Hottiger was born in
Lausanne. After starting his club career in his native Switzerland, he headed for England on 1 August 1994 to sign for
Premier League side Newcastle United in a £525,000 deal. He was their first choice right-back in the
1994–95 season, during which he memorably scored a 25-yard goal in a victory over
Blackburn Rovers in the
FA Cup third round. However, manager
Kevin Keegan signed right-back
Warren Barton from
Wimbledon the following summer and Hottiger lost his place in the first team for the
1995–96 season. On 19 January 1996, he agreed terms with
Everton for a £700,000 transfer, but had difficulty obtaining a work permit, which was finally granted on 9 March 1996 when his long wait to become an Everton player ended. However, he only made limited appearances for Everton, scoring once against Bolton Wanderers, and left in June 1997 to sign for his hometown club Lausanne in a £25,000 deal. He then moved back to FC Sion in 1999 and remained there until the end of his playing career in 2002. ==Personal life==