MVP of the 2018 World Floorball Championships, two times in the World Championship All-Star team, three World Championship bronze medals, two club championships and two Cup titles – Pascal Meier has celebrated a number of successes during his career. After 120 international games, the 32-year-old has decided to retire from floorball altogether.
Pascal Meier‘s successful career began as a junior. He was Swiss champion with the U18 and U21 teams of Rychenberg Winterthur and became the regular goalkeeper of the senior team at the age of 20. At his second U19 World Championships in 2009, he won the bronze medal with Switzerland and was selected for the all-star team. Two years later, he was called up to the senior Swiss national team for the first time, and a year later played in his first home World Championship in 2012, one of his career highlights. Meier was nominated for all five subsequent World Championships squads and celebrated two more bronze medals. He is particularly remembered for the 2018 World Championships in Prague for his performances and personal success. He made history by becoming the first Swiss ever, the first goalie and the first player not to reach the final to be voted Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was thus on the All-Star team for the second time since 2016. He was then nominated MVP of the Year at the Swiss Sports Awards.
Photo by Jarmo Koskela
Major Injury setback
Meier was known for his meticulous work, which made him one of the world’s best goalkeepers and Switzerland’s number 1. Only four Swiss have played more international matches than him: 120 times he wore the National jersey. The big dream of a World Championship trophy, however, did not come true. As the figurehead of the 2022 home World Cup, he wanted to contribute to it. Nevertheless, he also experienced one of his best moments of his career last November in the group match against Finland in the Swiss Life Arena in Zurich: “When we marched in there in front of the Swiss fans and the sea of red flags… I always had exactly this image in my head when I had to do without something or train extra. To experience it exactly like that is indescribable.” He was always aware that it could be his last World Championship, and the feeling grew stronger the longer it went on. The World Championship was followed by the next setback for Meier: he had to end his first season after returning to HC Rychenberg Winterthur prematurely due to a torn meniscus. It was the first time in his career that he missed more than three games. “I would have preferred to make the decision to retire on the field. Accepting that it is now the way it is was and is not always easy. But injuries are part of sport. I try to look at it positively. Maybe this learning process will help me one day in the future.”
Due to the setback of the injury Meier decided the time was right to end his career at both club and national level as an elite goalkeeper. Sadly injuries and the wear and tear of being a elite level Floorball goalkeeper took its toll.
Pascal Meier will be seen as one of the goalie greats in Floorball, always providing his team with a chance to win from the back. We at the IFF wish Pascal all the best in the future!
