Full name Mergim Brahimi 1997-2007 FC Red Star Zurich Name Mergim Brahimi | Playing position Role Footballer Number 10 Height 1.72 m | |
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Date of birth (1992-08-08) 8 August 1992 (age 23) Current teams Kosovo national football team (Midfielder) Similar People Imran Bunjaku, Mergim Mavraj, Fidan Aliti | ||
Place of birth Istok, FR Yugoslavia | ||
Best of Mergim Brahimi
Mërgim Brahimi (born 8 August 1992) is an Kosovo Albanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Swiss club Grasshopper Club Zürich
Contents
- Best of Mergim Brahimi
- Early life
- Youth clubs
- Grasshopper Club Zrich
- International career
- Albania senior team
- Switzerland under 21
- Kosovo senior team
- References
Early life
Brahimi was born in Istok, FR Yugoslavia to Kosovar Albanian parents. He lived in Istok for two years before moving to Zürich, Switzerland along with his mother, brother and two sisters due to the growing tension in Kosovo. Prior to moving, his father had been living for a number of years in Switzerland as a Gastarbeiter. He then signed for local side FC Red Star Zürich in 1997 before being spotted by Grasshopper Zürich in 2007.
Youth clubs
At the age of five, Brahimi signed for local side FC Red Star Zürich before being spotted by Grasshopper Zürich in 2007. Brahimi moved up the ranks of the youth divisions at Grasshopper Zürich, eventually playing for the under-21s in 2010. In the under-21s, Brahimi made a total of thirty two appearances and scored three goals before joining the senior team.
Grasshopper Club Zürich
Brahimi made his first team appearance against city rivals FC Zürich on the 2 October 2011. He came on in the 21st minute and made a good impact, in a game that was later abandoned due to FC Zürich fan violence. A 3–0 victory was awarded to GC.
Brahimi made his first starting appearance in the second round of the Schweizer Cup against FC Chiasso on 16 October 2011. He started the game and was substituted in the 77th minute for Davor Landeka in the 1–0 win.
On 28 July 2012, Brahimi scored his first goal for Grasshopper against FC Basel three minutes after he came off the bench on the 80th minute.
International career
Originating from Kosovo with ethnic Albanian parents and raised in Switzerland, Brahimi was eligible to play for Switzerland, Albania and Kosovo if a national team should be formed, but in March 2011 he answered the call by Albania's Under-21 coach Artan Bushati for a non official friendly tournament held in Slovenia.
On 26 August 2011 Brahimi was called up by Switzerland U-20 for two friendlies against Italy and Germany in September, but he refused the offer and decided to represent Albania instead.
He officially gained Albanian citizenship on 26 August 2011 along with his Grasshopper team mate Imran Bunjaku, in order to compete in the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers .
Albania senior team
He received his first senior international call up for friendliest by Gianni De Biasi against Qatar and Iran in May 2012.
Brahimi made his international debut on 27 May 2012 against Iran, at age of 19.
Switzerland under-21
Brahimi switched to play for Switzerland national under-21 football team in 2013–15 season. He scored 2 goals in 4 qualifying matches.
Kosovo senior team
Brahimi switched his nationality again in 2015. He scored a brace in his debut match for Kosovo national football team, against Equatorial Guinea.
He was invited by Albert Bunjaki, in a friendly with Faroe Islands on 3 June 2016. However, as he also played for national teams of Albania and Switzerland, his switch to Kosovo competitively was depended on the approval of FIFA's Bureau of the Players' Status Committee. Brahimi and Football Federation of Kosovo had to submit a formal request to the committee in order to know the eligibility of Brahimi.