Shkelzen Gashi

Shkelzen Taib Gashi (born 15 July 1988) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and forward for Swiss club Aarau and the Albania national team. Born in Switzerland, he previously represented his native country from under-17 to under-21 level.

Club Career

Early career and Zurich

Gashi was born in Zurich, Switzerland to parents originally from Qabiq of Klina, Kosovo. A product of Zurich academy, Gashi made his professional debut at the age of 18 on 12 August 2006 in the 2006–07 Swiss Super League match against St. Gallen, playing in the last 13 minutes of the 3–1 loss. He also made his European debut later on 6 December of the following year, appearing as a substitute in an UEFA Cup group stage match against Spartak Moscow which finished in a 1–0 away loss.

Loan at Schaffhausen

On 29 January 2008, in the winter transfer window, Gashi was sent on loan to Swiss Challenge League side Schaffhausen until the end of 2007–08 season. Gashi made 16 league appearances until the end of the season, scoring three times in the process. After the end of the season, Gashi returned to Zurich in July 2008 only to be sent again on loan to Bellinzona for one-and-a-half season.

Loan at Bellinzona

Gashi made his Bellinzona debut on 23 July 2008 in the Swiss Super League match against Neuchatel Xamax, playing for 65 minutes in a 1–2 home defeat. He scored his first European goal on 28 August in the second leg of UEFA Cup second qualifying round against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, leading the team to a 2–1 home win and progression to the next round thanks to away goal rule. The first match finished in a 3–2 away defeat.

He scored his first league goal of the season on 5 October during the 3–3 away draw against the same opponent, which was followed by another strike in team's 2–3 home defeat to Basel. He finished his first season with Granata having made 24 appearances in all competitions, including 17 in

This page also has a version in other languages :  Шкельзен Гаши (russian)