Alisha Lehmann
Alisha Debora Lehmann (born 21 January 1999)[2] is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Aston Villa and the Switzerland national team. She previously played for BSC YB Frauen of the Nationalliga A, for West Ham United of the FA WSL, and on loan with Everton of the FA WSL.
| Lehmann with West Ham United in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alisha Debora Lehmann[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 January 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Tägertschi, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aston Villa | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2011 | FC Konolfingen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2018 | BSC YB Frauen | 52 | (25) |
| 2018–2021 | West Ham United | 42 | (9) |
| 2021 | → Everton (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 2021– | Aston Villa | 57 | (9) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015–2016 | Switzerland U17 | 19 | (6) |
| 2016–2018 | Switzerland U19 | 21 | (9) |
| 2017– | Switzerland | 51 | (8) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:00, 4 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 April 2024 | |||
Club career edit
BSC YB Frauen edit
After beginning her career at age nine with FC Konolfingen, where she played from 2008 to 2011, Lehmann joined the U14 BSC YB team as a 12-year-old. She also trained with the U13 to U15 boys' teams three times a week and played in two matches on the male junior teams.[3]
Lehmann started her senior professional career at Swiss club BSC YB at age 17. In her first season, she scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 win against FC Staad.[3] She was top scorer for her team that season with nine goals.[4] She went on to score 25 goals in 52 league appearances during her time at the club.[5]
West Ham United edit
Newly-professional Super League's West Ham United signed Lehmann from BSC YB Frauen in August 2018. It was reported that West Ham manager Matt Beard had been impressed by Lehmann's performances at the 2018 U-19 European Championship, which Switzerland hosted.[6][7]
Lehmann scored both goals in a 2–1 win over Reading on 20 February 2019.[8] In April 2019 West Ham extended Lehmann's contract after she scored nine goals in 30 appearances in all competitions[9] and helped the club reach the FA Cup final[10] by scoring the equalising goal in the semi-final match against Reading on 14 April 2019.[11]
On 3 November 2019, Lehmann scored in the 75th minute against Reading for a 1–0 win that helped her team advance to the knockout stage of the 2019–20 Conti Cup.[12] On 19 January 2020, when West Ham was behind 1–0 to Brighton, Lehmann scored two goals in the 80th and 83rd minute to give her team a 2–1 victory.[13][14] She was shortlisted for the BBC Super League Young Player of the Season award for the 2019–20 season.[15]
Everton (loan) edit
On 27 January 2021, it was announced that Lehmann had moved to Everton on loan[16] until the end of the season.[17] She earned her first start for the team on 14 February against Reading.[18] She scored her first goal on 11 March against Birmingham City.[19]
Aston Villa edit
Lehmann then joined Aston Villa for the 2021–22 season.[20] She scored her first two goals for Aston Villa on 2 December 2021 against Sunderland.[21] In the match against Leicester City on 23 January 2023, the score was 1–1 until Lehmann scored a winner in the 93rd minute.[22] She was named Women's Supporters' Player of the Season for 2021–22.[23]
In July 2022, she signed a one-year contract extension with Aston Villa for the 2022–23 season, having made 23 appearances and scoring four goals during her first season at the club.[24]
On 26 March 2023, she made two goals and an assist in a 5–0 win against Leicester City. In this game she completed 100 percent of her dribbles and earned Player of the Match.[25] At the end of the 2022–23 season, having made 54 appearances for Aston Villa, Lehmann extended her contract until June 2026, with the option of extending for a further year after that date.[26]
International career edit
Youth edit
Lehmann made her debut for the Swiss U-17 national team on 11 April 2015, defeating Serbia 8–1 during the elite qualifying round of the 2015 U-17 European Championship. She scored her first goal five days later, sealing the score with opponents Finland at 4–0 in the 61st minute.[27] In the final tournament, she played in five out of six games. She scored the goal in a 1–0 win against the Republic of Ireland and helped her team finish first in their group.[28] Switzerland reached the final but lost 5–2 to Spain.[29]
Lehmann was called up by Monica Di Fonzo for the 2016 U-17 European Championship qualifiers, where she played all three preliminary phase matches, scoring against both Serbia and Lithuania, and all of the next three elite phase matches, where Switzerland was eliminated.[30][31]
Selected by coach Nora Häuptle for the qualifying phases of the 2017 U-19 European Championship, Lehmann made her U19 national team debut on 18 October 2016 against Estonia and scored her first U19 goal in this match. Lehmann then scored a hat-trick in the following match against Croatia, and another hat-trick in a 3–3 draw with Czechia. She played in all the remaining matches of the elite phase, but Switzerland did not qualify.[29]
At the U-19 European Championship at home in Switzerland in July 2018, Lehmann scored the equalizer in the 80th minute making it 2–2 against France.[32] After a 2–0 loss to Spain, she scored again in a 3–1 win over Norway.[33] With a win, a draw, and a loss, the Swiss retired in the preliminary round. Lehmann played in all three games.[34]
Senior edit
Lehmann won her first cap for the senior Switzerland national team on 22 October 2017 in a friendly against Japan, coming on as a substitute for Eseosa Aigbogun in the 55th minute. She scored her first international goal on 2 March 2018 against Finland at the 2018 Cyprus Cup.[35] She played her first official international match on 5 April 2018 in a 1–0 victory over Scotland for qualification to the 2019 World Cup. In May 2019, she sustained an ankle injury during national camp training and underwent surgery.[36]
