Elseid Hysaj

Elseid Hysaj

Hysaj with Albania in 2014
Personal information
Full nameElseid Gëzim Hysaj
Date of birth20 February 1994
Place of birthShkodër, Albania
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing positionDefender
Club information
Current team
Empoli
Number23
Youth career
2009-2012Empoli
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2012–Empoli97(1)
National team‡
2010–2011Albania U173(0)
2013–Albania12[1](0)
2013–2014Albania U214(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 March 2015

Elseid Gëzim Hysaj (born 20 February 1994), is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a Defender for Italian club Empoli and the Albania national football team. Being born in 1994 he is also stil eligible to represent the Albania national under-21 football team at the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Club career

Early career

Two months after Elseid's birth his father Gëzim Hysaj emigrated to Italy like many Albanians in the 90s in search of employment opportunities in order to provide for his family. Elseid grew up in Shkodër with his mother and grandparents while his father worked in Italy as a bricklayer. While working at the home of football agent Marco Piccioli, Gëzim mentioned that his son was a talented footballer but due to Elseid being only 10 years of age at the time, Piccioli advised Gëzim to wait. When Elseid had turned 14 he traveled to Italy where he was assessed by Piccioli and attended trials at various clubs, including Fiorentina before eventually joining the Empoli academy.

Empoli

Hysaj first gained entry with the first team when he were called up for the 9th game week of the 2011–12 Serie B against Varese on 9 October 2011, in where Hysaj was an unused substitute for the entire match.[2] During the second-half of the 2011–12 season he called-up twice more for the matches in March and April (2012) but again it was an unused substitute.[3][4] He made it his professional debut with the first team on 24 November 2011 playing the full 90-minutes match against Fiorentina, match valid for the Coppa Italia finished in the 2-1 loss.[5]

2012–13 season

Hysaj made it his first league debut on 20 October 2012 in the 2012–13 Serie B match against Virtus Lanciano, finished in the 0-3 victory where he came in as a substitute in the 67th minute in place of Andrea Cristiano.[6] Empoli finished the 2012–13 season in the 4th place and qualified for the promotion playoffs in two-legged rounds, semifinal and final. In semifinals they shorted to play against Novara, in where Hysaj played full 90-minutes in both legs, first on 22 May 2013, match finished in the 1–1 away draw[7] and also in the second leg on 26 May 2013, finished in the 4–1 victory.[8] Empoli gained the right to play in two-legged final against Livorno. On 29 May 2013 Hysaj played another full 90-minutes in the first leg of the final against Livorno, finished in the draw 1–1[9] and another one in the second leg final on 2 June 2013, finished in the loss 1–0,[10] At this way Livorno promoted to 2013–14 Serie A on aggregate 2–1.

Hysaj finished 2012-13 season with Empoli, mading a total of 35 appearances, by where 30 in Serie B, 1 in Coppa Italia and 4 in Serie B promotion playoffs.

2013–14 season

On 19 September 2013 he renewed his contract with Empoli until 2015.[11]

Hysaj scored his first professional goal on 17 April 2014 in the match against Virtus Lanciano. The goal came in the 4th minute after he received a pass in the entrance area, made an zig-zag move between three opponents then issued a left-foot shoot, which was stopped at the gate of the squad triangle, but the supergol was not enough, as Empoli loss the match within 2-1 result.[12] [13]

On the 30 May 2014 Empoli ended their six-year absence from Serie A by earning promotion from Italy's Serie B.

2014–15 season

He made it his first Serie A debut on 31 August 2014 in the opening match of the 2014–15 Serie A season against Udinese, finished in the 2–0 loss. During the season Hysaj and Empoli agreed to extend the contract until the June 2017 and also depending on the performance of the team for two next seasons, if will stay in Serie A or will fall again in Serie B, Hysaj's salary will go from 170.000 euros that takes currently, to 200.000 euros.[14]

Hysaj begun in the best way possible the year 2015, because after a goalless draw with his squad against Verona, he was selected by sports analysts in the best lineup of the 17th week of Serie A.[15]

International career

Hysaj played 3 games with Albania national under-17 football team, all valids for 2011 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship qualifying round, on 25 September 2010 against Norway u-17 lost by 2–0,[16] Republic of Ireland u-17 on 27 September 2010 also lost by 2–0[17] and against Malta u-17 on 30 September 2010 drawn by 1-1.[18]

He debuted with Albania national football team in a match against Georgia on 6 February 2013 at the age of 18, becoming the third youngest player after Blendi Nallbani and Iljaz Çeço.[19]

After his performance at senior team, he moved temporary on youth national team Albania U21, as he called-up for friendly match against Austria U21 on 14 August 2013.[20] He made two appearances with it.

