Taulant Xhaka facts for kids
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Xhaka with Basel in 2017
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Taulant Ragip Xhaka | ||
| Date of birth | 28 March 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Basel, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.72 m | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder, defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Basel | ||
| Number | 34 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2002 | Concordia Basel | ||
| 2002–2009 | Basel | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2010 | Basel U21 | 50 | (6) |
| 2010– | Basel | 292 | (8) |
| 2012–2013 | → Grasshopper (loan) | 38 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008–2009 | Switzerland U17 | 14 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Switzerland U18 | 6 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Switzerland U19 | 9 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Switzerland U20 | 8 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Switzerland U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2014–2019 | Albania | 31 | (1) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Taulant Ragip Xhaka (born March 28, 1991) is a professional footballer. He plays as a defensive midfielder for the Swiss Super League club Basel. Taulant was born in Switzerland, but he played for the Albania national team.
Contents
About Taulant Xhaka's Early Life
Taulant Xhaka was born in Basel, Switzerland. His parents are Albanian and came from Kosovo. He is the older brother of Granit Xhaka, who is also a professional footballer. Granit plays for Bayer Leverkusen and the Switzerland national team. Their family moved from Kosovo to Switzerland in 1990. Both brothers were born there.
Taulant Xhaka's Club Career
Starting His Football Journey
Taulant Xhaka began playing football when he was six years old. In 2000, he joined FC Concordia Basel. Two years later, he and his brother moved to FC Basel. He played for different youth teams at FC Basel. From 2008, he regularly played for the under-21 team. He played 37 games and scored six goals in the Swiss 1. Liga.
Playing for FC Basel
At the start of the 2010–11 season, Taulant and Granit joined the first team. Taulant started playing as a defender. His first game for the main team was on September 19, 2010. It was a 5–0 win in the Swiss Cup against FC Mendrisio-Stabio. He played his first Super League game on February 27, 2011. Basel won 1–0 against Luzern. At the end of that season, the team won the Super League title. This was Xhaka's first trophy with the club.
In the next season, Xhaka scored his first goal for Basel on September 10. It was during a 4–0 away win against Servette. He came into the game as a substitute. On September 27, he played his first UEFA Champions League game. He was a substitute in a 3–3 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Loan to Grasshoppers Club Zürich
On January 18, 2012, Xhaka was loaned to Grasshoppers. This was so he could get more experience playing in the first team. He played his first game for Grasshoppers on February 12. It was a 2–0 loss to Zürich. He became a regular player for Grasshoppers, playing 13 games that season. He also stayed on loan for the 2012–13 season. After that, Basel asked him to return to their team.
Returning to FC Basel
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Basel's coach, Murat Yakin, brought Xhaka back to the team. He played as a defensive midfielder. During the 2013–14 season, he became a key player. He played 23 league games and scored two goals. Basel won their second league championship with him. He also played in four cup games, but Basel lost the final 2–0 to Zürich. He was important in the team's European games too. He played ten matches in the Champions League and five in the UEFA Europa League.
In the 2014–15 season, Xhaka played even more. He was in 29 league matches as Basel won the championship for the sixth time in a row. He scored his first goal of the season on September 27 in a 1–1 draw against Thun. On December 13, he got injured during a cup game against Sion. This injury kept him from playing until January 2015.
On January 9, 2015, Xhaka signed a new contract for three more years. In February 2015, the Swiss Football Association named him in their 2014 Team of the Year as a right-defender. He was one of three Albanian players from Basel to play in the knockout stage of the Champions League. The others were Shkëlzen Gashi and Arlind Ajeti.
Under coach Urs Fischer, Xhaka helped Basel win the Swiss Super League in the 2015–16 season and the 2016–17 season. These were the club's eighth title in a row and their 20th championship overall. They also won the Swiss Cup for the 12th time. This meant they won both the league and the cup for the sixth time in the club's history.
After Matías Emilio Delgado retired in 2017, Xhaka became the vice-captain of the Basel team on August 5, 2017. On October 18, 2017, Xhaka scored his first UEFA Champions League goal. It was during a game against CSKA Moscow in the VEB Arena. His goal helped Basel win their second game in the group stage.
Under coach Marcel Koller, Basel won the Swiss Cup in the 2018–19 season. They beat FC Montlingen 3–0, Echallens Région 7–2, and Winterthur 1–0. In the quarter-finals, they defeated Sion 4–2 after extra time. In the semi-finals, they beat Zürich 3–1. All these games were played away from home. The final was on May 19, 2019, against Thun. Basel won 2–1. Xhaka played in four of these cup games.