Lehmann was part of the team that qualified for the 2022 UEFA European Championship. She scored a goal in a 2–1 victory against Belgium.[37] In the final must-win match for Switzerland, Lehmann helped her team reach the Euros during the penalty shootout against Czechia when she stepped up as the third shooter and successfully made it 1–1.[38] She was eventually not available for the 2022 Euros because she felt she was not "mentally ready" to be involved in the tournament.[39] On 3 July 2023, she was selected for the 2023 World Cup.[40] She played in two out of three group stage matches, coming on as a substitute both times. Switzerland were eliminated by eventual champions Spain in the Round of 16.[41]
Personal life edit
Lehmann is openly bisexual. She formerly identified as lesbian.[42][43] She previously dated Swiss national teammate Ramona Bachmann.[44] She is in a relationship with Brazilian Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz.[45]
In popular culture edit
In 2019, Lehmann was featured in the BBC Three series Britain's Youngest Football Boss with her then girlfriend Ramona.[46]
As of 29 December 2023, she has more than 16 million followers on Instagram, making her the world's most-followed women's footballer.[47][48]
Career statistics edit
Club edit
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other[c] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| BSC YB Frauen | 2015–16 | Nationalliga A | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 5 | 12 | 6 | |
| 2016–17 | Nationalliga A | 18 | 8 | 5 | 7 | — | 5 | 1 | 28 | 16 | ||
| 2017–18 | Nationalliga A | 28 | 16 | 3 | 7 | — | — | 31 | 23 | |||
| Total | 52 | 25 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 71 | 45 | ||
| West Ham United | 2018–19 | Women's Super League | 20 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 30 | 9 | |
| 2019–20 | Women's Super League | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 18 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | Women's Super League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| Total | 42 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 14 | ||
| Everton (loan) | 2020–21 | Women's Super League | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| Aston Villa | 2021–22 | Women's Super League | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 23 | 4 | |
| 2022–23 | Women's Super League | 22 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 31 | 6 | ||
| 2023–24 | Women's Super League | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | — | 20 | 4 | ||
| Total | 57 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 14 | ||
| Career total | 159 | 44 | 20 | 17 | 23 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 213 | 74 | ||
- ^ Includes Swiss Women's Cup, Women's FA Cup
- ^ Includes FA Women's League Cup
- ^ Includes Nationalliga A - Final round
International edit
- As of match played 9 April 2024[52]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | 8 | |
- Scores and results list Switzerland goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lehmann goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 March 2018 | GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus | Finland | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2018 Cyprus Women's Cup | [54] |
| 2 | 5 October 2018 | Den Dreef, Heverlee, Belgium | Belgium | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying | [55] |
| 3 | 2–2 | ||||||
| 4 | 22 September 2020 | Stockhorn Arena, Thun, Switzerland | Belgium | 2–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying | [56] |
| 5 | 17 September 2021 | Stockhorn Arena, Thun, Switzerland | Lithuania | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying | [57] |
| 6 | 21 September 2021 | Goffertstadion, Chișinău, Moldova | Moldova | 6–0 | 6–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying | [58] |
| 7 | 20 February 2022 | Marbella Football Center, Marbella, Spain | Northern Ireland | 1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly | [59] |
| 8 | 24 February 2024 | Marbella Football Center, Marbella, Spain | Poland | 4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly | [60] |
Honours edit
West Ham United
- Women's FA Cup runner-up: 2018–19[61]
Switzerland U17
- UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship runner-up: 2015[62]
References edit
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 – Squad List: Switzerland (SUI)" (PDF). FIFA. 11 July 2023. p. 29. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann | Aston Villa | Barclays WSL | The FA". The FA - Womens Leagues and Competitions. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ a b . 5 October 2018. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Schweizerischer Fussballverband - Meisterschaft". www.awsl.ch. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ ""There Will Be Another Time" – Alisha Lehmann". sportsmanor. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann: West Ham Ladies sign Swiss striker". BBC Sport. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Frith, Wilf (7 August 2018). "West Ham Women land Swiss striker Alisha Lehmann". She Kicks. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "Lehmann gives Hammers victory at Reading". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann: West Ham United Women forward to have ankle surgery". BBC Sport. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann: West Ham forward extends her deal with the club". BBC Sport. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "SUN 14 APR 2019THE WOMEN'S FA CUP - SEMI-FINAL". BBC Sport. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "Lehmann finish secures Hammers victory at Reading | West Ham United F.C." www.whufc.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Lehmann double inspires Hammers comeback | West Ham United F.C." www.whufc.