He was called-up once again on senior team by coach Gianni De Biasi for friendly match against Belarus on 15 November 2013.[21]

After a game against Belarus, three days later he played once more with Albania U21 against Spain U21, match valid for qualification to the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship where they lost 0–2.[22] On 5 March 2014, he played in last match valid for qualification to the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship against Austria U-21, finished in the away victory 1–3 with goals scored by Enis Gavazaj, Vasil Shkurti and Herolind Shala, where Hysaj played full 90 minutes.[23]

Career statistics

Club

As of 30 April 2015 [24][25]
Season Club League country League League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
2011–12 Empoli Serie B 0010--10
2012–13 34010--350
2013–14 32120--341
2014–15 Serie A 31030--340
Total 97170001041
Career total 97170001041

International

As of 29 March 2015
Albania national team [25][26]
YearAppsGoals
201350
201460
201510
Total120

Honours

Club

Empoli

References

  1. ↑ (13 – Hysaj has played in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Serbia on 14 October 2014 in Belgrade, a match which was abandoned in the 42nd minute due to incidents that happened during the match. Serbia was awarded 3–0 victory but deducted 3 points.)
  2. ↑ Empoli vs. Varese - 9 October 2011 - Soccerway
  3. ↑ Empoli vs. Torino - 31 March 2012 - Soccerway
  4. ↑ Hellas Verona vs. Empoli - 27 April 2012 - Soccerway
  5. ↑ Fiorentina vs. Empoli - 24 November 2011 - Soccerway
  6. ↑ Virtus Lanciano vs. Empoli - 20 October 2012 - Soccerway
  7. ↑ Novara vs. Empoli - 22 May 2013 - Soccerway
  8. ↑ Empoli vs. Novara - 26 May 2013 - Soccerway
  9. ↑ Empoli vs. Livorno - 29 May 2013 - Soccerway
  10. ↑ Livorno vs. Empoli - 2 June 2013 - Soccerway
  11. ↑ Hysaj rinovon deri në vitin 2015 me Empolin
  12. ↑ Hysaj shënon supergol, Empoli mundet (Video) | aSport.info - Albania Sport
  13. ↑ Virtus Lanciano vs. Empoli - 17 April 2014 - Soccerway
  14. ↑ Rinovon Elseid Hysaj, deri më 2017-ën tek Empoli
  15. ↑ Hysaj në formacionin e javës në Serie A (FOTO LAJM) Albeu.com
  16. ↑ Norway U17 vs. Albania U17 - 25 September 2010 - Soccerway
  17. ↑ Albania U17 vs. Republic of Ireland U17 - 27 September 2010 - Soccerway
  18. ↑ Malta U17 vs. Albania U17 - 30 September 2010 - Soccerway
  19. ↑ Gazeta Shqip (February 6, 2013). "Elseid Hisaj, historia e një ëndrre të bërë realitet".
  20. ↑ Elseid Hysaj e Tomas Strakosha dy “blerjet”e Gegës në ekipin e shpresave
  21. ↑ Lista anti-Bjellorusi: De Biazi rikthen Memushajn, Sadikun e Mehën, Vajushi e Salihi jashtë | aSport.info - Albania Sport
  22. ↑ Albania U21 vs. Spain U21 - 18 November 2013 - Soccerway
  23. ↑ Austria U21 vs. Albania U21 - 5 March 2014 - Soccerway
  24. ↑ Elseid Hysaj profile at Soccerway
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Elseid Hysaj | National Football Teams
  26. ↑ Elseid Hysaj - national football team player EU-Football.info

External links