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Granit Xhaka
Xhaka playing for Arsenal in 2018
Personal information
Full name Granit Xhaka
Date of birth (1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 (age 31)
Place of birth Basel, Switzerland
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Bayer Leverkusen
Number 34
Youth career
2000–2002 Concordia Basel
2003–2010 FC Basel
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2010 FC Basel U-21 37 (11)
2010–2012 FC Basel 44 (2)
2012–2016 Borussia Mönchengladbach 108 (6)
2016–2023 Arsenal 225 (17)
2023– Bayer Leverkusen 18 (0)
International career
2011– Switzerland 121 (14)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing   Switzerland
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Winner 2009 U-17 Team
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 2011
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:37, 20 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:09, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

Club career[edit]

FC Basel[edit]

Xhaka started his youth football with Concordia Basel and, together with his brother Taulant, moved to the youth department of FC Basel at the end of 2002. He played for various Basel youth teams regularly advancing through the ranks. In the 2006–07 season he was member of the U-15 team that won the Swiss championship, creating a record for eternity. They managed to win all championship games in that season to win the Swiss championship at that level. This was achieved with a goal difference of 104:13. Since competitive football began in Switzerland, no team had achieved this before.[2] In the 2007–08 season he was member of the U-16 team that won the Swiss championship at that level, remaining undefeated throughout the entire season.[3] During the 2008–09 season Xhaka advanced to the U-18 team, but was nevertheless called up to Basel's U-21 team, who played in the third tier of Swiss football, by their coach Patrick Rahmen and on 15 November 2008 Xhaka was substituted on in the 83rd minute as Basel won 2–1 against SC Cham. During the second half of the season Xhaka played nine further games for the U-21, scoring one goal and at the end of the season became division champions and won the championship at U-21 level.[4] To the beginning of the 2009–10 season Xhaka advanced to become member of the U-21 squad, however was still eligible to play for the U-18 team, who at the end of the season became Swiss champions at their level.

To the beginning of their 2010–11 season, Xhaka advanced to Basel's first team under head coach Thorsten Fink. On 28 July 2010 Xhaka played his first team debut in the third qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League in the away match against Debrecen. He was substituted on in the 88th minute and four minutes later he scored the team's second goal to secure the victory.[5] He played his domestic league debut for the club. playing the full 90 minutes, in the away game on 21 August as Basel played a 1–1 draw with Thun.[6] He scored his first Super League goal for his new team on 15 May 2011, in the home game in the St. Jakob-Park as Basel won 5–1 against FC Thun.[7] At the end of the 2010–11 league season, Xhaka won the championship title with the team. He had 20 league appearances, scoring once.[8]

At the end of the 2011–12 season Xhaka won the Double with the team. They won the League Championship title with 20 points advantage over second placed Luzern.[9] The final of the 2011–12 Swiss Cup was played in the Stade de Suisse on 16 May 2012. The game ended with a one-all draw after extra time and winning the penalty shoot-out Vasel lifted the trophy.[10] At the end of the season he left the club, during his time with Basel's first team Xhaka played a total of 67 competitive games for them scoring a three goals. 44 of these games were in the Swiss Super League, nine in the Swiss Cup, 14 in the UEFA competitions (Champions League and Europa League). He scored two goals in the domestic league and one in the Champions League.[11]

Honours[edit]

Basel

Sources[edit]

  • Josef Zindel (2018). FC Basel 1893. Die ersten 125 Jahre (in German). Basel: Friedrich Reinhardt Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7245-2305-5.
  • Rotblau: Jahrbuch Saison 2014/2015. Publisher: FC Basel Marketing AG. ISBN 978-3-7245-2027-6

External links[edit]

  1. ^ "Granit Xhaka". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b "U15 mit Rekord für die Ewigkeit" [U15 with a record for eternity] (in Swiss High German). FC Basel 1893. 2006. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  3. ^ a b FC Basel 1893 (2008). "Zwei weitere Nachwuchstitel für den FCB" (in Swiss High German). FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (2012). "Switzerland 2008/09" (in French). Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  5. ^ Watson-Broughton, Matthew (28 July 2010). "Basel do enough to down Debrecen". uefa.com. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  6. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (21 August 2010). "FC Thun - FC Basel 1:1 (0:0)". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv". Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  7. ^ Meister, Remo (15 May 2011). "Der FCB ist zurück an der Spitze" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  8. ^ Zea, Anthony (2012). "Switzerland 2010/2011". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  9. ^ Meister, Remo (29 April 2012). "Der 15. Meistertitel für den FCB – die Bilanz einer grandiosen Saison" (in German). FC Basel 1893. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  10. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (2017). "Switzerland 2011/12" (in French). Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  11. ^ Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv” (2023). "Granit Xhaka". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. Retrieved 16 November 2023.