| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ramon Vega[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1971-06-14)14 June 1971 (age 53) | ||
| Place of birth | Olten, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| FC Olten | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1996 | Grasshoppers | 169 | (13) |
| 1996–1997 | Cagliari | 14 | (0) |
| 1997–2001 | Tottenham Hotspur | 64 | (7) |
| 2000–2001 | →Celtic (loan) | 18 | (2) |
| 2001–2002 | Watford | 27 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | Créteil | 23 | (4) |
| Total | 315 | (27) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993–2001 | Switzerland | 23 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ramon Vega (Spanish pronunciation:[raˈmonˈβeɣa];Swiss Standard German pronunciation:[ˈraː.monˈveː.ga]; born 14 June 1971) is a Swiss retiredfootballer, who played as acentral defender.
During his 13-year professional career he played forGrasshoppers,Cagliari,Tottenham Hotspur,Celtic,Watford andCréteil. Vega also played 23 times forSwitzerland, appearing in theUEFA Euro 1996 tournament.
Vega was one of five children to Spanish immigrants. He was born inOlten nearZürich, with the remaining siblings already born in his parents' native city ofMadrid.
Vega attended school inTrimbach and went on to study for a degree in banking and financing, at the Zürich Business School.[2]
Vega began his professional career in with localGrasshopper Club Zürich in 1989, being a defensive mainstay fromhis second season onwards. He was essential in two of the threeleagues he actually conquered, playing in 67 games combined and scoring seven goals.
In the 1996 summer Vega moved toItaly withCagliari Calcio, in theSerie A. However, after only seven months, he signed withEngland'sTottenham Hotspur, for a transfer fee of£3.75 million. He was used mostly as a backup with his new side, helping it win theFootball League Cup in1999; inthe final, a 1–0 win overLeicester City, he broke hisankle, and could never regain his previous form with Spurs.[3]
In mid-December 2000, Vega moved on loan toCeltic – in the previous off-season, he rejected a move to the club[4]– where he played a significant part in the winning of three trophies, in a short six-month spell. In his debut, on the 17th, he netted twice in the home demolition ofAberdeen (6–0);[5] he also scored a brace againstDunfermline in theScottish Cup.[6]
Released by Tottenham in June 2001, after also having refused theScottish club's offer of an additional year,[7] Vega moved back to England withWatford, penning a three-year deal with theChampionship outfit. One of the side's best-paid players under managerGianluca Vialli, he was released after justone season, as the club underachieved for a final 14th position;[8] for the Hornets he netted three times, once in the league againstNorwich City[9] and twice in the League Cup, againstBristol City[10] andBradford City.[11]
Vega retired in 2004 aged 33, after one season with lowlyUS Créteil-Lusitanos inFrance.
Vega first played forSwitzerland in 1993, but was overlooked for the1994 FIFA World Cup in theUnited States.
Two years later, he was picked – and started – for the squad atUEFA Euro 1996 in England, helping them to a 1–1 draw againstthe hosts. His career brought him a total of 23caps, and he alsocaptained the side on occasion, scoring in the 1–1friendly match with England – who were preparing for the1998 World Cup – inBern.[12]
After his retirement, in 2012 he became a founding member of the Duet Group, a financial group specializing in asset management and private equity.[citation needed] In 2006 Vega also founded the Matterhorn Capital Rosalp, a Swiss real estate company focusing on the development of luxury hotels worldwide, opening the first facilities inVerbier, Switzerland. He also opened "Ramon Vega's Soccer School" inMarbella,Spain.
Vega owned a stake in aRomford jewellery shop, Ministry of Gold.
In February 2009, Vega unsuccessfully bid to purchasePremier League team andFA CupholdersPortsmouth from its ownerAlexandre Gaydamak; however, he was consistently not able to demonstrate an ability to secure financing for his proposal.[13][14]
In October 2015 he announced that he was considering standing as a candidate in theFIFA presidential election.[15]
| Club | Season | League | League | Cup¹ | League Cup² | Total | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps. | Goals |  |  | Apps. | Goals | | | Apps. | Goals | | | Apps. | Goals | | | |||
| Cagliari | 1996–97 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1996–97 | Premier League | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 25 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1999-2000 | Premier League | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Celtic (loan) | 2000–01 | Scottish Premier League | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Watford | 2001–02 | First Division | 27 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Créteil | 2002–03 | Ligue 2 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 146 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 180 | 19 | 21 | 3 | ||
¹ includeCoppa Italia,FA Cup,Scottish Cup, andCoupe de France .
² includeFootball League Cup,Scottish League Cup, andCoupe de la Ligue.
Grasshoppers
Tottenham Hotspur
Celtic
 | ||