However, the two clubs – reportedly through the initiative of then-Tottenham sporting director Frank Arnesen – agreed to an immediate transfer, and Ziegler joined Spurs in late August of that year.
Despite being just 18 years old, Ziegler soon made his debut and became an important member of the team under both head coach Jacques Santini, who left in October after just a few months in charge, and his successor, Martin Jol.
He showed great promise and improvement, and became popular with the fans for his attack-minded play on the left side and good passing ability.
Near the end of the game, he played a delicate chipped pass to Frédéric Kanouté, who scored to make it 4–5.
Another memorable moment was in the 1 January 2005 match against Everton, where he scored his first goal en route to a 5–2 Tottenham win.
In May, Spurs brought in young left back Gareth Bale, and Ziegler opted to sign for Sampdoria permanently on 3 July 2007.
[10] Since his contract would expire on 30 June 2011, in January 2011, Ziegler was linked to Milan, as Sampdoria opted to gain some cash.
The team subsequently performed poorly and were eventually relegated to Serie B. Ziegler joined Juventus on a free transfer on 26 May 2011, having signed a four-year contract.
[14] On 2 February 2015, Ziegler transferred to Sion in his native Switzerland, signing a six-month contract until the end of the season.
For the Swiss U-21 team, he scored a late free-kick against the Netherlands in September 2008 to send Switzerland through to the play-off round of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
On 19 November 2008, Ziegler scored his only senior goal for Switzerland, a powerful left-footed strike against Finland which won the Swiss the match, 1–0.
Ziegler's brother Ronald also played as a professional footballer, including for Swiss side ES FC Malley.