On August 11, 2020, Xhaka got injured during a UEFA Europa League game against Shakhtar Donetsk. He had to leave the game. It was a knee injury that needed surgery. Because of this, Xhaka missed the entire 2020–21 season. He could not return to team training until June 2021.
Taulant Xhaka's International Career
Playing for Switzerland's Youth Teams
Xhaka started his international career with Switzerland. He played for the under-17 team in the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He played in all three matches, but the team was eliminated early. In the next two years, Xhaka also played for the under-18 and -19 teams.
His first game for the Swiss under-20 team was on September 6, 2010. They lost 3–2 to Germany. A year later, Xhaka played his first game for the under-21 team. They won 1–0 against Georgia. He played 41 matches for Switzerland's youth teams in total.
Playing for Albania's National Team
Switching to Albania
In May 2013, Xhaka said he wanted to play for the Albania senior team. He said this was his final decision. In October, he shared that his younger brother, Granit, influenced his choice to play for Albania. On December 18 of the same year, he became an Albanian citizen. He still needed approval from FIFA to play for Albania in international games.
First Games and UEFA Euro 2016
Xhaka was first called up by manager Gianni De Biasi for a friendly game against Malta on March 5, 2014. But he had to pull out because of an injury. He was invited again in May for three friendly games, but another injury stopped him from playing. On June 25, FIFA approved his request to play for Albania in official matches.
Xhaka was ready for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. He was called up for the first match against Portugal on September 7, 2014. He played the full 90 minutes and performed very well. Albania won 1–0. His performance was praised, and he was named in the Team of the Week.
On October 14, Xhaka played in the third qualifying match against Serbia. During this game, a large disturbance happened. Xhaka, along with other Albanian players, was involved in an incident with a flag. The match was stopped because fans threw objects onto the field. Later, the Court of Arbitration for Sport decided that Albania won the match 3–0. Days after the game, Xhaka and Lorik Cana were honored by the mayor of Mitrovica, Kosovo. They were recognized for their bravery in protecting national symbols.
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Albania qualified for the UEFA European Championship after beating Armenia 3–0. Xhaka played the whole game. On May 21, 2016, Xhaka was named in Albania's team for Euro 2016.
In Albania's first game, against Switzerland, Xhaka played against his brother Granit. This was the first time two brothers played against each other in the UEFA European Championship. Their mother watched from the stands, wearing a shirt with both nations' flags. Switzerland won 1–0. In the second game against hosts France, Xhaka played for the last 16 minutes. Albania lost 2–0. He did not play in the last group game against Romania. Albania won that game 1–0. This was Albania's first win over Romania since 1948. Albania finished third in their group and was eliminated from the tournament.
Later Years and Retirement
Xhaka played four matches in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. Albania finished third in their group, which was a record for them. In March 2017, after a loss to Italy, Xhaka left the team. He said he would not play for the team as long as Gianni De Biasi was the coach.
De Biasi left Albania in June 2017. He was replaced by Cristian Panucci. In October 2017, Xhaka returned to the national team for the final two qualifying matches. He played his first game in 11 months against Spain, which Albania lost 3–0.
Xhaka scored his first international goal in his 22nd game for Albania. It was in Albania's first ever UEFA Nations League match against Israel. He scored with a shot from outside the penalty area. His goal gave Albania a 1–0 win at Elbasan Arena.
On November 15, 2021, Xhaka announced he was retiring from international football. He mentioned his injuries and personal reasons for his decision. He played his last game for Albania on September 7, 2021. He played a total of 31 games and scored one goal for his country.
Taulant Xhaka's Personal Life
On January 7, 2018, Xhaka got engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Arbnora Nuredini. They got married later that year. As mentioned, he is the older brother of Granit Xhaka.
Honours and Achievements
Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17
- Swiss Cup: 2016–17, 2018–19
Grasshopper
- Swiss Cup: 2012–13
Basel U18
- U18 Swiss Cup: 2007–08
Individual Awards
- Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2014–15
International Goals
- Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 September 2018 | Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania |  Israel |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C |
Images for kids
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Xhaka with Basel in 2017
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Xhaka on the ball during a game against Manchester United.
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Xhaka with Albania in 2016
See also
In Spanish: Taulant Xhaka para niños
