Blerim Džemaili facts for kids
Džemaili with Switzerland at the 2018 World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Blerim Džemaili | ||
| Date of birth | 12 April 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Tetovo, SR Macedonia, Yugoslavia (now North Macedonia) |
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| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1996 | Oerlikon Zürich | ||
| 1996–2000 | FC Unterstrass | ||
| 2000–2001 | YF Juventus | ||
| 2001–2003 | Zürich | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2007 | Zürich | 111 | (9) |
| 2007–2009 | Bolton Wanderers | 0 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | → Torino (loan) | 23 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Torino | 7 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → Parma (loan) | 19 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Parma | 30 | (1) |
| 2011–2014 | Napoli | 86 | (16) |
| 2014–2016 | Galatasaray | 11 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Genoa (loan) | 27 | (3) |
| 2016–2020 | Bologna | 88 | (11) |
| 2017 | → Montreal Impact (loan) | 22 | (7) |
| 2020 | Shenzhen | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2023 | Zürich | 59 | (6) |
| Total | 483 | (54) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2008 | Switzerland U21 | 16 | (4) |
| 2006–2018 | Switzerland | 69 | (10) |
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Blerim Džemaili is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was born on April 12, 1986.
He started his career at FC Zürich in Switzerland. There, he helped his team win the Swiss Super League twice. Blerim spent most of his career playing in Italy. He played 280 games in Serie A for teams like Torino, Parma, Napoli, Genoa, and Bologna.
Džemaili also played for the Swiss national team. He made his debut in March 2006 and played over 65 matches. He was chosen to play in the FIFA World Cup in 2006, 2014, and 2018. He also played in UEFA Euro 2016.
Contents
Early Life and Football Beginnings
Blerim Džemaili was born in Tetovo, which is now part of North Macedonia. His family moved to Zürich, Switzerland, when he was four years old. When he was nine, he started playing football for a youth club called Oerlikon Zürich. Later, he moved to FC Unterstrass.
At age 14, Blerim joined SC YF Juventus as a youth player. In 2001, he moved to FC Zürich. He quickly became a top player and joined the senior team at just 17 years old. Blerim has said that he has been a fan of AC Milan since he was a child.
Club Football Journey
Playing for FC Zürich
Džemaili began his professional career with FC Zürich. In his first season, he played 30 games and scored two goals. He played as a central or defensive midfielder. In the 2004–05 season, he helped the club win the Swiss Cup.
Blerim was a strong player on the field. He was known for his accurate passes and his fast, aggressive style. Because of his skills, he became the team captain in the 2005–06 season. He was only 19, making him one of the youngest captains in Swiss football history. Džemaili led Zürich to win the Swiss Super League in both the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. After winning the cup and league, Džemaili moved to England to play for Premier League team Bolton Wanderers.
Time in England and Italy
Bolton Wanderers Experience
Blerim Džemaili signed a contract with Bolton Wanderers in February 2007. The manager, Sam Allardyce, was very excited about him. He said Blerim was a fantastic player with lots of experience for his age. However, Džemaili got a serious knee injury that kept him out for six months. He only played one game for Bolton during the 2007–08 season.
Torino and Parma Adventures
On September 1, 2008, Džemaili joined Torino on a loan deal. He quickly became an important player for them. In April 2009, Torino bought him permanently from Bolton. After playing only one game for Torino in the new season, Džemaili moved to Parma on loan in August 2009. He later joined Parma permanently.
Success with Napoli
On June 25, 2011, Džemaili signed with Napoli. He quickly became a consistent player for the team. Fans liked him because he scored goals and made assists. He scored his first goal for Napoli against Lecce. He also scored a late goal to help Napoli get a draw against Novara.
Džemaili played in the UEFA Champions League group stages, helping Napoli reach the final 16. He also played in the Coppa Italia and played the full match in the final. Napoli won the final, beating Juventus 2–0.
On March 30, 2013, he scored an amazing three goals in one game against Torino, helping Napoli win 5–3. A week later, he scored again against Genoa. He also scored Napoli's third goal in a 3–0 win against Pescara. Džemaili was a substitute when Napoli won the 2014 Coppa Italia Final 3–1 against Fiorentina.
Moving to Turkey and Back to Italy
Galatasaray and Genoa
On September 1, 2014, Džemaili signed a three-year contract with the Turkish team Galatasaray. He played in the Süper Lig. On August 30, 2015, Džemaili returned to Italy to join Genoa on loan from Galatasaray. On September 27, he scored his first goal for Genoa with a free-kick, which was the only goal in a 1–0 win against Milan.
