Oliver Hanjorge Risser (born 17 September 1980) is a former 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 played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. He represented

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

internationally as well as having spells playing in Norway, Finland, England and Belgium.

Club career

Born in

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

, Risser started his senior career with SpVgg EGC Wirges in 1999 and moved to Borussia Dortmund's reserve team in 2003, spending two seasons with the club in the German third division. He spent most of the 2005–06 season with

SV Sandhausen Sportverein Sandhausen 1916 e.V., commonly known as simply SV Sandhausen or Sandhausen, is a Football in Germany, German association football club that plays in Sandhausen, immediately to the south of Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. It is Ger ...

in Oberliga Baden-Württemberg, one of the leagues in the fourth tier of German football. In April 2006, he moved to Icelandic first-division side

Breidablik Breiðablik (sometimes anglicised as Breithablik or Breidablik) is the home of Baldr in Nordic mythology. Meaning The word has been variously translated as 'broad sheen', 'Broad gleam', 'Broad-gleaming' or 'the far-shining one', Attestations G ...

for three months, before returning to fourth-division football in Germany and signing with

Bonner SC Bonner SC is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Bonn. The club was formed in 1965 through the merger of ''Bonner FV'' and ''Tura Bonn''. Its women's football department won the List of German women's football champio ...

of Oberliga Nordrhein, where spent the entire 2006–07 season. He moved to Hannover 96 II in January 2008 after a few months without a club, but left the club at the end of the season. After another eight months without a club, Risser moved to Norway, joining Manglerud Star in March 2009. On 21 August 2009,

Lyn Lyn or LYN may refer to: People * Lyn (singer), South Korean singer * Lyn (gamer), South Korean ''Warcraft III'' player * Lyn (given name) * Lyn (surname) In science and technology * Lynx (constellation), standard abbreviation * Lyn (locomotive ...

agreed a loan deal for him from Manglerud Star. In June 2011, Risser went on a one-week trial with English League Two side

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

, and after three days, manager

Paolo Di Canio Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a Forward (association football), forward. He primari ...

announced that Risser was to be offered a contract. He signed a two-year deal along with Ibrahim Atiku on the same day, 10 July. Ten days later, on 20 July, he was named Swindon

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

for the 2011–12 season. He made a goalscoring debut for Swindon, netting the club's second goal with a 30-yard strike against

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...

in a 3–0 win at The County Ground on the opening day of the season. In October 2011, Risser was replaced by

Paul Caddis Paul McLean Caddis (born 19 April 1988) is a Scottish Football coach (association football), football coach and former professional association football, footballer who is manager of National League North side Hereford F.C., Hereford. Caddis pla ...

as club captain after losing his place in the side due to a groin injury. He scored his second goal for the club in a 1–1 draw against

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...

in the

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...

on 8 November 2011, a game in which Swindon went on to win 3–1 on penalties. Risser received the first red card of his Swindon career in a 2–1 away win against

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...

, receiving a straight red card for a tackle on Northampton's John Johnson. He went on to score two further goals during the campaign, in 2–0 victories against

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

and Barnet respectively. Risser made 40 appearances during the season, scoring four goals, as Swindon were promoted to League One as champions. In August 2012, Risser joined League One side

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

on loan until January 2013, with a view to a permanent move. He made his Stevenage debut in the club's 3–2 loss to

Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the , the sixth level of the En ...

in the

on 4 September 2012. Risser scored his first goal for Stevenage in a 1–1 draw against

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

at the

Keepmoat Stadium The Eco-Power Stadium (formerly known as Keepmoat Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Doncaster, England, with a capacity of 15,231. It cost approximately £20 million to construct, as part of the wider Lakeside Sports Complex that it ...

on 22 September; netting with a glancing header from a

Filipe Morais Filipe Alexandre Major Morais (born 21 November 1985) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger. Morais began his career at Chelsea, progressing through the youth system before signing a professional deal in 2005. ...

cross. He went on to make 13 appearances during the loan spell, although Stevenage turned down the option to make the move permanent, and Risser returned to his parent club in January 2013. Shortly after returning to Swindon, it was announced that Risser had left the club after his contract was terminated by mutual consent. He subsequently signed for League Two side

Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...

on a free transfer on 6 January. Under manager Dean Holdsworth, he was a regular fixture in the side but after the arrival of new manager Andy Scott he was limited to appearances on the bench. By the end of the season he had made 15 appearances for Aldershot, scoring no goals. Risser was then believed to be one of the thirteen players made redundant as a result of the club going to administration.

International career

Risser earned 31 caps for the Namibia national team and represented Namibia at the

2008 African Cup of Nations The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated with the Confeder ...

Personal life

Risser's younger brother,

Wilko Wilko.com Limited (trading as Wilko) is a British Variety store, variety retailer. It was founded as Wilkinson by James Kemsey Wilkinson and Mary Cooper in 1930 as a hardware retailer, opening its first store in Leicester. In 1972, Tony Wil ...

, is also a footballer.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Swindon Town *

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 ...

: 2011–12 *

runner-up: 2011–12

References

External links

* * *
Oliver Risser Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Risser, Oliver 1980 births Living people Namibian people of German descent White Namibian people Namibian men's footballers Footballers from Windhoek Men's association football midfielders Namibia men's international footballers 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players Regionalliga players Oliver Risser Eliteserien players Veikkausliiga players English Football League players Lierse S.K. (2018) players Borussia Dortmund II players SV Sandhausen players Oliver Risser Bonner SC players Hannover 96 II players Manglerud Star Toppfotball players Lyn Fotball players Kuopion Palloseura players Swindon Town F.C. players Stevenage F.C. players Aldershot Town F.C. players Ramblers F.C. players Namibian expatriate men's footballers Namibian expatriate sportspeople in Iceland Expatriate men's footballers in Iceland Namibian expatriate sportspeople in Norway Expatriate men's footballers in Norway Namibian expatriate sportspeople in Finland Expatriate men's footballers in Finland Namibian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in England Namibian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium 21st-century Namibian sportsmen