Anel Raskaj in 2010 |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anel Raskaj | ||
| Date of birth | August 19, 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Prizren[1], SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Halmstads BK | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| KF Liria | |||
| 2003 | IF Leikin | ||
| 2003-2006 | Halmstads BK | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007- | Halmstads BK | 112 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009- | Kosovo | 3 | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:04, 14 March 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Anel Raskaj (born August 19, 1989, in Prizren, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Kosovar football player, who plays in midfield for Halmstads BK.
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Anel Raskaj started to play football for KF Liria, in Prizren, SFR Yugoslavia. At the age of 14 he moved with is his family to Halmstad in Sweden, where he continued his football career in IF Leikin, however only for a few months before leaving for local rivals Halmstads BK.[1] Although he had not been selected as a trainee, a youth team player training with the senior squad, in 2007 he was put on the bench home against IFK Göteborg in Allsvenskan and in the following away game against Kalmar FF he made his debut, replacing Martin Fribrock, just days following his 18th birthday.[2]
Prior to the 2008 season he was raised from the youth team to become a full member of the senior squad,[3] mainly being used as left winger.[4] In 2009 Raskaj and Michael Görlitz was the only players to have played in all league games of the season, 30 matches in total, he also represented the club in all the other 17 games of the year, 2 cup and 15 friendly matches, thus being the only player that had played in all the clubs matches in that year.[5] Anel Raskaj scored his first league goal in 2009 against Kalmar FF.[6]
On March 27, 2009 in a interview with the local newspaper Hallandsposten, Raskaj stated that he had been in contact with Swedish U21 co-manager Jörgen Lennartsson, who had told him that he just had missed out on the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship as he had not yet gained Swedish citizenship. He also stated in the interview that he would choose Sweden ahead of Kosovo, if he were seen good enough.[1] In another interview with Fotbolldirekt.se he stated that Albania had already approached him, he had however turned them down.[7]
In 2009 Raskaj was called up to the unofficial Kosovo national team, playing under the name Team Kosovo, to play in two matches against Swedish opposition, first against 2008 Swedish champions Kalmar FF,[8] Raskaj did not take part in the second match against Malmö FF.
On February 17, 2010, Raskaj was again called up to Kosovo national team, against Albania.[9] On June 10 Anel Raskaj participated as team captain when Kosovo played a friendly against his club Halmstads BK on Örjans Vall in Halmstad, the match ended 4-4 with another Halmstads BK and Kosovo national player, Kujtim Bala, scoring a goal.[10]
On July 28, 2010 Anel Raskaj announced that he had chosen to represent the Kosovo national team, stating that he wished to play national team football and that he believed he would have more chance of doing so for Kosovo rather than Sweden. He also stated that he had not yet fully closed the door regarding Sweden as U21 coach Jörgen Lennartsson had stated he wished to see Raskaj in the U21 team and the 2011 U21 European Championship in Denmark. However, he has yet to obtain Swedish citizenship and Kosovo has not been approved by FIFA.[11]
Halmstads BKs former manager, Janne Andersson, compares him with former French international star Zinedine Zidane and Arsenal's talented midfielder Cesc Fàbregas,[12] claiming he has more talent than two earlier Halmstads BK players, Fredrik Ljungberg and Niclas Alexandersson.
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