Football, music and much more: 10 facts about Yann Sommer

Yann Sommer, Inter's new goalkeeper, was born in Morges in the Swiss Canton of Vaud on 17 December 1988. He started out playing youth football for FC Basel and, after loan spells first with FC Vaduz and then Grasshoppers, was Basel's first-choice keeper for four years. From 2014 to 2023, he was the goalkeeper and captain of Borussia Mönchengladbach before moving to FC Bayern in June 2023. He has won four Swiss national titles, one Swiss Cup and one Bundesliga title. In international football, he has won 83 caps for Switzerland, playing in three World Cups and two European Championships.

A goalkeeper like his father

Yann Sommer's first memories between the sticks are linked to his father, his inspiration to play in goal. He chose to take on the role as a youngster, a true passion for keeping. He never entertained the thought of playing elsewhere.

Best save was against...

Among the many top stops in his career, the one that has stuck with Sommer was the one against Kylian Mbappé. In July 2021, Switzerland and France played out a wild 3-3 draw in the Round of 16 that went all the way to penalties. Every player scored their spot kick, including Marcus Thuram. Mbappé then stepped up to take Les Bleus' fifth and final penalty: Sommer sprung to his right and made the save with his left arm. He has to wait for the referee's okay, but ended up in the history books of Swiss football: Switzerland through, France eliminate.

Inter's goalkeeping tradition

Yann Sommer is well aware of who has preceded him in net for Inter. Toldo, Julio Cesar, Handanovic, Onana: these are the names that Yann cited while talking about his attachment to the Nerazzurri. Alongside them were Javier Zanetti and Ronaldo, naturally.

INTER'S 22ND SWISS PLAYER

The Swiss players who have turned out for the Nerazzurri most recently are Ciriaco Sforza and Xherdan Shaqiri. But our new keeper has a lot of previous Swiss Interisti to follow on from, many of whom were part of the first Inter side to take the field in 1908, such as Ugo Rietmann, who was one of the Club's founders. Oscar Engler is the Swiss player with the most appearances for the Club.

First time at San Siro behind closed doors

Sommer has played against Inter twice in his career, both in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League group stage. Both matches were played behind closed doors and his only appearance at San Siro to date was the 2-2 draw. Inter won 3-2 in Germany. Now, he is ready to play in front of the Nerazzurri's supporters.

Basel and Federer

Sommer is a Basel boy, much like tennis legend Roger Federer - an idol of Yann's and of all Swiss peopler. They've never played together on the court by Yann knows that Federer would have made a great footballer.

Music and the guitar

Music is one of Sommer's greatest passions apart from football. The guitar and songs accompany him through life. He's never written a song of his own but Yann doesn't deny that he enjoys music.

Keith Richards and... Eros Ramazzotti

As a lover of the guitar, Yann's musical hero could only ever be Keith Richards, guitarist for the Rolling Stones. He loves the energy, with which Richards commands the stage. But Sommer always has a passion for Italian music: he's a fan of Eros Ramazzotti and even saw him live in concert in Munich recently.

The best photo of his career

A keen photographer himself, Sommer keeps plenty of photos of himself during his career. The best ones are of his successes but also the sadder moments, which he uses as motivation.

Working with kids

One of Yann Sommer's most important projects outside of football is his work as an ambassador for Pro UKBB Foundation, which helps children in need. For years now, the goalkeeper has worked in Basel to bring moments of joy to kids that need a helping hand.