenstein