Berat Djimsiti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Berat Djimsiti

Djimsiti with Atalanta in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Berat Ridvan Djimsiti
Date of birth	(1993-02-19) 19 February 1993 (age 32)
Place of birth	Zürich, Switzerland
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Atalanta
Number	19
Youth career
0000–2007	FC Zürich-Affoltern
2007–2012	FC Zürich
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2012	FC Zürich II	46	(6)
2011–2016	FC Zürich	110	(5)
2016–	Atalanta	220	(5)
2016–2017	→ Avellino (loan)	35	(0)
2017–2018	→ Benevento (loan)	30	(0)
International career‡
2011	Switzerland U18	3	(0)
2011–2012	Switzerland U19	9	(0)
2013–2014	Switzerland U21	5	(0)
2015–	Albania	64	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:09, 26 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:12, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

Berat Ridvan Djimsiti (born on February 19, 1993) is a professional footballer. He plays as a centre-back (a defender) for the Italian club Atalanta. He is also the captain of the Albania national team.

Berat Djimsiti's Early Life

Berat Djimsiti was born in Zürich, Switzerland. His family is of Albanian background, originally from a village called Veliki Trnovac near Bujanovac.

Club Football Career

Starting His Football Journey

Berat began his youth football career at FC Zürich-Affoltern. He stayed there until 2007. At 14 years old, he moved to the famous FC Zürich football academy.

Playing for FC Zürich

Djimsiti first joined the main FC Zürich team in the 2011–12 Swiss Super League season. He made his professional debut on March 3, 2012, in a match against Sion. He came into the game as a substitute.

He scored his first goal for Zürich on May 20, 2012. This goal helped his team win 1–0 against Grasshopper. From the 2012–13 season onwards, Djimsiti became a regular player in the starting lineup for Zürich.

Moving to Atalanta

On January 18, 2016, Djimsiti signed a contract with Atalanta, a club in Italy's top league, Serie A. He played his first game for Atalanta on May 3, 2016, against Napoli.

Loan Spells to Gain Experience

To get more playing time, Djimsiti was loaned out to other clubs.

• On August 31, 2016, he joined Avellino in Serie B (Italy's second division).
• On July 8, 2017, he moved on loan to Benevento, a team that had just been promoted to Serie A.

Returning to Atalanta and Becoming a Key Player

Djimsiti returned to Atalanta for the 2018–19 season. He played his first match back on August 20, 2018, in a 4–0 win against Frosinone.

He scored his first goal for Atalanta on November 11, 2018. It was a header that helped his team win 4–1 against Inter Milan. Since returning from his loan spells, Djimsiti has become a very important starting defender for Atalanta.

On February 17, 2022, Djimsiti scored two goals in a 2021–22 UEFA Europa League match against Olympiacos. Atalanta won that game 2–1.

In the 2024–2025 season, he played 27 matches for Atalanta in Serie A. He was a starter in 25 of those games. On March 30, 2025, he played the entire match against Fiorentina.

International Football Career

Playing for Switzerland's Youth Teams

Djimsiti started his international career playing for Switzerland's youth national teams.

• He first played for the Switzerland national under-18 football team on April 5, 2011.
• He then joined the Switzerland national under-19 football team for the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification. He played his first game for them on June 5, 2011, against Montenegro U19.
• After his good performances, he became part of the Switzerland national under-21 football team. He was called up for the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and played in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Choosing to Play for Albania

In September 2014, news came out that Djimsiti might play for Albania. He confirmed this, saying the Albanian coach, Gianni De Biasi, had contacted him. He also decided not to play for Kosovo, choosing Albania instead.

On July 15, 2015, he officially became an Albanian citizen. This allowed him to play for Albania in important matches, like the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying.

His Debut and Euro 2016 Qualifiers

Djimsiti received his first call-up for Albania for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches in September 2015.

• He made his international debut for Albania on September 4, 2015, against Denmark. He played as a right back and helped Albania get a 0–0 draw.
• On October 11, 2015, he scored his first goal for Albania. It was against Armenia during a Euro 2016 qualifier. He scored in the 23rd minute from a free kick.

Djimsiti was part of Albania's first squad for UEFA Euro 2016, but he was not in the final team that went to the tournament.

2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification

He returned to the Albania national team for a friendly match against Morocco on August 31, 2016. He also played in the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification against Macedonia on September 5, 2016.

Berat Djimsiti's Personal Life

Berat Djimsiti has been in a relationship with Serbian model Alisa Menković since 2012. They got married in 2020 and have three children. He is an ethnic Albanian from the village of Veliki Trnovac near Bujanovac.

International Statistics

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Djimsiti goal.

List of international goals scored by Berat Djimsiti

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 October 2015	Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia	4	Armenia	2–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying

Football Achievements

With FC Zürich

• Swiss Cup: 2013–14, 2015–16

With Atalanta

• UEFA Europa League: 2023–24

Individual Awards

• UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2023–24

See also

In Spanish: Berat Djimsiti para niños