Sidney Sam

Sidney Sam (German pronunciation: [ˈzɪd.nɛː ˈzam]; born 31 January 1988) is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Turkish club Antalyaspor. He is known for his explosive speed and dribbling style.[2][3][4]

Sidney Sam

Sam training with Schalke 04 in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Sidney Sam[1]
Date of birth	31 January 1988
Place of birth	Kiel, West Germany
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s)	Forward / Winger
Club information
Current team	Antalyaspor
Number	9
Youth career
1995–2001	TuS Mettenhof
2001–2002	FC Kilia Kiel
2002–2004	Holstein Kiel
2004–2007	Hamburger SV
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2008	Hamburger SV II	47	(8)
2007–2010	Hamburger SV	4	(0)
2008–2010	→ 1. FC Kaiserslautern (loan)	59	(14)
2010–2014	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	92	(24)
2014–2017	FC Schalke 04	13	(0)
2015–2016	→ FC Schalke 04 II	12	(3)
2017	→ SV Darmstadt 98 (loan)	13	(2)
2017–2019	VfL Bochum	42	(2)
2019–2020	SCR Altach	22	(6)
2020–	Antalyaspor	6	(2)
National team
2007	Germany U19	9	(2)
2007–2008	Germany U20	4	(0)
2009–2010	Germany U21	7	(1)
2013	Germany	5	(0)
Honours Bayer Leverkusen Runner-up Bundesliga 2011
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 December 2020

Club career

Early career

The forward who can also play as a winger started playing football at TuS Mettenhof.[2] After that, Sam played at Kilia Kiel.[2] In the summer of 2002, he signed for the city rivals of Kilia Kiel, Holstein Kiel.[2]

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.[2] In the 2007–08 season, he became part of the professional pool of Hamburg.[2]

On 20 December 2007, Sam made his debut in the Bundesliga against VfB Stuttgart when he came on as a substitute for David Jarolím.[2] He joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern on loan for the 2008–09 season and was loaned for another season on 1 July 2009.[5]

Bayer Leverkusen

Sam then moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2010 signing a five-year contract.[2] He started off the season well and on 8 November 2010, he played against his former club 1. FC Kaiserslautern.[2] Down 1–0, he started the comeback when he smashed a driven shot into the net.[2] 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).[2] 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.[2]

Schalke 04

On 8 January 2014, Sam signed a four-year contract with Schalke 04 running until 30 June 2018.[6] He joined S04 for a transfer fee of €2,500,000 in June 2014,[6] upon completion of the 2013–14 Bundesliga season.[6] On 11 May 2015, he was suspended indefinitely from the club in the aftermath of a loss to 1. FC Köln.[7]

Loan to SV 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.[8]

VfL Bochum

On 31 August 2017, VfL Bochum signed Sam on a two-year deal.[9]

SCR Altach

On 2 October 2019, Sam signed a contract with Austrian club SCR Altach until the end of the 2019–20 season.[10]

International career

Sam playing for Germany U21 in 2010

Born to a German mother and Nigerian father, Sam would have been eligible to play for the Nigeria national team,[11] but decided early on to represent his country of birth.[11] 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.[6] 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.

Playing style

Sam has been likened by observers in German football to the Dutch winger Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich,[2] due to his explosive speed and dribbling style and possibly due to his frequent deployment on the right-wing and as an outside forward,[2] cutting inside on his favoured left-foot to unleash his fierce shots,[2] which leads to him scoring spectacular long-range goals.[2] Sam is likened to a young Ryan Giggs,[2] due to his ability to dribble with the ball at top speed.[2] 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.[2] He utilizes his explosive speed by running-in-behind defenders and he is often as well deployed as an outside forward and striker.[2]

Career statistics

Club

As of 31 July 2019[3]

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hamburger SV II	2005–06	Regionalliga Nord	2	1	—		—		2	1
	2006–07		23	4	—		—		23	4
	2007–08		21	3	—		—		21	3
	2008–09		1	0	—		—		1	0
	Total		47	8	0	0	0	0	47	8
Hamburger SV	2007–08	Bundesliga	4	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
	2008–09		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		4	0	0	0	1	0	5	0
1. FC Kaiserslautern	2008–09	2. Bundesliga	26	4	0	0	—		26	4
	2009–10		33	10	2	1	—		35	11
	Total		59	14	2	1	0	0	61	15
Bayer Leverkusen	2010–11	Bundesliga	30	7	2	2	8	3	40	12
	2011–12		18	4	1	1	6	1	25	6
	2012–13		22	5	2	0	3	0	28	5
	2013–14		22	8	3	3	6	2	31	13
	Total		92	24	8	6	23	6	124	36
FC Schalke 04	2014–15	Bundesliga	11	0	1	0	3	0	15	0
	2015–16		2	0	0	0	4	0	6	0
	2016–17		0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
	Total		13	0	1	0	8	0	22	0
FC Schalke 04 II	2014–15	Regionalliga West	1	0	—		—		1	0
	2015–16		2	1	—		—		2	1
	2016–17		9	2	—		—		9	2
	Total		12	3	0	0	0	0	12	3
SV Darmstadt 98	2016–17	Bundesliga	13	2	0	0	—		13	2
	Total		13	2	0	0	0	0	13	2
VfL Bochum	2017–18	2. Bundesliga	23	0	1	0	—		24	0
	2018–19		19	2	0	0	—		19	2
	Total		42	2	1	0	0	0	43	2
Career total			282	53	12	7	32	6	326	66

International statistics

As of 19 November 2013

National team	Year	App.	Goals	Ref.
Germany	2013	5	0	[12]
Total		5	0	–

Personal life

Sidney Sam is married to Joyce Sam.[13][14][15] They have one son together named Adrian-Romeo, who was born in 2012.

References

1. "Sidney Sam". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
2. "The Boy Has Got Skills' – Bayer Leverkusen's Sidney Sam". footballfancast.com. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
3. "Sidney Sam" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
4. Sidney Sam at Soccerway
5. "Sam bleibt in der Pfalz" (in German). kicker.de. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
6. "S04 verpflichtet Nationalspieler Sidney Sam". Schalke 04 (in German). 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
7. "Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sidney Sam suspended by Schalke". BBC Sport. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
8. "Darmstadt verpflichtet Sam auf Leihbasis" (in German). kicker. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
9. "Sidney Sam verlässt den FC Schalke 04 und wechselt zum VfL Bochum" (in German). Der Westen. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
10. "SCR Altach nimmt Sidney Sam unter Vertrag" (Press release) (in German). SCR Altach. 2 October 2019.
11. "Sidney Sam closes the door: 'I never thought about playing for Nigeria'". Goal.com. 27 May 2013.
12. "Sidney Sam". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
13. Nina Gressmann (16 July 2014). "1. Interview Als Schalke-Star: Sam "Mein Ziel sind 15 Tore!"" [First interview as Schalke star: Sam "My goal is 15 goals!"]. bild.de (in German). Bild. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
14. Christof Koepsel (12 August 2014). "Schalke 04 - Volkswagen Car Handover". gettyimages.co.uk. Getty Images. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
15. Christof Koepsel (8 May 2014). "Sidney Sam Girlfriend Joyce Photos". fifawallpapers.com. Retrieved 31 August 2014.

External links

• Sidney Sam at fussballdaten.de (in German)