A disciplined defensive midfielder, he was the unsung hero orchestrating PSV Eindhoven's mid-2000s successes before moving to AC Milan. Career record: 94 caps and 2 goals for Switzerland; club career at Grasshopper Club Zürich, PSV Eindhoven, Real Betis Balompié.
One rank above: Gökhan Inler at #20.
One rank below: Köbi Kuhn at #22.
Switzerland's editorial top five: Stéphane Chapuisat · Yann Sommer · Alexander Frei · Granit Xhaka · Stephan Lichtsteiner.