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "West Ham United 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann nominated for BBC WSL Young Player Of The Season | West Ham United F.C." www.whufc.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ Bunting, Josh (28 January 2021). "Alisha Lehmann joins Everton on loan". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann joins Everton on loan | West Ham United". West Ham United F.C. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ Decker, Ian A. (15 February 2021). "FA WSL Recap: Everton Women 1–1 Reading | Toffees stumble to another disappointing result". Royal Blue Mersey. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "FA Women's Championship report: Birmingham 0-4 Everton". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann: Aston Villa sign West Ham United forward". 30 June 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ Club, Aston Villa Football. "Alisha Lehmann". Aston Villa Football Club. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ Club, Aston Villa Football (23 January 2022). "Report: Leicester City Women 1-2 Aston Villa Women". Aston Villa Football Club. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ Club, Aston Villa Football (12 May 2022). "Alisha Lehmann named Women's Supporters' Player of the Season". Aston Villa Football Club. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann signs new one-year deal!". 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ Roberts, Olly (26 March 2023). "Alisha Lehmann silenced doubters with masterclass for Aston Villa vs Leicester in the WSL". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann signs new contract with Aston Villa". 23 August 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ UEFA.com. "Switzerland-Finland | Women's Under-17 2015". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ UEFA.com. "Republic of Ireland-Switzerland | Women's Under-17 2015". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ a b Norman, Libardoni. "Alisha Lehmann: Mit Lockerheit und Selbstverständnis". www.football.ch (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ UEFA.com. "Switzerland-Lithuania | Women's Under-17 2016". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ UEFA.com. "Serbia-Switzerland | Women's Under-17 2016". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ UEFA.com. "Switzerland-France | Women's Under-19 2018". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ UEFA.com. "Norway-Switzerland | Women's Under-19 2018". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Statistics — Tournament phase — Player statistics — Goals".
- ^ Dominik, Erb. "Schweizerinnen rehabilitieren sich für Auftaktniederlage". football.ch.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann to undergo surgery on ankle injury | West Ham United F.C." www.whufc.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "La Svizzera sente profumo di Europeo - RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera". rsi (in Italian). Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Brülhart, Bettina (6 July 2022). "Switzerland team guide Women's Euro 2022: stars, players, coach, tactics, expectations..." Diario AS. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann makes herself unavailable for Switzerland at Euro 2022". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann interview: Switzerland winger discusses journey from a countryside village to the Women's World Cup". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Rendell, Sarah (5 August 2023). "Switzerland 1-5 Spain: Women's World Cup 2023 – as it happened". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Britain's Youngest Football Boss (TV Documentary) (Series 1, Episode 4 ed.). BBC Three. 17 January 2019.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann on Instagram: "Ramona and I have decided to go different ways in life, we made the decision together. I want to thank Ramona for 3 years full of love and…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ Santschi, Stephan (9 October 2018). "Alisha Lehmann and Ramona Bachmann: inspired by love". Aargauer Zeitung. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "Douglas Luiz & Alisha Lehmann split up following apparent spat over calendar". Goal. England. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "Britain's Youngest Football Boss". BBC. 14 February 2019. from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "alishalehmann7". instagram.com. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ "Alisha Lehmann @lehmann_alisha". twitter.com. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ "A. Lehmann". Soccerway. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Fixtures-Results". FA WSL. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "schweizer-cup-frauen". football.ch. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Alisha Lehmann". soccerdonna.de. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Switzerland (Women) 2016/17". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Schweiz-Finnland". soccerdonna.de. 2 March 2018.
- ^ "WM Qualifikation Relegation UEFA - semi-finals 1st leg". soccerdonna.de.
- ^ "EM-Qualifikation - group H". soccerdonna.de.
- ^ "Switzerland 4-1 Lithuania". UEFA. 17 September 2021.
- ^ "Switzerland 6-0 Moldova". UEFA. 21 September 2021.
- ^ "Nordirland-Schweiz". soccerdonna.de. 20 February 2022.
- ^ "Polen-Schweiz". soccerdonna.de. 24 February 2024.
- ^ "MANCHESTER CITY DEFEAT WEST HAM TO WIN THE SSE WOMEN'S FA CUP". thefa. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Spain crowned after seven-goal thriller with Swiss". UEFA. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
External links edit
- Alisha Lehmann at UEFA
- Alisha Lehmann at FBref.com
- Alisha Lehmann at L'Équipe (in French)
- Alisha Lehmann at Soccerdonna (in German)
- Alisha Lehmann at Soccerway.com
- Alisha Lehmann at WorldFootball.net
- Alisha Lehmann at Aston Villa W.F.C.
- Profile at Swiss Football Association (in Italian)
- Profile at soccerdonna.de