He is called up 25 times for the national team, but hardly gets a chance. Cédric Zesiger therefore has an ambivalent feeling about the national team.
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- Cédric Zesiger made it to the Bundesliga via the Super League. However, the defender has only made four appearances for the national team so far.
- The 26-year-old is regularly called up for the national team. But when he was not nominated by coach Murat Yakin in September, the disappointment was great, as Zesiger admits to blue Sport.
- Zesiger would like to speak to Yakin in the near future to discuss his future.
Cédric Zesiger has made four appearances with the national team so far: twice in the European Championship qualifiers and twice in test matches. However, the 26-year-old has already been called up 25 times. No wonder the Bernese player has "mixed feelings" when it comes to the SFA selection.
"I had a year in which I was pretty much always involved. I was able to experience the European Championship and always be out and about with the boys. That's something I've always dreamed of, being called up for the national team," says Zesiger in an interview with blue Sport. "But at some point you get to the point where I want to take a step forward and play even more," says the 1.94-metre defender.
According to the Wolfsburg professional, he had phases in which he played regularly for the club. "There were certainly hopes that I would get a chance at some point. Unfortunately, I only played 10 minutes in the national team this year." That was naturally a little frustrating, summarized Zesiger, but he still wanted to keep going.
"I thought my time could come now"
Things aren't going well for the Swiss in Wolfsburg either - Zesiger is currently not getting beyond the status of a substitute. "I know that the current situation at the club doesn't allow me to play a bigger role in the national team." But if he gets regular game time again, he hopes that he will also get minutes in the national team in the near future, says Zesiger, who "wants to have a different role for the World Cup than he has now at the European Championships".
After the European Championship, three long-standing regulars - Yann Sommer, Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabian Schär - announced their retirement. "I naturally thought that now could be my time," explains Zesiger. But national team coach Murat Yakin had other plans: "I wasn't involved in September for the first time in a long time, even though I was still playing for the club at the start of the season - that was a slap in the face at the time," admits Zesiger, who had hoped for a chance.
In the end, it was the coach's decision, but it certainly hurt, admits the player from Bern. What exactly happened with the non-nomination? "Murat called me and briefly told me what his thoughts were and what he had considered."
Did he not want to talk to Yakin about his future? "Yes, that's certainly something I'd like to do. It's up to me to seek out the conversation so that I know where we stand and what the plan is," says Zesiger, adding: "We're all adults. You can say things to each other, that always helps in situations like this."
