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Sidney Sam

{{short description|German professional footballer (born 1988)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Sidney Sam

| image = Sidney Sam S04 2015.jpg

| caption = Sam training with Schalke 04 in 2015

| fullname = Sidney Sam{{cite web |url=https://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageID=526&kisiID=2292607 |title=Sidney Sam |publisher=Turkish Football Federation |accessdate=1 December 2020}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|1|31|df=y}}

| birth_place = Kiel, West Germany

| height = 1.74 m

| position = Forward / Winger

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1 = 1995–2001

| youthclubs1 = TuS Mettenhof

| youthyears2 = 2001–2002

| youthclubs2 = FC Kilia Kiel

| youthyears3 = 2002–2004

| youthclubs3 = Holstein Kiel

| youthyears4 = 2004–2007

| youthclubs4 = Hamburger SV

| years1 = 2006–2008

| clubs1 = Hamburger SV II

| caps1 = 47

| goals1 = 8

| years2 = 2007–2010

| clubs2 = Hamburger SV

| caps2 = 4

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2008–2010

| clubs3 = → 1. FC Kaiserslautern (loan)

| caps3 = 59

| goals3 = 14

| years4 = 2010–2014

| clubs4 = Bayer Leverkusen

| caps4 = 92

| goals4 = 24

| years5 = 2014–2017

| clubs5 = Schalke 04

| caps5 = 13

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 2015–2016

| clubs6 = → Schalke 04 II

| caps6 = 12

| goals6 = 3

| years7 = 2017

| clubs7 = → Darmstadt 98 (loan)

| caps7 = 13

| goals7 = 2

| years8 = 2017–2019

| clubs8 = VfL Bochum

| caps8 = 42

| goals8 = 2

| years9 = 2019–2020

| clubs9 = SCR Altach

| caps9 = 21

| goals9 = 6

| years10 = 2020–2021

| clubs10 = Antalyaspor

| caps10 = 25

| goals10 = 3

| totalcaps = 328

| totalgoals = 62

| nationalyears1 = 2007

| nationalteam1 = Germany U19

| nationalcaps1 = 9

| nationalgoals1 = 2

| nationalyears2 = 2007–2008

| nationalteam2 = Germany U20

| nationalcaps2 = 4

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| nationalyears3 = 2009–2010

| nationalteam3 = Germany U21

| nationalcaps3 = 7

| nationalgoals3 = 1

| nationalyears4 = 2013

| nationalteam4 = Germany

| nationalcaps4 = 5

| nationalgoals4 = 0

| medaltemplates =

{{medalTeam|Bayer Leverkusen}}

{{medalRU|Bundesliga|2011}}

}}

Sidney Sam ({{IPA|de|ˈzɪd.nɛː ˈzam}}; born 31 January 1988) is a German former professional footballer who played as a forward or winger. He was known for his explosive speed and dribbling style.{{cite web|url=https://www.kicker.de/sidney-sam/spieler/2-bundesliga/2017-18/vfl-bochum|title=Sidney Sam|language=German|publisher=kicker|access-date=1 January 2018}}{{Soccerway|idney-sam/16502}}

Club career

=Early career=

Sam started playing football at TuS Mettenhof. After that, Sam played at Kilia Kiel. In the summer of 2002, he signed for the city rivals of Kilia Kiel, Holstein Kiel.

At the beginning of the 2004–05 season, Sam moved on to the Hamburger SV youth system, and in 2006, he was promoted to the second team. In the 2007–08 season, he became part of the professional pool of Hamburg.

On 20 December 2007, Sam made his debut in the Bundesliga against VfB Stuttgart when he came on as a substitute for David Jarolím. He joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern on loan for the 2008–09 season and was loaned for another season on 1 July 2009.{{cite web | url = https://www.kicker.de/sam-bleibt-in-der-pfalz-510851/artikel | title = Sam bleibt in der Pfalz | language = German | publisher = Kicker | access-date = 9 September 2011 | date = 1 July 2009}}

=Bayer Leverkusen=

Sam then moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2010 signing a five-year contract. He started off the season well and on 8 November 2010, he played against his former club 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Down 1–0, he started the comeback when he smashed a driven shot into the net. Patrick Helmes then completed the comeback as he made it 2–1. The day belonged to Sam as he smashed home a first time volley almost 25 meters out, stunned the entire stadium and made a name for himself that day while the goal was crowned Goal of the Month (Germany). On 17 February 2011, he scored a double in Bayer's UEFA Europa League match against Metalist Kharkiv, with both last-minute goals coming in added time.