Playing for Bologna
On August 17, 2016, Džemaili returned to Italy again to play for Bologna. He played well for Bologna, scoring goals and helping the team. He left Bologna to join Montreal Impact before the end of the Serie A season.
Loan to Montreal Impact
On December 9, 2016, it was announced that Džemaili would join the Major League Soccer (MLS) team Montreal Impact on loan in 2017. He was a special player for the team, known as a "Designated Player." He scored seven goals and made 10 assists in 22 games for Montreal. In January 2018, his loan ended, and he returned to Bologna.
Later Career and Retirement
On January 31, 2020, Džemaili moved to the Chinese club Shenzhen. In December 2020, he returned to his youth club Zürich after 13 years. He signed a contract for one and a half seasons. At the end of the 2022–23 season, Džemaili decided to stop playing professional football.
International Matches for Switzerland
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Džemaili played his first game for the Swiss national team on March 1, 2006, in a friendly match against Scotland. He was part of the Swiss team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but he did not play in any matches.
On September 6, 2013, Džemaili scored his first goal for Switzerland from a penalty kick. This was in a World Cup qualifier against Iceland.
He was chosen for Switzerland's 2014 World Cup team. In a match against France, he scored a goal from a direct free-kick. This was the first direct free-kick goal of that tournament. Džemaili also scored against San Marino in a Euro 2016 qualifier. He scored two goals for Switzerland in a friendly match against Liechtenstein in 2015.
Džemaili was part of the team for Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He was also included in the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
How Blerim Džemaili Played
Blerim Džemaili was known for his "box-to-box" style of play. This means he helped both in defense and attack. He was good at winning the ball from opponents. He also helped his team score goals and make assists. He had good vision and could shoot powerfully and accurately from far away.
He was also good at timing his runs into the penalty box to score goals. Džemaili was a tidy player with the ball and had a great passing range. He could switch the play with long passes. He was a versatile and consistent player who could play in many different midfield roles. He was also known for his leadership on the field.
Family Life
In 2015, Blerim Džemaili married Erjona Sulejmani. In the same year, they had a son named Luan.
Achievements and Trophies
Zürich
- Swiss Super League: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2021–22
- Swiss Cup: 2004–05
Napoli
- Coppa Italia: 2011–12, 2013–14
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 2014–15
- Turkish Cup: 2014–15
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Zürich | 2003–04 | Swiss Super League | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 30 | 2 | |
| 2004–05 | Swiss Super League | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 | 1 | ||
| 2005–06 | Swiss Super League | 32 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | – | 41 | 7 | ||
| 2006–07 | Swiss Super League | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 26 | 3 | ||
| Total | 111 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 13 | ||
| Bolton Wanderers | 2007–08 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Torino | 2008–09 | Serie A | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | – | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| Parma | 2009–10 | Serie A | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | – | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | – | 31 | 1 | |||
| Total | 49 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 2 | ||
| Napoli | 2011–12 | Serie A | 28 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | 39 | 3 | |
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 34 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | – | 41 | 9 | ||
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 29 | 6 | ||
| Total | 86 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 18 | ||
| Galatasaray | 2014–15 | Süper Lig | 11 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | 20 | 1 | |
| Genoa (loan) | 2015–16 | Serie A | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 | 3 | |
| Bologna | 2016–17 | Serie A | 31 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 33 | 9 | |
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 28 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | 1 | ||
| Total | 85 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 13 | ||
| Montreal Impact (loan) | 2017 | MLS | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 8 |
| Career total | 421 | 48 | 29 | 6 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 480 | 58 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 2006 | 5 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 3 | |
| Total | 69 | 10 | |
- Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Džemaili goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 September 2013 | Stade de Suisse, Bern, Switzerland | 27 |  Iceland |
4–1 | 4–4 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 20 June 2014 | Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil | 35 |  France |
1–5 | 2–5 | 2014 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | 14 October 2014 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino | 39 |  San Marino |
3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 4 | 10 June 2015 | Stockhorn Arena, Thun, Switzerland | 41 |  Liechtenstein |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 6 | 28 May 2016 | Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland | 47 |  Belgium |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 7 | 3 September 2017 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia | 58 |  Latvia |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 23 March 2018 | Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece | 62 |  Greece |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 27 March 2018 | Swissporarena, Lucerne, Switzerland | 63 |  Panama |
1–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 27 June 2018 | Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia | 68 |  Costa Rica |
1–0 | 2–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup |
See also
In Spanish: Blerim Džemaili para niños
