Alexander Merkel facts for kids
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Merkel with Admira Wacker in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 February 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Almaty, Kazakhstan | ||
| Height | 1.79 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Nassaji Mazandaran | ||
| Number | 52 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999 | Okzhetpes | ||
| 1999–2003 | JSG Westerwald | ||
| 2003–2008 | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| 2008–2010 | AC Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2010–2011 | AC Milan | 6 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Genoa | 19 | (1) |
| 2012 | → AC Milan (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2013–2016 | Udinese | 6 | (0) |
| 2014 | → Watford (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | → Grasshopper Club Zurich (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2016 | Pisa | 0 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | VfL Bochum | 13 | (0) |
| 2018 | Admira Wacker | 15 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Heracles Almelo | 59 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Al-Faisaly | 27 | (1) |
| 2021–2023 | Gaziantep | 38 | (3) |
| 2023–2024 | Hatta | 10 | (2) |
| 2024– | Nassaji Mazandaran | 3 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007 | Germany U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Germany U16 | 15 | (1) |
| 2008 | Germany U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2009 | Germany U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Germany U19 | 2 | (1) |
| 2011 | Germany U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2015–2019 | Kazakhstan | 3 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Alexander Merkel (born February 22, 1992) is a professional football player from Kazakhstan and Germany. He plays as a midfielder for Nassaji Mazandaran, a club in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Alexander was born in Kazakhstan, but his family is of German background. When he was younger, he played for Germany's national youth teams. Later, in 2015, he decided to play for Kazakhstan's national team. He made his first appearance in a big European championship qualifying game.
Contents
Alexander Merkel's Football Journey
Starting Out in Football
Alexander Merkel was born in Kazakhstan. When he was six years old, in 1998, he moved to Germany. This is where he began his football journey. He first played for a local amateur team called JSG Westerwald. When he was 11, he joined the youth academy of a bigger club, VfB Stuttgart.
Playing for AC Milan
In 2008, when Alexander was 16, he moved to Italy. He joined the famous club AC Milan. During his time in their youth system, he was part of the under-20 team. This team won the Coppa Italia Primavera in 2010. This was a big win, as it was their first time winning that cup in 25 years!
Alexander started getting called up to the main AC Milan team in the 2009–10 season. He played well in some practice games before the next season. His official first-team debut was on December 8, 2010. He came on as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League game against Ajax. He also played his first league game, starting against Cagliari. Alexander scored his first professional goal on January 20. This was in a Coppa Italia match against Bari, which Milan won 3–0. He played ten games in total that season.
Moving to Genoa
At the start of the 2011–12 season, Alexander joined Genoa. He made his first official appearance for Genoa in a Coppa Italia game. Later, in January 2012, he returned to AC Milan for a short time on loan. He played a few more games for Milan during this loan. After the loan, Genoa fully bought his player rights in May 2012.
Time at Udinese
In January 2013, Alexander moved to another Italian club, Udinese. He played for them for a few seasons.
Loan to Watford
On January 3, 2014, Alexander went on loan to Watford in England. He played his first game for Watford on January 11. He scored his first goal for Watford in a 3–0 win against Barnsley on March 15, 2014.
Loan to Grasshopper Club Zurich
After his time at Watford, Alexander went on another loan. On July 14, 2014, he joined Grasshopper Club Zurich in Switzerland for a season.
Other Clubs Alexander Played For
Alexander Merkel has played for many different clubs throughout his career. Here are some of them:
- Pisa: In July 2016, he joined Pisa in Italy. However, he left the club soon after.
- VfL Bochum: In August 2016, he signed with VfL Bochum in Germany.
- Admira Wacker: In February 2018, Alexander moved to Austrian club Admira Wacker. He scored his first goal for them against Wolfsberger AC.
- Heracles Almelo: In July 2018, he joined Heracles Almelo in the Netherlands.
- Al-Faisaly: In September 2020, Alexander signed with Al-Faisaly in Saudi Arabia.
- Gaziantep: In August 2021, he joined Gaziantep in Turkey.
- Hatta: In July 2023, Alexander signed with Hatta in the United Arab Emirates.
- Nassaji Mazandaran: Currently, he plays for Nassaji Mazandaran in Iran.
Alexander Merkel's International Career
Alexander Merkel started his international football journey playing for Germany's youth teams. He played for Germany's Under-15 team in a game against Switzerland. He continued to play for Germany at different youth levels, all the way up to the Under-19 team.
In 2010, he mentioned that he hoped to play for the senior German national team one day. He also showed interest in playing for Russia. However, Russian football officials said he couldn't play for them because he didn't have Russian citizenship.
In March 2015, Alexander made a big decision. He chose to play for the Kazakhstan national team. He made his first appearance for Kazakhstan in a qualifying match for the Euro 2016 tournament against Iceland.
Honours
Alexander Merkel has won some important trophies with his teams:
Milan
- Serie A: 2010–11 (This is the top football league in Italy)
Al-Faisaly
- King Cup: 2020–21 (This is a major cup competition in Saudi Arabia)
See Also
In Spanish: Alexander Merkel para niños
