Admir Mehmedi

Admir Mehmedi

Mehmedi playing for Switzerland in 2012
Personal information
Full nameAdmir Mehmedi[1]
Date of birth16 March 1991
Place of birthGostivar, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia
(now Republic of Macedonia)
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionSecond Striker / Centre Forward
Club information
Current team
SC Freiburg
Number14
Youth career
1999–2000AC Bellinzona
2000–2006FC Winterthur
2006–2008FC Zürich
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2008–2012FC Zürich84(19)
2012–2014Dynamo Kyiv25(1)
2013–2014→ SC Freiburg (loan)32(12)
2014–SC Freiburg14(1)
National team‡
2006Switzerland U163(3)
2007–2008Switzerland U1716(5)
2008–2010Switzerland U1926(11)
2010Switzerland U202(0)
2010–2011Switzerland U219(6)
2011–Switzerland27(2)
2012Switzerland Olympic4(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 December 2014.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:24, 8 September 2014 (UTC)

Admir Mehmedi (born 16 March 1991) is a Swiss international footballer[2] of Macedonian Albanian descent who plays as a second striker or Centre Forward for SC Freiburg of the Bundesliga.

Early life

Admir Mehmedi was born in Gostivar, Macedonia. He is of Albanian heritage. At the age of two, his family emigrated from Macedonia to Switzerland and he soon joined local side Bellinzona, before signing for FC Winterthur, from where Zürich scouted him.[3] 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.[3] 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,[4] Liverpool F.C.[4] and 1. FC Nürnberg.[4] However, Mehmedi moved to Dynamo Kyiv.

Dynamo Kyiv

On 13 January 2012, Mehmedi joined 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.[5] 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".[5] 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.[6]

International career

Under-21

Mehmedi was a crucial member of the Swiss U-21 side in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.[3] 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.[3]

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.[7]

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.[8]

International goals

Scores and results table. Switzerland's goal tally first:
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 26 May 2012 St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland  Germany 5–3 5–3 Friendly
2. 15 June 2014 Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasilia, Brazil  Ecuador 1–1 2–1 2014 FIFA World Cup

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. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Sky Sports Euro Scout – Admir Mehmedi". Sky Sports. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Liverpool to rival Sunderland for young Zurich striker Mehmedi in January". Daily Mail. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Mehmedi joins Freiburg on loan". Bundesliga. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "Transfer news: Freiburg make Admir Mehmedi's loan move from Dynamo Kiev permanent". Sky Sports News. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Admir Mehmedi: 'A step in the right direction'". Sports Mole. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Switzerland 2-1 Ecuador". BBC Sport. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Admir Mehmedi.