Fatmire Alushi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fatmire Alushi

Alushi in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Fatmire Alushi
Birth name	Fatmire Bajramaj
Date of birth	(1988-04-01) 1 April 1988 (age 37)
Place of birth	Gjurakoc, Kosovo, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	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)
International career
2003	Germany U15	2	(0)
2004	Germany U17	7	(0)
2005–2006	Germany U19	16	(1)
2005–2015	Germany	79	(18)
Medal record Women's football Representing  Germany FIFA Women's World Cup Gold 2007 China Team Olympic Games Bronze 2008 Beijing Team UEFA Women's Championship Gold 2009 Finland Team Gold 2013 Sweden Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fatmire "Lira" Alushi (born on April 1, 1988) is a famous German former professional footballer. She played as an attacking midfielder for the Germany women's national team. In 2010, she was recognized as one of the top three best players in the world for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or award.

Playing for Clubs

Alushi at practice with Potsdam in 2009

Fatmire Alushi started her football journey at DJK/VfL Giesenkirchen. From 1997 to 2004, she played for FSC Mönchengladbach. After that, she joined FCR 2001 Duisburg, a team in Germany's top women's league, the Bundesliga.

Time at FCR 2001 Duisburg

Alushi played her first Bundesliga game in September 2004. Just one month later, she scored her first goal. She quickly became a key 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 helped Duisburg win the UEFA Women's Champions League, which is a big European club competition. She also won the German Cup in 2009, scoring a goal in the final match.

Moving to Turbine Potsdam

After five successful seasons with Duisburg, Alushi moved to another strong team, 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, for the 2009–10 season. At Potsdam, she continued her winning streak. Her team won the Bundesliga title in both 2010 and 2011.

In the 2009–10 season, Potsdam also won the very first UEFA Women's Champions League title. Alushi even scored during the penalty shootout in the final game. The next year, Potsdam reached the final again but lost to Olympique Lyonnais.

Playing for Frankfurt and Paris

Alushi was ranked third for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or award, which is a huge honor. She then decided to join 1. FFC Frankfurt for the 2011–12 season. This transfer was the most expensive one in the history of women's Bundesliga at that time.

In 2014, she made another big move, transferring to Paris Saint-Germain in France.

Alushi with PSG during a Champions League semi-final match against Wolfsburg in April 2015

Fatmire Alushi officially announced her retirement from football on February 28, 2017.

Playing for Germany

Alushi first played for Germany's senior national team in October 2005 against Scotland. Before that, she had already achieved success at a younger level. In 2006, she won the 2006 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship with Germany's youth team. She also played in the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship, where Germany reached the quarter-finals. Alushi played in all four matches and scored three goals in that tournament.

Winning Big Tournaments

Her first major international title came at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She was a substitute player, appearing in four games, including the final. In that final match, she helped Germany score their second goal by winning a corner kick.

A year later, Alushi won a bronze medal with Germany at the 2008 Summer Olympics. In the match for third place against Japan, she came on as a substitute and scored both goals in Germany's 2–0 win.

In 2009, Alushi won her first European trophy at the 2009 European Championship. Germany won their seventh title in this competition. She was also part of Germany's team for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Personal Life

Fatmire Alushi's parents, Ismet and Ganimete, are from Kosovo. They moved their family from Kosovo to Germany in 1993. In October 2009, Fatmire published her autobiography. It was titled Mein Tor ins Leben – Vom Flüchtling zur Weltmeisterin, which means My Goal into Life – From Refugee to World Champion.

In June 2011, Alushi started dating another footballer, Enis Alushi. Their fathers both worked together as police officers in Kosovo. The couple announced their engagement the following year. In September 2012, both Fatmire and Enis suffered serious knee injuries (ACL injuries) within a few days of each other.

The couple got married in December 2013. After the 2015 UEFA Women's Champions League Final, Alushi announced that she was pregnant. This meant she would miss the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. She said that while she hoped to play football again, some things in life are more important than the sport.

Honours and Awards

Fatmire Alushi won many awards and titles during her career:

With Germany National Team

• FIFA World Cup: 2007 (Gold Medal)
• UEFA European Championship: 2009, 2013 (Gold Medal)
• Olympic bronze medal: 2008
• UEFA Women's U-19 Championship: 2006
• Algarve Cup: 2014

With FCR 2001 Duisburg

• UEFA Women's Cup: 2008–09
• DFB-Pokal (German Cup): 2008–09

With Turbine Potsdam

• UEFA Women's Champions League: 2009–10
• Bundesliga (German League): 2009–10, 2010–11

With FFC Frankfurt

• DFB-Pokal (German Cup): 2013–14

Individual Awards

• Women's Footballer of the Year (Germany): 2011
• Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf - Germany's highest sports award): 2007
• FIFA Ballon d'Or: Third place in 2010

See also

In Spanish: Fatmire Alushi para niños