Fatmire Alushi facts for kids
![]() Alushi in 2013
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 1 April 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Gjurakoc, Kosovo, SFR Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.70 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993–1998 | DJK/VfL Giesenkirchen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998–2004 | FSC Mönchengladbach | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004–2009 | FCR 2001 Duisburg | 84 | (30) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009–2011 | 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam | 40 | (29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011–2014 | 1. FFC Frankfurt | 27 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014–2016 | Paris Saint-Germain | 24 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 175 | (77) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003 | Germany U15 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004 | Germany U17 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2005–2006 | Germany U19 | 16 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2005–2015 | Germany | 79 | (18) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Honours
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Fatmire "Lira" Alushi (born Fatmire Bajramaj on April 1, 1988) is a German former professional football player. She was an attacking midfielder for the German women's national team. In 2010, she was ranked third in the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or competition. This award is given to the world's best player each year.
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Playing for Clubs

Fatmire Alushi started her football journey at DJK/VfL Giesenkirchen. From 1997 to 2004, she played for FSC Mönchengladbach. Then, she joined FCR 2001 Duisburg in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league.
She played her first Bundesliga game in September 2004. Just one month later, she scored her first goal. Alushi quickly became an important player for Duisburg. Her team finished second in the league for four years in a row, from 2005 to 2008.
In the 2008–09 season, Alushi and Duisburg won the UEFA Women's Champions League. This is a big European club competition. She also helped her team win the German Cup in 2009, even scoring a goal in the final match.
After five seasons with Duisburg, Alushi moved to 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam for the 2009–10 season. With Potsdam, she won the Bundesliga title in 2010 and 2011. In the 2009–10 season, Potsdam also won the first-ever UEFA Women's Champions League title. Alushi scored a goal during the penalty shoot-out in that final game. The next year, Potsdam reached the final again but lost to Olympique Lyonnais.
In 2010, Alushi was ranked third for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or award. She then announced she would move to 1. FFC Frankfurt for the 2011–12 season. This transfer was the most expensive in the history of the women's Bundesliga at that time. In 2014, she moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France. Fatmire Alushi officially announced her retirement from football on February 28, 2017.
Playing for Her Country
Alushi played her first game for the German senior national team in October 2005 against Scotland. A year later, she won the 2006 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship with Germany's youth team. At the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship, her team reached the quarter-finals. Alushi played in all four matches and scored three goals.
She won her first big international title at the 2007 FIFA World Cup. She was a substitute player for Germany, playing in four games, including the final. In that final, she helped set up Germany's second goal. The next year, Alushi won a bronze medal with Germany at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She came into the game in the 62nd minute of the third-place match and scored both goals in Germany's 2–0 win against Japan.
In 2009, Alushi won her first European trophy at the 2009 European Championship. Germany won its seventh title in this tournament. She was also chosen to be part of Germany's team for the 2011 FIFA World Cup.
About Her Life
Fatmire Alushi's parents, Ismet and Ganimete, are from Kosovo. They moved their family from Istok, Kosovo, to Germany in 1993. In October 2009, Fatmire wrote a book about her life called Mein Tor ins Leben – Vom Flüchtling zur Weltmeisterin. This means "My Goal into Life – From Refugee to World Champion."
In June 2011, Alushi started dating another football player, Enis Alushi. Their fathers both work together as police officers in Kosovo. The couple announced they were engaged the next year. In September 2012, both Fatmire and Enis had serious knee injuries (called ACL injuries) within 72 hours of each other. They got married in December 2013.
After the 2015 UEFA Women's Champions League Final, Alushi announced she was pregnant. This meant she would miss the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. She said she hoped to play football again someday. But she also said that "there are things in life that are simply more important than football."
Honours and Awards
Fatmire Alushi won many awards and titles during her career:
With Germany
- FIFA World Cup: 2007 (Gold Medal)
- UEFA European Championship: 2009, 2013 (Gold Medal)
- Olympic Games: 2008 (Bronze Medal)
- UEFA Women's U-19 Championship: 2006
- Algarve Cup: 2014
With FCR 2001 Duisburg
- UEFA Women's Cup: 2008–09
- German Cup: 2008–09
With Turbine Potsdam
- UEFA Women's Champions League: 2009–10
- Bundesliga: 2009–10, 2010–11
With FFC Frankfurt
- German Cup: 2013–14
Individual Awards
- German Women's Footballer of the Year: 2011
- Silbernes Lorbeerblatt: 2007 (Germany's highest sports award)
- FIFA Ballon d'Or: Third place in 2010
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Fatmire Alushi para niños