Benjamin Kevin Siegrist (born 31 January 1992) is a Swiss professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

for

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

club

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, on loan from

Liga I Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1 and officially known as SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Romania and the highest level of the Romanian football league system. Contested by 1 ...

club

Rapid București Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...

. He was a member of the

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

squad at the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and went on to represent the Swiss Under-21s. In

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, Siegrist was part of his nation's

FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the annual world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fé ...

winning side, during which he also received the competition's inaugural Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper. During seven years in the Aston Villa Academy Siegrist undertook a series of short-term loans to

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

and

Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

sides. After a spell in the Swiss Super League with

Vaduz Vaduz (; or ; High Alemannic pronunciation: [])Hans Stricker, Toni Banzer, Herbert Hilbe: ''Liechtensteiner Namenbuch. Die Orts- und Flurnamen des Fürstentums Liechtenstein.'' Band 2: ''Die Namen der Gemeinden Triesenberg, Vaduz, Schaan.'' ...

, Siegrist signed for Scottish club Dundee United in 2018.

Club career

Aston Villa

Siegrist was born in Therwil,

Basel-Country Canton of Basel-Landschaft or Basel-Country, informally known as Baselland or Baselbiet (; ; ; ; ), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital city is Liestal. It is traditional ...

. Having been spotted playing for local side FC Therwil, Siegrist continued his youth career at

FC Basel Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel, FCB, or just Basel, is a Swiss professional Association football, football club based in Basel, in the Basel-Stadt, Canton of Basel-Stadt. Formed in 1893, the club has been List of Swiss footba ...

in his native Switzerland and during his time there he won the Swiss U-16 league in 2008. In January 2009, just prior to his 17th birthday, he signed for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

of the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

. He represented the reserve and academy teams, and in July 2010 he linked up with local side Tamworth with a view to a season-long loan. The loan move never materialised, but Siegrist did play for the club in two pre-season friendlies against Rugby Town and Leamington. As a Villa youth player, he helped the club to the reach the final of the 2009–10

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

(which was lost 3–2 on aggregate to Chelsea) and the 2011–12 Premier Reserve League South title. Ahead of the 2012–13 season Siegrist was promoted to Aston Villa's first team squad, receiving the number 39 shirt in the process.

Loans

Siegrist joined

Football League Two The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English Football League (EFL ...

side

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club moved its home g ...

on a one-month loan deal on 28 November 2013. He was given the number one shirt and was named on the bench for Albion's match with

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

on 30 November 2013. He made no appearances, largely due to the form of Dean Lyness, and returned to Aston Villa after one month. In March 2014 Siegrist joined

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...

of the

Conference Premier The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National Leagues and step 1 of the National Le ...

, the fifth tier of English league football, on loan until the end of the season. On 26 March 2014 Siegrist made his professional debut in a 3–0 win away to Salisbury City. Siegrist played three matches for Cambridge conceding only one goal and helping the club to a second-place league finish, before a groin injury ended his spell at the club. Siegrist joined

Solihull Moors Solihull Moors Football Club is a professional association football club based in Solihull, England. The club currently competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, after achieving promotion from the Na ...

of the

National League North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...

on a one-month emergency loan on 8 October 2015 having recovered from a serious leg injury in May 2015. He played in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

third qualifying round for Solihull against

Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English Association football, football club based in Worcester, England, Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Southern Football League Premier Division Central, the seventh tier of English football. ...

, the Moors forced a replay with a 1–1 draw in the first match but lost 1–0 in the replay, despite a string of fine saves from Siegrist. Siegrist made his league debut in a 1–1 draw away to Tamworth on 17 October 2015. Siegrist was named man of the match in a 2–2 draw with Lowestoft Town on 7 November 2015, making a string of saves to keep Moors in the game. Following a loan extension until March 2016 his good form continued as Moors moved clear at the top of the league in January 2016, they went on to win the league a few weeks after Siegrist's departure. On 19 March 2016, Siegrist joined

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...

on loan until the end of the season as cover, ultimately only playing a single match.

Vaduz

Siegrist signed for

in the

Swiss Super League The Super League (also known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss football league system. It has been played in its current fo ...

in the Summer 2016 transfer window for a fee of £210,000.

Dundee United

Siegrist signed a two-year contract with

Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional association footb ...

club

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...

in June 2018. Manager Csaba László initially used Siegrist as understudy to Matej Rakovan, but he had become first choice by the time Robbie Neilson became manager later that year. Siegrist was part of the Dundee United team that were declared Championship winners in 2019–20, and were subsequently promoted to the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...

. He made his 100th appearance for the club against

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

in February 2021. He made 131 saves in Premiership matches during the 2020–21 season, the most of any goalkeeper in the league, and won the club's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards, despite missing the end of the season with a broken wrist. In June 2021, United rejected an official bid to buy Siegrist from English League One club

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...

. In the following summer, Siegrist left Dundee United as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

Celtic

On 21 June 2022, Siegrist signed for Celtic as a free agent on a 4-year deal. On 31 August 2022, he made his official debut for the club in a 4-1 away win against Ross County in the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...

second round.

FC Rapid București

On 24 July 2024, having made two Scottish League Cup appearances for Celtic but never having played a league game, Siegrist joined

club

FC Rapid București Fotbal Club Rapid 1923, commonly known as Rapid București () or simply as Rapid, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in Bucharest, that competes in the Liga I. It was founded in 1923 by employees of the Grivi� ...

. He links up with former Celtic manager

Neil Lennon Neil Francis Lennon (born 25 June 1971) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He currently manages Scottish Championship club Dunfermline Athletic. During his playing career he represe ...

, signing a two-year contract with an option to extend for another year.

Loan to Genoa

On 28 January 2025, Siegrist joined

in Italy on loan. He made his debut in a 2–2 draw with

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

on 11 May 2025.

International career

Siegrist has been part of Switzerland squads at U17, U18, U19, and U21 level. Siegrist won the

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

with his nation: the goalkeeper was an integral part of the side that beat the hosts in the final and won the tournament's first Golden Glove award as a result. He was chosen as a backup goalkeeper for Switzerland's U21 squad at the

2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship The 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 18th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Denmark between 11 and 25 June 2011. The Danish bid was chosen by UEFA's Executive Committee on 10 De ...

, but remained an unused substitute throughout the tournament as Switzerland lost 2–0 in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. In 2012, Siegrist was chosen as a backup goalkeeper to Diego Benaglio for

Pierluigi Tami Pierluigi Tami (born 12 September 1961) is the current director of the Switzerland men's national teams. A former football manager and defender, he holds Swiss and Italian citizenship. Career He was in charge of the Switzerland national unde ...

's 18-man squad to represent Switzerland at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Personal life

Siegrist married Australian media personality Brittany Hockley on 4 June 2025.

Career statistics

Honours

Solihull Moors *

: 2015–16 Vaduz *

Liechtenstein Football Cup The Liechtenstein Football Cup is Liechtenstein's premier football competition, and has been organised annually by the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) since 1946. The winner qualifies to take part in the UEFA Conference League. As the ...

: 2016–17, 2017–18 Dundee United *

: 2019–20 Celtic *

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Switzerland U17 *

Switzerland U21 *

UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

runners-up:

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Individual *

– Golden Glove:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegrist, Benjamin 1992 births Living people Footballers from Basel-Landschaft Swiss men's footballers Switzerland men's under-21 international footballers Switzerland men's youth international footballers Swiss expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Olympic footballers for Switzerland Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Men's association football goalkeepers Aston Villa F.C. players Burton Albion F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Solihull Moors F.C. players Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players FC Vaduz players Dundee United F.C. players Celtic F.C. players FC Rapid București players Genoa CFC players National League (English football) players English Football League players Swiss Super League players Swiss Challenge League players Scottish Professional Football League players Liga I players Serie A players Swiss expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Liechtenstein Expatriate men's footballers in Liechtenstein Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Romania Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Italy 21st-century Swiss sportsmen