=Schalke 04=

On 8 January 2014, Sam signed a four-year contract with Schalke 04 running until 30 June 2018. He joined S04 for a transfer fee of €2,500,000 in June 2014, upon completion of the 2013–14 Bundesliga season.{{cite news|title=S04 verpflichtet Nationalspieler Sidney Sam|url=http://www.schalke04.de/de/aktuell/news/140108_sam/page/3063--10-213-.html|accessdate=8 January 2014|newspaper=Schalke 04|date=8 January 2014|language=German}} On 11 May 2015, he was suspended indefinitely from the club in the aftermath of a loss to 1. FC Köln.{{cite news|title=Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sidney Sam suspended by Schalke|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32690972|accessdate=11 May 2015|publisher=BBC Sport|date=11 May 2015}}

==Loan to Darmstadt 98==

In January 2017, Bundesliga club SV Darmstadt 98 announced that Sam has signed a loan agreement with the club until 30 June 2017.{{cite web |url=https://www.kicker.de/darmstadt-verpflichtet-sam-auf-leihbasis-668700/artikel |title=Darmstadt verpflichtet Sam auf Leihbasis |publisher=kicker |language=German |date=14 January 2017 |access-date=14 January 2017}}

=Short spells at the end of his professional career=

On 31 August 2017, VfL Bochum signed Sam on a two-year deal.{{cite web |url=https://www.derwesten.de/sport/fussball/s04/sidney-sam-verlaesst-den-fc-schalke-04-und-wechselt-zum-vfl-bochum-id211768557.html |title=Sidney Sam verlässt den FC Schalke 04 und wechselt zum VfL Bochum|publisher=Der Westen|language=German |date=31 August 2017 |accessdate=31 August 2017}} On 2 October 2019, Sam signed a contract with Austrian club SCR Altach until the end of the 2019–20 season.{{cite press release|publisher=SCR Altach|url=https://newsroom.scra.at/de/scra/1.Mannschaft/scr-altach-nimmt-sidney-sam-unter-vertrag/|title=SCR Altach nimmt Sidney Sam unter Vertrag|date=2 October 2019|language=German}} His last professional club was Antalyaspor in Turkey.

=Retirement=

Sam announced his retirement from playing at the age of 33 in September 2021.{{cite news |title=Ex-Nationalspieler Sidney Sam beendet Karriere |url=https://www.fr.de/sport/fussball/ex-nationalspieler-sidney-sam-beendet-karriere-zr-91012843.html |access-date=27 September 2021 |work=Frankfurter Rundschau |date=27 September 2021 |language=de}} Overall he played more than 220 matches in the first and second level of the German league pyramid.{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/players/dui-samdata.html | title = Sidney Sam - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 3 February 2022 | accessdate = 8 February 2022 | publisher = RSSSF.com}}

In December 2022 he started his coaching training with MSV Duisburg.

International career

File:Sidney Sam.jpg in 2010]]

Born to a German mother and Nigerian father, Sam would have been eligible to play for the Nigeria national team,{{cite news|url=http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4093/nigeria/2013/05/27/4007804/sidney-sam-closes-the-door-i-never-thought-about-playing-for|title=Sidney Sam closes the door: 'I never thought about playing for Nigeria'|date=27 May 2013|work=Goal.com}} but decided early on to represent his country of birth. He was a German youth national player, starring in Germany's under-19 and under-20 teams. On 29 May 2013, he made his senior international debut for Germany in a friendly game against Ecuador in Boca Raton, Florida. On 8 May 2014, Sam was named to the 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by German national team manager, Joachim Löw. But Sam didn't make the cut and his five internationals in 2013 became his final total with "Die Mannschaft."{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/dui-sam-intl.html | title = Sidney Sam - International Appearances | first = Matthias | last = Arnhold | date = 3 February 2022 | accessdate = 8 February 2022 | publisher = RSSSF.com}}

Style of play

Sam has been likened by observers in German football to the Dutch winger Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich, due to his explosive speed and dribbling style and possibly due to his frequent deployment on the right-wing and as an outside forward, cutting inside on his favoured left-foot to unleash his fierce shots, which leads to him scoring spectacular long-range goals.{{cite web|title=The Boy Has Got Skills' – Bayer Leverkusen's Sidney Sam|url=http://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/the-boy-has-got-skills-bayer-levekusens-sidney-sam|work=footballfancast.com|date=20 December 2010|accessdate=31 August 2014}} Sam is likened to a young Ryan Giggs, due to his ability to dribble with the ball at top speed. His comparison to Ryan Giggs and Arjen Robben is seen in the influence of the way he shoots and gets into goal-scoring situations coming in from both flanks on the football pitch. He utilizes his explosive speed by running-in-behind defenders and he is often as well deployed as an outside forward and striker.

