Amir Abrashi facts for kids
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Abrashi with Albania in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 March 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Bischofszell, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.73 m | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Grasshoppers | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2005 | Bischofszell | ||
| 2003–2005 | → Weinfelden-Bürglen (loan) | ||
| 2005–2007 | FC Winterthur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007–2008 | FC Winterthur II | 16 | (2) |
| 2008–2011 | FC Winterthur | 58 | (4) |
| 2010–2015 | Grasshoppers | 127 | (6) |
| 2015–2021 | SC Freiburg | 93 | (4) |
| 2019 | SC Freiburg II | 1 | (0) |
| 2021 | → FC Basel (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2021– | Grasshoppers | 97 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007–2008 | Switzerland U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Switzerland U19 | 20 | (2) |
| 2010–2012 | Switzerland U21 | 18 | (0) |
| 2012 | Switzerland Olympic | 4 | (0) |
| 2013– | Albania | 50 | (1) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Amir Malush Abrashi (born 27 March 1990) is a professional footballer from Switzerland. He plays as a defensive midfielder for the Swiss club Grasshoppers. Even though he was born in Switzerland, he plays for the Albania national team.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Switzerland
Amir Abrashi was born in Bischofszell, Switzerland. His parents were from Kosovo and had moved to Switzerland before he was born. He started playing football at age 12 for his hometown club, FC Bischofszell, in 2002.
A year later, he joined FC Weinfelden-Bürglen for two years. After a short return to FC Bischofszell, he moved to Winterthur with his family at age 16. There, he joined FC Winterthur, where he finished his youth career.
Playing for FC Winterthur
Rising Through the Ranks
Amir showed great skill in the youth teams. He was called up to the reserve team (FC Winterthur II) in 2007. He played his first game on 16 May 2007. Ten days later, he started his first game.
In the next season, he joined the reserve team permanently. On 11 November 2007, he scored his first goal in a 4–3 loss. He became a regular player and scored another goal that season. Overall, he played 16 matches and scored 2 goals for the reserve team in the 2007–08 season.
Joining the Senior Team
Amir's strong performances caught the eye of the first team coach. At 18, he joined the senior team for a Challenge League match on 27 April 2008. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 loss. He played two more games as a substitute that season.
The 2008–09 season was a big one for Abrashi. He played 24 matches and scored his first senior goal on 8 August 2008. In the 2009–10 season, he played 28 league games and scored 3 goals. FC Winterthur finished 3rd, just missing out on promotion.
Before moving to a top-tier club, Abrashi played 55 league games and 3 cup games for FC Winterthur, scoring 5 goals.
Time with Grasshoppers
First Loan and Debut
In July 2010, Abrashi joined Grasshoppers on a one-year loan. He made his debut on 25 July in a 2–0 loss to FC Zürich. This was his first game in the Swiss Super League. He also played in the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds. He even scored in a penalty shootout, but Grasshoppers were defeated.
Amir scored his first goal for Grasshoppers on 17 October in a big 12–0 win in the Swiss Cup. His first league goal came on 17 October in a 2–0 win against St. Gallen. In his first season, he played 33 games and scored 4 goals.
Becoming a Permanent Player
After his loan, Grasshoppers bought Abrashi permanently for €600,000. His second season was tough due to a knee injury in August 2011. This kept him off the field until February of the next year. He only played 16 games that season.
Abrashi won his first trophy with Grasshoppers in the 2012–13 season. They won the Swiss Cup by beating Basel 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. This was the club's first trophy in 10 years! He scored his first league goal in almost two years on 19 August. He played 33 games and scored 3 goals as the team finished second in the league.
European Competitions and Milestones
Finishing second meant Grasshoppers qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. Abrashi made his Champions League debut on 30 July 2014 against Lyon. He scored his only goal of the 2013–14 season in the 2013–14 Swiss Cup on 14 September.
On 15 May 2014, Abrashi played his 100th Swiss Super League game. He played 40 games in total that season, a new personal best. Grasshoppers finished second in the league again.
In the 2014–15 season, Abrashi scored his first European goal in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League qualifying round. In December 2014, he decided not to extend his contract. He confirmed that the 2014–15 season would be his last with Grasshoppers, as he wanted to play outside Switzerland. He finished his five seasons with Grasshoppers having played 127 league games, 18 cup games, and 10 European games, scoring 11 goals.
