Tranquillo Barnetta

Tranquillo Barnetta joined the Philadelphia Union on July 29, 2015 as a free transfer. He has extensive experience in the German Bundesliga where he made 260 league appearances in his career. Playing for Schalke 04 from 2012-15, he made 60 total appearances and had three goals. Prior to joining Schalke, Barnetta played for Bayer Leverkusen, where he signed when he was just 19 years old. There, Barnetta made 229 total appearances and scored 26 goals with 51 assists in eight seasons. He’s also had loan spells at Hannover 96 and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Barnetta’s also had experience playing at the highest levels in the world, including the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and Europa League. He's had 75 international caps for Switzerland, including seven starts in the World Cup. He's made 11 appearances in Champions League and 33 appearances in the Europa League/UEFA Cup.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2016 (Union): Barnetta started the season recovering from an injury but as soon as he returned, the Union sparked. After his initial return in the 1-0 loss against Chicago Fire in early April, the Union went 10 consecutive games without a loss. Since returning to full health and getting back on the field, he has played in 18 games total and started the last 15 consecutive matches for the Union. Philadelphia is unbeaten this season in matches that Barnetta has recorded either an assist or a goal. 

2015 (Union): Joining late into the season, Barnetta was able to score a goal and assist on three others in his 11-game stint with the club in 2015. Barnetta was involved with both Philadelphia goals tallying a goal and an assist in the Union 2-0 win over Houston on Sept. 20. He captained the team for the first time against San Jose on Sept. 5

2014-15 (Schalke 04): Barnetta made 22 league appearances while scoring three goals and adding five assists. He also made four appearances in the UEFA Champions League, helping Schalke finish second in Group G behind Chelsea, en route to entering the knockout round. They were eventually eliminated by Real Madrid. His contract expired on June 30, 2015.

2013-14 (Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt): Made one league appearance with Schalke, spending the majority of the year on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt. There he played in 22 league games and scored one goal. He made seven appearances for the club in Europa League, where he handed out four assists, leading them to the Round of 32, where they were ultimately eliminated by FC Porto.

2012-13 (Schalke 04): Signed a three-year deal with Schalke 04 on July 3. He made 21 league appearances, helping Schalke finish fourth in the Bundesliga, again qualifying for UEFA Champions League. During Champions League that same year, Barnetta started seven games as Schalke won Group B and advanced to the Round of 16, where they were knocked out by Galatasaray.

2011-12 (Bayer Leverkusen): Made seven appearances had two assists in his final year with Bayer Leverkusen. 

2010-11 (Bayer Leverkusen): Appeared in 24 games, scored two goals and had three assists while helping lead Bayer to second place in the Bundesliga, qualifying for UEFA Champions League. He also had four appearances in Europa League matches. 

2009-10 (Bayer Leverkusen): Finished fifth in the Bundesliga in assists with 11. He ended up with 32 league appearances and four goals as Bayer finished fourth in the league, qualifying for Europa League.

2008-09 (Bayer Leverkusen): Appeared in 31 league matches and scored four goals with 10 assists. He finished in a tie for 10th in the Bundesliga in that category.

2007-08 (Bayer Leverkusen): Appeared in 32 league matches and scored six goals. Made 11 appearances in UEFA Cup, helping lead Bayer to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Zenit Saint Petersburg.

2006-07 (Bayer Leverkusen): Appeared in 30 league matches and scored one goal.

2005-06 (Bayer Leverkusen): In his first full year with Bayer, Barnetta appeared in 31 league matches, scored six goals and had seven assists. 

YOUTH EXPERIENCE

Played for his hometown St. Gallen from 1996-2002, before signing with the senior team on July 1, 2002.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Barnetta has made 75 appearances for the Swiss National Team, most recently on Oct. 14, 2014 in an European Cup qualifier against San Marino. He’s been a member on each of Switzerland’s last three World Cup teams, including playing key roles in 2006 and 2010. In Germany in 2006, Barnetta started and played the full 90 in all four of Switzerland’s games and scored a goal in a 2-0 win over Togo in group play. There, he helped lead the Swiss into the knockout round of a FIFA World Cup for the first time in 12 years and for just the second time since 1938.

In South Africa in 2010, Barnetta played in all three games and made two starts, including the team’s 1-0 win over eventual champions Spain. Although he did not play in Brazil in 2014, Barnetta was a key member of the team’s qualification to the tournament, appearing in six games from 2012-13, and was on the 23-man roster for his third World Cup call-up. Barnetta also played in all three games at Euro 2008 where Switzerland was the host nation.

TRANSACTION

Signed as a free transfer with the Philadelphia Union using Targeted Allocation Money on July 29, 2015.