User:Huligan0/Philipp Degen

Basel
Degen made the transition to professional football in 1995, signing for the Swiss team FC Basel. He spent five seasons in the youth team before making his first team debut in 2001. In the first four seasons of his senior career Degen made 82 Basel first team appearances in the Swiss Football League scoring four goals. Over this four year period he claimed three league titles and one domestic cup with Basel, managed by Christian Gross.

Aarau
Degen spent the 2002–03 season on loan to FC Aarau making 16 appearances and playing in the same team as his twin brother, David Degen.

Borussia Dortmund
Degen was then signed by Borussia Dortmund of the German Bundesliga and in three seasons at the club he made 68 first team appearances, scoring 1 goal. Degen's last season at Dortmund the 2007–08 season was marred by injury as he only made 16 first team appearances.

Liverpool
On 3 July 2008, Degen signed a 4 year contract with Liverpool after a bosman free transfer. Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez described him as "an offensive player with great energy and a winning mentality. His strength is going forward and I am confident he will be prove to be a quality addition to our squad." On his move to Liverpool, Degen said ""The move is a challenge for me because Liverpool are not just any club. They play every year for the title and the Champions League so it is clear to me that it's not easy to get through to the team. All the positions at Liverpool are occupied by two or three players already. But my playing style suits the Premier League, where the football is played moving forward.""

Degen made his Liverpool debut on 12 July 2008 as a half-time substitute in a friendly against Tranmere Rovers which they won 1–0. Degen made his competitive Liverpool debut in the third round of the Football League Cup in the 2–1 home win against Crewe Alexandra, during which he broke two of his ribs and punctured his lung in a collision with team-mate Sami Hyypiä and was out for two months.

On Wednesday, 12 November 2008 he made his first-team comeback in the 4–2 Carling Cup defeat at Spurs, only to suffer a broken metatarsal. Degen was quoted after the game. "This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me," … "I simply burst into tears in the dressing-room. Tottenham's Gareth Bale made a bad challenge on me, and I did not even get a penalty. But the bone in my foot is torn apart, and I will be out another four to six weeks. It is the saddest event of my life – I keep asking myself if I did something wrong in a past life."

In January 2009 Degen suffered another metatarsal injury after scoring in a 2–2 draw with Manchester United reserves. On 9 May 2009, he returned to the Liverpool first team as an unused substitute in Liverpool's 3–0 victory against West Ham at Upton Park.

After 14 months into his Anfield career, Degen made his league debut in the 4–0 win over Burnley on 12 September 2009, coming on as a substitute for Glen Johnson at the hour mark.

On 22 September 2009, Degen started in Liverpool's 1–0 Carling Cup win against Leeds United at Elland Road. In the next round of the same competition, he started against Arsenal in a 2–1 defeat for Liverpool. Degen got his first Premier League start in an away match against Fulham FC on 31 October 2009, in place of the injured Glen Johnson. He was subsequently sent off for a foul on Clint Dempsey in the 79th minute of the 3–1 defeat. Following another injury to Glen Johnson, Degen featured more in the Liverpool team, both at right back and on the right of midfield. After a 2–0 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur, Degen expressed his pleasure with the win and his performance, saying "I think I can improve a lot. I haven't had the best of luck with injuries during my time with Liverpool and I know there is still more to come from me. I have only played at around 60 per cent of my potential and hope I can show much, much more.". On 10 February 2010, Degen started the game against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. On 19 April 2010, Degen played the last 13 minutes of the home 3–0 win versus West Ham United at Anfield.

Stuttgart
On 21 July 2010, Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson announced that Degen was free to look for a new club after a meeting between the pair and on 8 August 2010 it was announced that Degen was loaned out to VfB Stuttgart until the end of the season. He made just 5 appearance for Stuttgart.

Basel
On 31 August 2011, Liverpool announced the release of Degen. Just a short time later, he made the request to the then Basel manager Thorsten Fink if he could keep fit with his home clubs first team. Fink left the club in October 2011 and the new manager Heiko Vogel offered him a contact.

Honours
FC Basel
 * Swiss National League A/Swiss Super League: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05
 * Swiss Cup: 2002–03