Lia Wälti
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Lia Joëlle Wälti[1] | ||
Date of birth | 19 April 1993 | ||
Place of birth | Langnau im Emmental, Bern, Switzerland | ||
Height | 167 cm (5 ft 6 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder, Centre back | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Arsenal | ||
Number | 13 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2008–2009 | Köniz | ||
2009–2013 | YB Frauen | ||
2013–2018 | Turbine Potsdam | 97 | (7) |
2018– | Arsenal | 42 | (1) |
National team‡ | |||
2011– | Switzerland | 84 | (5) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 May 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13 November 2018 |
Lia Joëlle Wälti (born 19 April 1993) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for FA Women's Super League club Arsenal Women and Switzerland Women's National Team. She is the captain of Switzerland Women's National Team and the third captain of Arsenal Women, she was also the captain of her previous club Turbine Potsdam. Before signed for Arsenal Women in July 2018, she played professionally for Nationalliga A's club YB Frauen from 2009 until 2013 and for Frauen-Bundesliga's club Turbine Potsdam from 2013 until 2018.
She has been a member of the Swiss national team since August 2011.[2] As an Under-19 international she played the 2009 U-19 European Championship[3] and the 2010 U-20 World Cup.[4]
Club career[]
Early career[]
In her childhood, Wälti played ice hockey as well as football.[5] In 2002, at the age of 8, she started playing for FC Langnau, a boys football team coached by her father. In 2007 she was admitted to the Huttwill Training Centre and, half a year later, she joined Team Bern West. In 2009 she moved to BSC Young Boys, where she played for a year in the U16 boys' team.
FC Köniz (2008–2009)[]
At the same time she played for Team Bern West, Wälti joined FC Köniz of the Swiss Challenge League.
BSC YB Frauen (2009–2013)[]
In 2009, Wälti joined BSC YB Frauen, where, in 2011, she won the Nationalliga A. In the same year, she debuted in the UEFA Women's Champions League.[6]
Turbine Potsdam (2013–2018)[]
In 2013 Wälti signed a contract with 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam of the Frauen-Bundesliga.[7] A few years later, she became captain of the team.
Arsenal (2018–)[]
After 110 appearances with the German team, Wälti signed a contract with Arsenal in July 2018.[8] Wälti was instrumental in Arsenal's 2018–2019 WSL league winning season although only played half of the season after she suffered a LCL injury which kept her out of football for 9 months In April 2019. [9] She included in 2018-2019 PFA Team of the Year. [10] On 13 December 2019, Wälti signed a long-term contract with the club. [11]
International career[]
Youth[]
Wälti played in the 2008 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship. She also played for the Switzerland U19 team in 2008 and 2009. She reached the semifinals in the 2009 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship. The next year, she joined the U20 team at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
Senior[]
On 21 August 2011, Wälti made her debut for the Switzerland senior team in a match against Scotland.
In 2015, she played at the World Cup.
Career statistics[]
Club[]
- As of 9 May 2021
Club | Season | League | Cups | International Cups | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Turbine Potsdam | 2013–14 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 26 | 2 |
2014–15 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | |||
2015–16 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 25 | 3 | |||
2016–17 | 15 | 2 | — | — | 15 | 2 | ||||
2017–18 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |||
Club total | 97 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 110 | 9 | ||
Arsenal | 2018–19 | FA Women's Super League | 12 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |
2019–20 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
2020–21 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |||
Club total | 42 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 1 | ||
Career total | 142 | 7 | 26 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 170 | 10 |
Honours[]
BSC YB Frauen
- Nationalliga A: 2010-2011
Turbine Potsdam
- DFB-Pokal Frauen runners-up: 2014–15
Arsenal
- FA WSL: 2018–19[12]
- FA WSL Cup runners-up: 2019-2020, 2018-2019
Individual[]
- PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19[13]
International goals[]
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 24 November 2017 | LIPO Park, Schaffhausen, Switzerland | Belarus | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
References[]
- ^ "List of Players – Switzerland" (PDF). FIFA. 30 May 2015. p. 22. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ Profile in the Swiss Football Association's website
- ^ French and Swiss advance to semis. UEFA
- ^ Statistics in FIFA's website
- ^ "Arseblog Exclusive Interview with Lia Wälti- 'The more we play at the Emirates, the more it will feel like home.'". 28 July 2021.
- ^ "Lia Wälti".
- ^ "Lia Wälti wechselt zu Turbine Potsdam". Archived from the original on 30 July 2013.
- ^ "Lia Walti joins the club".
- ^ "Lia Walti undergoes knee surgery, likely out 9 months".
- ^ "Lia Walti injury update".
- ^ "Lia Walti commits her future to the club".
- ^ "Women's Honours". www.arsenal.com.
- ^ "PFA WSL TEAM OF THE YEAR". www.thepfa.com.
External links[]
- Lia Wälti at Soccerway
- 1993 births
- Living people
- 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam players
- Swiss women's footballers
- Swiss expatriates in Germany
- Swiss expatriates in England
- Expatriate women's footballers in Germany
- Expatriate footballers in England
- Switzerland women's international footballers
- Women's association football defenders
- Women's association football midfielders
- Arsenal W.F.C. players
- FA Women's Super League players
- People from Emmental District
- Frauen-Bundesliga players
- BSC YB Frauen players
- 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup players
- Nationalliga A (women's football) players