Position: Midfielder
Born: 05.04.82
Club: Stuttgart

Goalkeepers must be on their guard at Germany 2006 if Thomas Hitzlsperger finds himself in a position to unleash his venomous shot.

The energetic midfielder earned a reputation at Aston Villa for his ferocious long-range shooting and his nickname of 'The Hammer' suited him well as the majority of his 12 goals for the club were screamers.

Before this season, Hitzlsperger had only ever played English Premiership football after he signed for Villa from Bayern Munich's youth ranks in 2000.

But after five years the 23-year-old lost his grip on regular first-team action at Villa Park and signed for Stuttgart on a Bosman last summer.

On the international front 2005 was the breakthrough year for the young midfielder, making five starts for Jurgen Klinsmann's side including three in the Confederations Cup in June.

Yet to score a goal for his country, if Hitzlsperger manages to find the net this summer it will probably be one that is etched in the annals of World Cup history.