Granit Xhaka

Granit Xhaka (born 27 September 1992) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Arsenal and captains the Switzerland national team.

Xhaka began his career at hometown club Basel, winning the Swiss Super League in each of his first two seasons. He then moved to Bundesliga team Borussia Monchengladbach in 2012, developing a reputation as a technically gifted player and natural leader alongside criticism for his temperament. He was made captain of Borussia Monchengladbach in 2015 at the age of 22, leading the team to UEFA Champions' League qualification for a second successive season. He completed a high-profile transfer to Arsenal in May 2016 for a fee in the region of £30 million.

Xhaka was part of the Swiss team that won the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He made his senior debut in 2011 and has won over 100 caps, representing the nation at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018, and the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and 2020.

Club Career

Xhaka started his youth football with Concordia Basel and moved to Basel in 2002. He played for various Basel youth teams and since 2008 has been a member of the U-21 squad. Between 2008 and 2010, he played 37 games for the U-21 team, scoring eleven goals.

Basel

Former Basel coach Thorsten Fink once said. "Xherdan Shaqiri is the best talent in Switzerland.after Granit Xhaka." The Swiss national football coach, Ottmar Hitzfeld, has dubbed him the 'young Schweinsteiger.'

Since the beginning of the 2010–11 season, Xhaka played for the Basel first team. He made his first team debut in the third qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League in the away match against Debrecen in the Szusza Ferenc Stadium. Towards the end of the match, he scored the second goal in Basel's 2–0 victory.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Гранит Джака (russian)