Sidney Sam Explained

Sidney Sam
Fullname:Sidney Sam[1]
Birth Date:31 January 1988
Birth Place:Kiel, West Germany
Height:1.74 m
Position:Forward / Winger
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

Sidney Sam (pronounced as /de/; 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.[2]

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.[3]

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.[4] On 11 May 2015, he was suspended indefinitely from the club in the aftermath of a loss to 1. FC Köln.[5]

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.[6]

Short spells at the end of his professional career

On 31 August 2017, VfL Bochum signed Sam on a two-year deal.[7] On 2 October 2019, Sam signed a contract with Austrian club SCR Altach until the end of the 2019–20 season.[8] His last professional club was Antalyaspor in Turkey.

Retirement

Sam announced his retirement from playing at the age of 33 in September 2021.[9] Overall he played more than 220 matches in the first and second level of the German league pyramid.[10] In December 2022 he started his coaching training with MSV Duisburg.

International career

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.[4] 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."[12]

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.[13] Sam is likened to a young Ryan Giggs,[13] due to his ability to dribble with the ball at top speed.[13] 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.[13] He utilizes his explosive speed by running-in-behind defenders and he is often as well deployed as an outside forward and striker.[13]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[14]
ClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalOtherTotal
LeagueAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Hamburger SV II2005–06Regionalliga Nord2121
2006–07234234
2007–08213213
2008–091010
Total478000000478
Hamburger SV2007–08Bundesliga40001050
2008–0900000000
Total4000100050
1. FC Kaiserslautern2008–092. Bundesliga26400264
2009–103310213511
Total59142100006115
Bayer Leverkusen2010–11Bundesliga30722834012
2011–121841161256
2012–132252030285
2013–1422833623113
Total9224862360012436
Schalke 042014–15Bundesliga1101030150
2015–1620004060
2016–1700001010
Total130108000220
Schalke 04 II2014–15Regionalliga West1010
2015–162121
2016–179292
Total123000000123
Darmstadt 982016–17Bundesliga13200132
VfL Bochum2017–182. Bundesliga23010240
2018–1919200192
Total422100000432
SCR Altach2019–20Austrian Bundesliga2161010236
Antalyaspor2020–21Süper Lig25350303
Career total328621873261037975

International

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sidney Sam . Turkish Football Federation . 1 December 2020.
  2. Web site: Sidney Sam. German. kicker. 1 January 2018.
  3. Web site: Sam bleibt in der Pfalz . German . kicker.de . 9 September 2011 . 1 July 2009.
  4. News: S04 verpflichtet Nationalspieler Sidney Sam. 8 January 2014. Schalke 04. 8 January 2014. German.
  5. News: Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sidney Sam suspended by Schalke. 11 May 2015. BBC Sport. 11 May 2015.
  6. Web site: Darmstadt verpflichtet Sam auf Leihbasis . . German . 14 January 2017 . 14 January 2017.
  7. Web site: Sidney Sam verlässt den FC Schalke 04 und wechselt zum VfL Bochum. Der Westen. German . 31 August 2017 . 31 August 2017.
  8. SCR Altach. SCR Altach nimmt Sidney Sam unter Vertrag. 2 October 2019. German.
  9. News: Ex-Nationalspieler Sidney Sam beendet Karriere . 27 September 2021 . Frankfurter Rundschau . 27 September 2021 . de.
  10. Web site: Sidney Sam - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga . Matthias . Arnhold . 3 February 2022 . 8 February 2022 . RSSSF.com.
  11. News: Sidney Sam closes the door: ‘I never thought about playing for Nigeria’. 27 May 2013. Goal.com.
  12. Web site: Sidney Sam - International Appearances . Matthias . Arnhold . 3 February 2022 . 8 February 2022 . RSSSF.com.
  13. Web site: The Boy Has Got Skills’ – Bayer Leverkusen's Sidney Sam. footballfancast.com. 20 December 2010. 31 August 2014.
  14. Web site: Sidney Sam » Club matches . worldfootball.net . 27 September 2021.