Christophe Berra

Heart of Midlothian

Berra joined Heart of Midlothian on 26 April 2002 from their youth development system. He is one in a long line of young defenders, particularly central defenders, to have progressed through the Hearts youth system, including Paul Ritchie and Alan McLaren.

After impressive performances in the youth and Under-21 teams, Berra made his first team debut on 30 November 2003 as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat at Dundee United. He made only a handful of further appearances during the remainder of the 2003–04 season, but continued his development over the following campaigns, becoming an important member of the first team squad.

He scored in a 2–0 victory against Kilmarnock in season 2005–06 which aided the Tynecastle club's push towards UEFA Champions League qualification. That season also saw him gain a Scottish Cup winner's medal after being a non-playing substitute in the 2006 Scottish Cup Final win against Gretna.

In July 2006, Berra signed a five-year deal with Hearts, before going on to play in the club's European ties in Champions League qualifiers and the UEFA Cup during a season that saw the club finish fourth. The following season, he became the youngest captain in the SPL after the departure of the previous Hearts captain Craig Gordon to Sunderland in August 2007.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Berra won international recognition at the end of the 2007–08 season and, during the close season, his growing reputation attracted the attention of Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers. They made a reported £1.5 million bid to sign him, but it was not considered as Hearts were without a manager at the time. Wolves returned with an improved offer – reportedly £2million – on 27 January 2009, but it was again rejected. However, he eventually signed for Wolves for an undisclosed fee – believed to be around £2.5m – in a four-and-a-half-year deal on transfer deadline day. He made his club debut on 7 February 2009 in a 1–2 defeat at Coventry.

Berra helped Wolves complete the season at the top of the Championship and so enter Premier League. He went on to play regularly during their three seasons in the top division, being partnered at centre back by a collection of players including Jody Craddock, Richard Stearman and Roger Johnson. After three seasons Berra was a mainstay of the Wolves team that finished bottom of the 2011–12 Premier League and so were relegated back to the Championship.

Following relegation, Berra had a transfer request accepted by Wolves. but this did not lead to any move away from the club and he remained part of the first team during the season. Then-Wolves manager Ståle Solbakken stated that Berra's game had improved and stated that he hoped the club could agree a new contract with Berra. However, Solbakken was soon fired and Berra dropped out of first team contention under Dean Saunders. At the end of the campaign, which again saw the team relegated, it was announced that Berra would leave the club. In total he made 154 appearances for the club, without scoring.

Ipswich Town

Berra signed for Ipswich Town, managed by his former Wolves manager Mick McCarthy, in July 2013. Ipswich finished 9th in the Championship in his first season. Berra formed a defensive partnership with Tommy Smith. He scored five league goals in the 2013–14 season, which was the third highest total by an Ipswich player. Berra won the Ipswich Town Supporters Player of the Season award for the 2013–14 season. He signed a three-year contract with Ipswich in September 2014.

Berra continued to play regularly for Ipswich until the 2016–17 season. Ipswich had an option to extend his contract for another year, but they decided not to exercise this after Berra said he wished to return to Scotland. On May 23, 2017 Berra signed a pre-contract with his former team Heart Of Midlothian FC. Returning after 8 years in England's Championship and Premier League.

International career

Berra was eligible to play for both Scotland (through his mother) and France (through his father), although having been born and grown up in Scotland, he has always committed to Scotland, and has been capped at different age levels right up to the senior side. He made his senior international debut as a substitute, on 30 May 2008 in a 3–1 defeat against the Czech Republic at the AXA Arena in Prague. Berra made his first start for the national team in the Amsterdam ArenA on 28 March 2009 in the match against the Netherlands.

Berra scored his first goal for Scotland on 25 May 2011 against Wales in the 2011 Nations Cup.

Club

International

International goals

Honours

Heart of Midlothian

Wolverhampton Wanderers