Admir Mehmedi

Admir Mehmedi

Mehmedi with the Bayer Leverkusen in 2015
Personal information
Full name Admir Mehmedi[1]
Date of birth (1991-03-16) 16 March 1991
Place of birth Gostivar, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Second Striker / Centre Forward
Club information
Current team
 Bayer Leverkusen
Number 14
Youth career
1999–2000 AC Bellinzona
2000–2006 FC Winterthur
2006–2008 FC Zürich
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2012 FC Zürich 84 (19)
2012–2014 Dynamo Kyiv 25 (1)
2013–2014 → SC Freiburg (loan) 32 (12)
2014–2015 SC Freiburg 27 (4)
2015– Bayer Leverkusen 33 (3)
National team‡
2006 Switzerland U16 3 (3)
2007–2008 Switzerland U17 16 (5)
2008–2010 Switzerland U19 26 (11)
2010 Switzerland U20 2 (0)
2010–2011 Switzerland U21 9 (6)
2011– Switzerland 49 (7)
2012 Switzerland Olympic 4 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 October 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 October 2016

Admir Mehmedi (born 16 March 1991) is a Swiss international footballer[2] of Albanian descent[3] who plays as a second striker or centre forward for Bayer Leverkusen of the Bundesliga.

Early life

Mehmedi was born in Gostivar, SFR Yugoslavia. He is of Albanian heritage. At the age of two, his family emigrated to Switzerland and he soon joined local side Bellinzona, before signing for FC Winterthur, from where Zürich scouted him.[4] In 2006 he moved to Zürich. Mehmedi came through the youth system after being spotted as a youngster and joined the senior team in 2008.

Club career

Zürich

Mehmedi began his senior career with FC Zürich at the age of seventeen. Within two years he was included in the first-team squad and by 2010 he was a first-team regular. He made his senior side debut on 20 July 2008 and scored two goals in eleven appearances, in addition to winning the Swiss Super League in his debut season with the club.

Being a first team regular in 2010, Mehmedi established himself as a physical striker, excellent in the box as well as having a good turn of pace, he was also technically great.[4] During his time with Zürich, Mehmedi scored nineteen goals and provided nine assists.

In the January transfer window in 2012, Mehmedi received transfer offers from Sunderland,[5] Liverpool F.C.[5] and 1. FC Nürnberg.[5] However, Mehmedi moved to Dynamo Kyiv.

Dynamo Kyiv

On 13 January 2012, Mehmedi signed for the Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv from FC Zürich on a five-year deal. During his season and a half with Kyiv, he mainly played coming off from the bench. Seeking more playing time and to be included again in the Switzerland national team, Mehmedi moved to Bundesliga team SC Freiburg.

Freiburg

On the 11 July 2013, Mehmedi moved to SC Freiburg initially to join on loan, although his contract also stipulates that Freiburg have an option to make the move permanent.[6] Freiburg's acting sporting director Klemens Hartenbach stated that he was delighted the transfer went through. Hartenbach stated "He's a very versatile attacking player who understands the game and has already proven he can play at the highest level".[6] On 26 May 2014, Freiburg decided to buy Mehmedi for a reported €6 million after having a good season, scoring 12 goals in 32 games during his loan spell with the Bundesliga side.[7]

Bayer Leverkusen

On 11 June 2015, Mehmedi joined Bayer Leverkusen after Freiburg was relegated from the Bundesliga.[8]

International career

Mehmedi playing for Switzerland in 2012.

Under-21

Mehmedi was a crucial member of the Swiss U-21 side in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.[4] Mehmedi received the silver boot with three goals in the tournament and was selected in the UEFA Euro U-21 2011 Team of the Tournament. Along with Xherdan Shaqiri, Mehmedi was being tipped as the future of Swiss football.[4]

Senior

Mehmedi made his debut for the Swiss national team against England, in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match, coming on as a substitute. Mehmedi scored his first goal for Switzerland in his side's 5–3 win over Germany. The Swiss national side had not beaten the Germans since 1956.[9]

On 15 June 2014, he replaced Valentin Stocker at half time in Switzerland's opening 2014 FIFA World Cup match against Ecuador. Two minutes later, he headed in Ricardo Rodríguez's corner to equalise as Switzerland eventually won 2–1.[10]

Two years to the day after he scored in the 2014 World Cup against Ecuador, Mehmedi scored Switzerland's equaliser in their 1-1 group-stage draw against Romania in UEFA Euro 2016.[11][12]

International goals

As of match played 10 October 2016. Switzerland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Mehmedi goal.[13]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 26 May 2012St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland9 Germany5–35–3Friendly
2 15 June 2014Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil22 Ecuador1–12–12014 FIFA World Cup
3 9 October 2015AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland35 San Marino3–07–0UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
4 3 June 2016Cornaredo Stadium, Lugano, Switzerland42 Moldova2–12–1Friendly
5 15 June 2016Parc des Princes, Paris, France44 Romania1–11–1UEFA Euro 2016
6 6 September 2016St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland47 Portugal2–02–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 10 October 2016Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella49 Andorra2–02–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification

References

  1. ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2014. p. 30. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Mehmedi, Admir" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  3. ↑ http://www.mundodeportivo.com/20140629/futbol/mundial/albania-podria-estar-jugando-el-mundial-con-una-gran-seleccion_54411403705.html
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Sky Sports Euro Scout – Admir Mehmedi". Sky Sports. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "Liverpool to rival Sunderland for young Zurich striker Mehmedi in January". Daily Mail. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  6. 1 2 "Mehmedi joins Freiburg on loan". Bundesliga. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Transfer news: Freiburg make Admir Mehmedi's loan move from Dynamo Kiev permanent". Sky Sports News. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Bayer 04 verpflichtet Schweizer Admir Mehmedi". Bayer Leverkusen. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "Admir Mehmedi: 'A step in the right direction'". Sports Mole. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "Switzerland 2-1 Ecuador". BBC Sport. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  11. ↑ Foulerton, Jim (15 June 2016). "Mehmedi strike earns Swiss valuable point". uefa.com. Paris: Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Switzerland savour 'fantastic' Mehmedi goal". uefa.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  13. ↑ Admir Mehmedi profile at Soccerway

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