PLAYER PROFILE

Stephane Henchoz

Position: Defence

Height: 6'2

Weight: 12st 8lbs

Date of Birth: 1974-09-07 Billens, Switzerland

Stephane Henchoz

Playing alongside central defensive partner Sami Hyypia, Stephane Henchoz established himself as one of the most consistent defenders in the Premiership, proving to be an integral part of Liverpool's treble winning side of 2000/01 and a continued committed Anfield performer.

Gerard Houllier swooped for Henchoz after being increasingly impressed by his form in the heart of Blackburn's defence, despite their seemingly irreversible slide towards relegation. The Swiss international arrived at Anfield and quickly brought added stability to the Reds' back four.

Henchoz started his professional career in Switzerland at tiny clubs Stade Payerne and Bulle. A move to Neuchatel Xamax really ignited his career under English coach Roy Hodgson and a stint at German outfit Hamburg followed. He linked up again with Hodgson at Blackburn Rovers before sealing his dream move to Liverpool for a bargain £3.5million in June 1999.

In 2001/02, Henchoz and Sami Hyypia proved to be the most solid centre-half pairing in the Premiership again, and were instrumental in Liverpool's push for trophies.

The Swiss star went on to have a stop-start season during the 2002/03 season, a lot like Liverpool's season as a whole! Thanks to injury he missed the majority of the second half of the campaign and the Reds crucial push for a Champions League place. However, he recovered in time to have a starring role in the Reds' Worthington Cup victory over Manchester United at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

The 2003/04 season was a lot like the previous one in terms of injury, although by the end of that campaign, Henchoz had made over 200 appearances for Gerard Houllier's side. The Frenchman had preferred Igor Biscan in the centre of defence, but it was no surprise to many that results started to pick up when Henchoz resumed his role alongisde Hyypia.

By the summer of 2004, Henchoz had clocked up almost 70 appearances for Switzerland, including USA 94, Euro 96 and against England during Euro 2004 in Portugal. However, in 2004/05 he lost his place in the Liverpool team and left in January 2005 to join Celtic on a short-term contract.

But in his short Celtic career he failed to make much impact and he left Glasgow in the summer of 2005. He made a swift return to the Barclays Premiership, signing for Wigan Athletic in July, and played a big role in their impressive first campaign in the top flight. However, at the end of the season he was released, and it wasn't until September 2006 that he got himself a new club, ironically Blackburn Rovers, for whom he proved to be a reliable utility man.