Almen Abdi facts for kids
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Abdi at Watford, 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Almen Abdi | ||
| Date of birth | 21 October 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Prizren, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia (modern Kosovo) | ||
| Height | 1.80m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–2003 | Zürich | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2009 | Zürich | 132 | (31) |
| 2009–2010 | Le Mans | 13 | (0) |
| 2010–2013 | Udinese | 42 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | → Watford (loan) | 38 | (12) |
| 2013–2016 | Watford | 77 | (13) |
| 2016–2019 | Sheffield Wednesday | 20 | (1) |
| Total | 322 | (57) | |
| National team | |||
| 2007–2008 | Switzerland U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Switzerland | 6 | (0) |
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Almen Abdi (born October 21, 1986) is a retired Swiss football player. He was an attacking midfielder, which means he played in the middle of the field and helped score goals. Almen Abdi played for several teams like Zürich, Le Mans, Udinese, Watford, and Sheffield Wednesday. He also played for the Swiss national team.
Contents
Almen Abdi's Football Journey
Starting Strong at FC Zürich
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Almen Abdi began his football journey at Zürich. He joined their youth academy in 1993 and worked his way up. At just 17 years old, he made his first professional game in the 2003–04 season. He came into the game as a substitute.
For his first three seasons at Zürich, Abdi did not play much. He was mostly a player who came off the bench. But the 2006–07 season was his big chance. He played in more games and became a regular starter. During this season, Abdi also played his first Champions League game. He scored his first league goal on July 29, 2006.
Abdi was part of the Zürich team that won the Swiss Championship three times: in 2005–06, 2006–07, and 2008–09. In June 2006, he signed a better contract that lasted until 2010. In the 2008–09 season, Abdi was the team's top goal scorer with 19 goals. He also made 12 assists, helping his teammates score. Because of his great performance, he was named the best midfielder in the Swiss Super League. He also won the Best Swiss Player Award for that season. In November 2009, Abdi was moved to the FC Zürich reserve team. The club said they were planning for the future without him.
Playing for Le Mans in France
In January 2010, Abdi moved to Le Mans in France. He signed a six-month contract. The plan was to extend it if the club stayed in Ligue 1, France's top league. However, Le Mans was moved down to Ligue 2 at the end of the season. Abdi played in 13 games for them.
Time with Udinese in Italy
In April 2010, Abdi announced he would join Udinese in Italy. He joined them in the summer as a free agent. In Udine, he played 19 games during the 2010–11 season. Most of these times, he came on as a substitute.
The next season, Abdi scored his first goal for Udinese. It was in the Europa League on September 29, 2011. He scored a penalty kick to tie the game against Celtic. There were rumors that Abdi might go back to Zürich. But Abdi said he was happy at Udinese and denied the rumors.
Becoming a Fan Favorite at Watford
In July 2012, Abdi started training with Watford in England. He joined them on a loan for the 2012–13 season. Abdi scored his first goal for Watford in his first league game. This was against Crystal Palace on August 18, 2012.
In November 2012, Abdi injured his shoulder. He dislocated it, meaning it came out of its joint. After four weeks of rest, he returned to the team. He came on as a substitute in a game against Hull City. Abdi scored three goals in three games in February 2013. This brought his total goals to 9. He then scored his 10th goal of the season with a great free kick on March 1, 2013.
Towards the end of the season, Abdi said he wanted to stay at Watford permanently. He had become a favorite player among the fans. In May 2013, he won the Hornets' Player of the Season award.
On July 19, 2013, Watford confirmed that Abdi had signed a three-year deal. This made his move permanent. In August 2013, he got a foot problem called plantar fasciitis. This kept him from playing for several months. Abdi made his return on January 14, 2014. He came on as a substitute in an FA Cup game. Four days later, he played his first league game in seven months.
On August 30, 2014, Abdi scored two goals in one game for Watford. This was his first time scoring a brace for the club. Watford won the game 4–2. Abdi scored the goals that made it 2–1 and 4–2. He also helped set up another goal in the same game.
Moving to Sheffield Wednesday
On July 28, 2016, Abdi joined Sheffield Wednesday. This team also plays in the Championship. He left the club at the end of the 2018–19 season.
Playing for His Country
Almen Abdi made his first game for the senior Switzerland international team on August 20, 2008. This was against Cyprus. He could have chosen to play for the Albania national team or the Kosovo national team. But he chose to play for Switzerland.
About Almen Abdi's Life
On April 24, 2011, Abdi's home was broken into, and his belongings were stolen. He is good friends with his former teammate Gökhan Inler. Abdi is an Albanian from Prizren, Kosovo. His family is of Muslim faith. His last name suggests that an ancestor named Abdi started his family. He and his family speak the Albanian language in the Gheg dialect.
See Also
In Spanish: Almen Abdi para niños
Images for kids
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Abdi at Watford, 2015
