Mërgim Brahimi

Mërgim Brahimi (born 8 August 1992) is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for FC Wil. A youth international for Albania and Switzerland, Brahimi represented the Albania national team before switching to the Kosovo national team.

Mërgim Brahimi
Personal information
Date of birth (1992-08-08) 8 August 1992
Place of birth Istog, FR Yugoslavia
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Wil
Number 8
Youth career
1997–2007 Red Star Zürich
2007–2012 Grasshopper Club Zürich
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2012 Grasshoppers II 50 (6)
2011–2014 Grasshoppers 31 (3)
2013–2014 → FC Aarau (loan) 4 (0)
2014 → FC Wohlen (loan) 13 (5)
2014–2015 FC Wohlen 39 (9)
2015–2018 Grasshoppers 53 (1)
2018 Panionios 10 (0)
2019– Wil 94 (7)
International career
2011–2012 Albania U21 10 (1)
2012 Albania 1 (0)
2013–2014 Switzerland U21 11 (3)
2015 Kosovo 2 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 June 2023

Early life

Brahimi was born in Istog, FR Yugoslavia to Kosovar Albanian parents. He lived in Istog 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 Club Zürich in 2007.[1]

Club career

Youth clubs

At the age of five, Brahimi signed for local side FC Red Star Zürich before being spotted by Grasshopper Zürich in 2007.[2] 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 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.[3]

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.[4]

Panionios

On 14 January 2018, Panionios officially announced the capture of Kosovo-Albanian Mërgim Brahimi. The 25-year-old international (with Kosovo National Team) attacking midfielder will replace experienced Iranian attacking midfielder Masoud Shojaei who recently joined rivals AEK Athens.[5]

FC Wil

On 3 June 2019, it was confirmed that Brahimi a two-year contract with FC Wil with an option to one further year.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8]

He officially gained Albanian citizenship on 26 August 2011 along with his Grasshopper teammate Imran Bunjaku, in order to compete in the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualifiers .[9][10]

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 also played another match for Kosovo in November 2015.

He was invited by Albert Bunjaki, in a friendly with Faroe Islands on 3 June 2016.[11] That match was the first match of Kosovo as a member of FIFA. However, as he also played for national teams of Albania and Switzerland, his switch to Kosovo competitively was dependent on the approval of FIFA's Bureau of the Players' Status Committee.[12] Brahimi and Football Federation of Kosovo had to submit a formal request to the committee in order to know the eligibility of Brahimi.

To sum up, Brahimi played twice for Kosovo in friendlies, but did not made his competitive debut yet.

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 25 March 2020[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Grasshoppers 2011–12 Super League 1402000160
2012–13 16330—193
2013–14 10001[lower-alpha 1]020
Total 3135010373
FC Aarau (loan) 2013–14 Super League 4000—40
FC Wohlen (loan) 2013–14 Challenge League 13500—135
FC Wohlen 2014–15 Challenge League 32822—3410
2015–16 7100—71
Total 39922004111
Grasshoppers 2015–16 Super League 2211000231
2016–17 290206[lower-alpha 2]0370
2017–18 2020—40
Total 5315060641
Panionios 2017–18 Superleague 10030—130
FC Wil 2019–20 Challenge League 20310—213
Career total 170211627019323
  1. Appearance in the Champions League
  2. Appearances in the Europa League

International
As of 25 March 2020[14]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Albania 201210
Kosovo 201520
Total30

References
  1. Andi Matraxhiu (29 November 2011). "Rasti "Brahimi", si ia rrëmbeu Shqipëria Zvicrës" (in Albanian). Sporti Shqiptar. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  2. Andi Matraxhiu (29 November 2011). "Rasti "Brahimi", si ia rrëmbeu Shqipëria Zvicrës" (in Albanian). Sporti Shqiptar. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  3. "FC Chiasso 0–1 Grasshopper Zürich". Football Database. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  4. Brahimi's first goal
  5. Zyrtare: Brahimi transferohet te Panioniosi
  6. [https://fcwil.ch/mergim-brahimi-kommt/ MERGIM BRAHIMI KOMMT], fcwil.ch, 3 June 2019
  7. "Bushati merr 10 talentë në Slloveni" (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. 16 March 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  8. "Brahimi ftohet nga Shqipëria e Zvicra" (in Albanian). Koha. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  9. "Brahimi e Bunjaku bëhen "shqiptarë"" (in Albanian). Koha. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  10. "Brahimi e Bunjaku bëhen "shqiptarë"" (in Albanian). RTV21. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  11. "Bunjaki makes public the list of players for the friendly match against Faroe Islands". Football Federation of Kosovo. 2016 [circa]. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  12. "Change of association to the Football Federation of Kosovo". FIFA. 7 September 2016. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  13. "M. Brahimi". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  14. "Brahimi, Mërgim". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
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