Moving to SC Freiburg
On 3 June 2015, Abrashi joined the German club SC Freiburg. He signed a three-year deal and was given the number 6 jersey.
He made his official debut on 27 July 2015 in a 6–3 win against Nürnberg. He scored his first goal for the team on 11 September. He quickly became a key player, helping the team win the 2. Bundesliga and get promoted to the Bundesliga.
Abrashi made his Bundesliga debut on 28 August 2016. He scored his first top-flight goal on 29 October. In December, he signed a new contract until 2020.
In November 2017, Abrashi got injured, which kept him out for two months. He returned in January 2018 but got injured again on 10 March 2018, cracking his knee. This injury kept him out for almost a year. He returned to training in January 2019 and played his first game a month later.
Loan to FC Basel
On 27 January 2021, Abrashi went on loan to Swiss club FC Basel. He played his first game for Basel on 31 January. By the end of his loan, he had played 10 games for Basel in the Super League.
Back to Grasshoppers
On 23 June 2021, Abrashi returned to Grasshoppers on a two-year contract. He became the team captain as they returned to the Swiss Super League. His return was popular with fans, but he received many yellow cards early on. He also faced more injuries in late 2021.
On 24 April 2022, he helped set up a goal in a 3–1 victory. On 23 January 2023, he extended his contract until June 2024. On 10 May 2023, he was honored for playing his 200th game for Grasshoppers across his two periods at the club.
On 29 February 2024, Grasshoppers announced another contract extension for Abrashi until June 2025. He played his 250th game for the club on 21 September 2024. He signed another contract extension on 10 December 2024, keeping him at the club until summer 2026.
International Career
Playing for Switzerland's Youth Teams
Amir Abrashi was a key player for Switzerland's youth national teams, playing over 40 games. A big moment was helping the Switzerland U21 team finish second at the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He also played in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Switzerland played against Mexico and South Korea, who later won gold and bronze medals.
Amir had always wanted to play for the senior Swiss national team. However, there was a lot of competition for his position from other talented players. After talking with the Swiss coach in May 2013, Amir decided to play for Albania instead. He felt it was important for his career to join a national team sooner.
Representing Albania
To play for Albania, Amir and his parents, who are from Kosovo, needed to get Albanian passports. On 24 May 2013, Abrashi received Albanian citizenship.
He was first called up to the Albania national team in June 2013 for a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match. On 3 June, FIFA allowed him to play for Albania in official international games.
Abrashi played his first game for Albania on 14 August in a friendly match against Armenia. He helped the team win 2–0. His first official competitive game was against Slovenia on 6 September 2013.
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On 21 May 2016, Abrashi was chosen for Albania's team for UEFA Euro 2016. He played every minute of all three group matches. Albania was eliminated from the tournament after finishing third in their group.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Winterthur II | 2006–07 | 1. Liga Classic | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | 16 | 2 | — | — | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 18 | 2 | — | — | 18 | 2 | ||||
| FC Winterthur | 2007–08 | Swiss Super League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| 2009–10 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 31 | 4 | |||
| Total | 55 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 58 | 5 | |||
| Grasshoppers | 2010–11 | Swiss Super League | 27 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 4 |
| 2011–12 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | 27 | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | 33 | 3 | |||
| 2013–14 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2014–15 | 26 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 3 | ||
| Total | 127 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 155 | 11 | ||
| SC Freiburg | 2015–16 | 2. Bundesliga | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 3 | |
| 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 93 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 98 | 4 | ||
| SC Freiburg II | 2019–20 | Regionalliga Südwest | 1 | 0 | – | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Basel | 2020–21 | Swiss Super League | 10 | 0 | – | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| Grasshoppers | 2021–22 | Swiss Super League | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 51 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 344 | 16 | 25 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 380 | 22 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 2013 | 4 | 0 |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Abrashi goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 March 2019 | Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra |  Andorra |
3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
Honours
Grasshoppers
- Swiss Cup: 2012–13
- Swiss Super League runner-up: 2012–13, 2013–14
SC Freiburg
- 2. Bundesliga: 2015–16
Switzerland U21
- UEFA Under-21 European Championship runner-up:2011
See Also
In Spanish: Amir Abrashi para niños