Career statistics

=Club=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition{{cite web |title=Sidney Sam » Club matches |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/sidney-sam/2/ |website=worldfootball.net |date=11 May 2015 |access-date=27 September 2021}}

rowspan="2"|Club

!rowspan="2"|Season

!colspan="3"|League

!colspan="2"|Cup

!colspan="2"|Continental

!colspan="2"|Other

!colspan="2"|Total

LeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
rowspan="5"|Hamburger SV II

|2005–06

|rowspan="4"|Regionalliga Nord

|2

1colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—21
2006–07

|23

4colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—234
2007–08

|21

3colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—213
2008–09

|1

0colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—10
colspan="2"|Total

!47

8000000478
rowspan="3"|Hamburger SV

|2007–08

|rowspan="2"|Bundesliga

|4

00010colspan="2"|—50
2008–09

|0

00000colspan="2"|—00
colspan="2"|Total

!4

000100050
rowspan="3"|1. FC Kaiserslautern

|2008–09

|rowspan="2"|2. Bundesliga

|26

400colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—264
2009–10

|33

1021colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—3511
colspan="2"|Total

!59

142100006115
rowspan="5"|Bayer Leverkusen

|2010–11

|rowspan="4"|Bundesliga

|30

72283colspan="2"|—4012
2011–12

|18

41161colspan="2"|—256
2012–13

|22

52030colspan="2"|—285
2013–14

|22

83362colspan="2"|—3113
colspan="2"|Total

!92

24862360012436
rowspan="4"|Schalke 04

|2014–15

|rowspan="3"|Bundesliga

|11

01030colspan="2"|—150
2015–16

|2

00040colspan="2"|—60
2016–17

|0

00010colspan="2"|—10
colspan="2"|Total

!13

0108000220
rowspan="4"|Schalke 04 II

|2014–15

|rowspan="3"|Regionalliga West

|1

0colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—10
2015–16

|2

1colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—21
2016–17

|9

2colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—92
colspan="2"|Total

!12

3000000123
Darmstadt 98

|2016–17

|Bundesliga

|13

200colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—132
rowspan="3"|VfL Bochum

|2017–18

|rowspan="2"|2. Bundesliga

|23

010colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—240
2018–19

|19

200colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—192
colspan="2"|Total

!42

2100000432
SCR Altach

|2019–20

|Austrian Bundesliga

|21

610colspan="2"|—1{{efn|Appearance in Austrian Bundesliga play-offs}}0236
Antalyaspor

|2020–21

|Süper Lig

|25

350colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|–303
colspan="3"|Career total

!328

621873261037975

{{notelist}}

=International=

{{updated|19 November 2013}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year{{NFT player|52405|name=Sidney Sam|accessdate=19 November 2013}}

National teamYearAppsGoals
Germany

|2013

50
colspan="2"|Total50

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • {{Worldfootball.net|sidney-sam}}
  • {{kicker|sidney-sam}}
  • {{Fussballdaten|sidney-sam}}
  • {{NFT|52405}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sam, Sidney}}

Category:1988 births

Category:Living people

Category:Men's association football forwards

Category:Men's association football wingers

Category:Footballers from Kiel

Category:German men's footballers

Category:Hamburger SV players

Category:Hamburger SV II players

Category:1. FC Kaiserslautern players

Category:Bayer 04 Leverkusen players

Category:FC Schalke 04 players

Category:SV Darmstadt 98 players

Category:VfL Bochum players

Category:SC Rheindorf Altach players

Category:FC Schalke 04 managers

Category:FC Schalke 04 non-playing staff

Category:German sportspeople of Nigerian descent

Category:Germany men's youth international footballers

Category:Germany men's under-21 international footballers

Category:Germany men's international footballers

Category:Bundesliga players

Category:2. Bundesliga players

Category:Austrian Football Bundesliga players

Category:Süper Lig players

Category:German expatriate men's footballers

Category:German expatriate sportspeople in Austria

Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Austria

Category:German expatriate sportspeople in Turkey

Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey

Category:21st-century German sportsmen