Adnan Januzaj facts for kids
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Januzaj with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Adnan Januzaj | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 February 1995 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Brussels, Belgium | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Sevilla | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 24 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | FC Brussels | |||||||||||||||
| 2005–2011 | Anderlecht | |||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Manchester United | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | Manchester United | 50 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Borussia Dortmund (loan) | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | → Sunderland (loan) | 25 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2022 | Real Sociedad | 132 | (15) | |||||||||||||
| 2022– | Sevilla | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | → İstanbul Başakşehir (loan) | 11 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | → Las Palmas (loan) | 18 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2022 | Belgium | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:45, 29 March 2022 (UTC) |
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Adnan Januzaj (born 5 February 1995) is a professional footballer from Belgium. He plays as a winger for the Spanish club Sevilla.
Adnan grew up in Brussels, Belgium. He started his football journey with Anderlecht. In 2011, when he was 16, he joined Manchester United. He became a key player for Manchester United under manager David Moyes in the 2013–14 season. Later, he had loan spells at Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland. In July 2017, he moved to Real Sociedad in Spain.
Januzaj first played for the Belgian national team in 2014. He represented Belgium in the FIFA World Cup in both 2014 and 2018. In the 2018 tournament, Belgium reached the semi-finals and finished third.
Contents
Adnan's Football Journey
Starting Out in Belgium
Adnan Januzaj began his football career at FC Brussels. When he was ten years old in 2005, he moved to Anderlecht. He left Anderlecht for Manchester United in March 2011. He was only 16 at the time and had impressed scouts during a training session in Brussels.
Towards the end of the 2012–13 season, Sir Alex Ferguson, who was Manchester United's manager, brought Januzaj into the first team. He was given the number 44 jersey. He didn't play in any matches that season but was a substitute in the last game against West Bromwich Albion. For his great performances with the reserve team, Januzaj won the 2013 Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year award.
He joined the first team for their pre-season tour in Asia for the 2013–14 season. He even scored a goal against Hong Kong team Kitchee. He also played in Rio Ferdinand's special match, where he helped set up Manchester United's only goal.
Playing for Manchester United
Januzaj made his first official appearance for Manchester United on 11 August 2013. This was in the Community Shield match against Wigan Athletic. He came on as a substitute near the end of the game.
A month later, on 14 September, he made his Premier League debut. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 win against Crystal Palace. On 5 October 2013, Januzaj started his first game for the club. He scored two goals, helping United win 2–1 against Sunderland.
To keep him at the club, Manchester United signed Januzaj to a new five-year contract on 19 October 2013. This was important because other clubs could have signed him easily when his old contract ended. In December 2013, he was nominated for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award.
Januzaj was not immediately included in Manchester United's squad for the UEFA Champions League. This was a tactical decision by manager David Moyes. Because Januzaj hadn't been with the club for two years yet, he would have taken up a valuable spot on the main squad list. By waiting a bit, he became eligible for a special 'List B' squad, which allowed the club to register another player. He made his Champions League debut on 10 December 2013 against Shakhtar Donetsk.
During his first season, Januzaj sometimes received yellow cards for simulation (pretending to be fouled). His manager, David Moyes, talked to him about it. Moyes also asked referees to protect Januzaj from rough tackles by opposing players.
Wearing the Number 11 Shirt
At the start of the 2014–15 season, Januzaj was given the famous number 11 shirt. This shirt was previously worn by the legendary player Ryan Giggs, who had just retired.
He played his first game of the season as a substitute in United's opening Premier League match. This was a 1–2 loss at home to Swansea City. His first start of the season was in a 2–2 draw with West Bromwich Albion on 20 October 2014.
Loan Spells to Gain Experience
After not scoring in the 2014–15 season, Januzaj scored his first goal in over a year on 14 August 2015. This goal gave United a victory against Aston Villa.
On 31 August 2015, Januzaj was loaned to the German club Borussia Dortmund for the season. However, he was called back to United on 6 January 2016. He had only played in 12 games for Dortmund.
On 12 August 2016, Januzaj joined Sunderland on a season-long loan. He reunited with his former Manchester United manager, David Moyes, there. Januzaj made his debut for Sunderland the next day against Manchester City. In his third game for Sunderland, he scored his first goal for the team, which was a late winning goal against Shrewsbury Town.
In September, he was sent off in a game against Tottenham. A few days later, he got an ankle injury that kept him out for at least six weeks. David Moyes said that Januzaj needed to improve his performances if he wanted to get back into Manchester United's main squad.
Moving to Real Sociedad
After not being able to secure a regular spot at Manchester United, Januzaj signed a five-year contract with the Spanish club Real Sociedad in July 2017. He made his debut in La Liga on 10 September in a 4–2 win. He scored his first goal on 5 November against Eibar. He also scored a late goal against Atletico Madrid, which helped his team secure a spot in European competitions.
Joining Sevilla
After his contract with Real Sociedad ended in 2022, Januzaj signed a four-year deal with Sevilla on 31 August 2022.
Loan to İstanbul Başakşehir
On 3 February 2023, Januzaj moved to the Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir on loan until the end of the season.
Loan to Las Palmas
On 24 July 2024, Januzaj joined Las Palmas, another Spanish top-tier club, on loan for the 2024–25 season.
Playing for His Country
Adnan Januzaj's family background meant he could have played for several national teams. These included Belgium (where he was born), Albania (because of his family's heritage), and Kosovo (which was not a FIFA member at the time). His father said they were Albanian and would not play for countries like Serbia, Turkey, or Croatia.
In October 2013, the manager of the England team, Roy Hodgson, said they were watching Januzaj. However, Januzaj did not meet the rules to play for England. Players need to have been educated in England for at least five years before turning 18.
Even though he played for Belgium, Januzaj could have still played for Kosovo because Kosovo was not a FIFA member when he first played for Belgium. But after 2016, when Kosovo joined FIFA, Januzaj could only represent Belgium once he played another game for them.
Playing for Belgium
In June 2013, a former Belgian youth coach said that Januzaj had turned down invitations to play for Belgium several times. This was because he preferred to play for Albania.
On 7 October 2013, the Belgian national team coach, Marc Wilmots, tried to pick Januzaj for World Cup qualifying games. But Januzaj refused, saying he still needed to decide which country to play for. Wilmots said he respected Januzaj's choice and would talk to him and his family.
On 23 April 2014, Wilmots announced that Januzaj had decided to play for the Belgium national team. This was confirmed by Januzaj's manager. On 13 May 2014, Januzaj was included in Belgium's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
He played his first game for Belgium in a friendly match against Luxembourg. However, this match was later considered unofficial by FIFA because Belgium made too many substitutions. His official debut came in the next friendly game, a 1–0 win over Tunisia on 7 June.
In November 2017, Januzaj was called back to the Belgian squad after three years. In June 2018, he was named in the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In the final group game against England, he scored the only goal. This goal helped Belgium win the group.
Awards and Achievements
Manchester United
- FA Community Shield: 2013
Real Sociedad
- Copa del Rey: 2019–20
Belgium
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
Individual Awards
- Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year: 2012–13
- Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup Golden Ball: 2013
Images for kids
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Januzaj with Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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Januzaj playing for Manchester United in 2013
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Januzaj playing for Manchester United in 2015
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Januzaj training with Real Sociedad in 2018
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Januzaj and Thorgan Hazard at the 2018 World Cup
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Januzaj after scoring Belgium's winning goal against England at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
See also
In Spanish: Adnan Januzaj para niños
