Burim Kukeli

Burim Kukeli
Personal information
Full name Burim Nue Kukeli
Date of birth (1984-01-16) 16 January 1984
Place of birth Gjakova, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Sion
Number 20
Youth career
1994–2003 Solothurn
2003–2004 Wangen bei Olten
2004–2005 Zofingen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Zofingen 21 (4)
2005–2007 Schötz 48 (14)
2008–2012 Luzern 103 (3)
2008–2009 Luzern U21 3 (0)
2012–2017 Zürich 82 (2)
2017– Sion 0 (0)
National team‡
2012– Albania 25 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 August 2017.
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 June 2017

Burim Nue Kukeli (born 16 January 1984) is an Albanian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Swiss club Sion and the Albania national team.

Club career

Early career

Kukeli was born in Gjakova, SAP Kosovo, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, but moved to Switzerland at the age of four following his father road along with other part of his family.[1][2] He started his youth career at age of 9 with the Solothurn youth academies.[1][3] Later he was in the squad of Wangen bei Olten and SC Zofingen.[3]

Zofingen

With Zofingen he played 21 matches and scored 4 goals during the 2004–05 season of the Swiss 3rd league.[4] He also managed to play a full 90-minutes match, valid for the Swiss Cup against Schaffhausen, finished in the 1–5 loss.

Schötz

He moved to FC Schötz during the 2005 Summer Transfers Window. In the 2005–06 season of the 1. Liga Promotion (Swiss 3rd league) Kukeli played in total 11 matches all as a starter and in only 1 substituted off, also he scored 4 goals and where Schötz relegated to the 1. Liga Classic (Swiss 4th league) for the next season.[4]

Kukeli missed out the entire 2006–07 season of 1. Liga Classic due to a long injury. Schötz were promoted again in the 1. Liga Promotion.[4]

During the 2007–08 season first half Kukeli made it 14 Appearances and scored 2 goals. He played 1 match in the Swiss cup against Mendrisio, which finished in the 3–1 loss, where Kukeli himself played a full 90-minutes match.[4]

Luzern

In January 2008 Kukeli was bought from Luzern during the Winter Transfers Window for the second half of the 2007–08 season.[3]

Kukeli made his first professional debut at age of 23 with Luzern on Swiss Super League during the 2007–08 season. He finished his first season with Luzern with 10 matches played.[4]

He suffered an injury which kept him out of play from the first half of the 2008–09 season. He played first match of the 2008–09 season only in the second half when he came in as a substitute in the 85th minute for Davide Chiumiento in the 2–3 loss against Young Boys on 15 February 2009.[5] The second and last match of that season came on 30 May 2009 when he played as a starter in the 2–1 victory against Neuchâtel Xamax.[6]

Zürich

On 15 April 2012 it was announced that Kukeli had agreed to join his former FCL coach Rolf Fringer at FC Zürich in the summer.[7] Kukeli signed for Zürich a three-year contract until June 2015.[3]

He made his first debut for Zürich on 15 July 2012 against exactly his latest club Luzern, in the opening match of the 2012–13 season, which finished in the 0–0 away draw and Kukeli played the full 90-minute match.[8] He played 12 matches for the entire 2012–13 season's first half and all as a starter where substituted off only in 1 match.

Long-time injury

On 3 February 2013, Zürich were playing a test match against AC Bellinzona and in to the 72nd minute of the game, it came to a battle between Kukeli and Simon Grether, where Kukeli injured with a tibia and fibula fracture in the leg.[9] It was named as a "horrorr" injury where his leg clearly seen with the naked eye that nearly broke away from other part and went completely in the reverse side. Player slammed into the ground, and colleagues, technical staffs of both teams, as well as over 400 fans in the stadium were shocked and the referee stopped the game immediately. After the intervention of doctors were urgently called ambulances. After about 5 minutes on the field, Kukeli stretcher was taken initially and then was transported to the hospital. After this serious incident, none of the players was not able to play, so the referee rightly canceled it.[10] On 19 February 2013 medical doctors announced that Kukeli will remain 9 months out of the pitch until his recovery.[11]

In January 2014, with upcoming of a fellow Albanian player in Zürich, Armando Sadiku, Kukeli returned to the team training.[12] His first match after recovery from the long injury came on 14 January 2014, in a friendly match against MSV Duisburg but there were shown that he was still unrecovered from the injury, as he got replaced in the first half of the match.[13] In the next month February, Kukeli declared that he was returned at this time to the full-training.[14]

In March 2014, media reported that a wrong medication in his leg caused him an infection and he was operated again for the second time and on 28 April when he was ready to come on the pitch, doctors suggested him to undergo another operation and he came to be operated again for the 3rd time.[15]

Due to the injury Kukeli did not played any match and even called up for the team fixtures, missing the 2012–13 season second half and also the entire 2013–14 season.[16]

Return from the long injury

On 11 June 2014 the Zürich coach Urs Meier declared that Kukeli trained again fully with the team among his team-mate Alain Nef, also returned from the injury, also they were back on track as the two veterans recount their long injury lay-offs for us almost as inflows.[17] On 14 June 2014 Kukeli played in the first pre-season test match of the Zürich against Vaduz coming on as a substitute for the second half in place of Ederson, where the test match finished in the 1–0 victory.[18] On 24 June 2014 Kukeli played as a starter in another test match against Austria Lustenau finished in the 0–2 victory and where Kukeli played only in the first half as he got substituted off for Yapi in the second half.[19]

2014–15 season

Kukeli played his first match after the long-time injury on 20 July 2014 in the opening match of the 2014–15 season against Grasshopper finished in the 1–0 victory for Zürich, where Kukeli himself gave the assist for the victory goal scored by Davide Chiumiento, also he registered a full 90-minutes match.[20] He played another 90-minutes full match on 23 July 2014 in the next fixture match against Thun, finished in the 2–1 victory.[21]

After a short time from the recovery, Kukeli injured once again during the match between Basel and Zürich (4–1) where according to magnetic resonance was assigned diagnosis that he damaged legs' muscle and will recover in 3 weeks.[22] He returned soon from the injury and played as a starter in the 0–2 victory on 31 August 2014 against St. Gallen.[23] Kukeli scored his first goal for Zürich on 5 October 2014 in the 11th game week of the 2014–15 season against Vaduz, where he scored the opening goal in the 5th minute, a goal which successed by a double-goal from Marco Schönbächler in the 15th and 24th minutes to fix the result in the 3–0 victory.[24]

Sion

On 9 August 2017 Kukeli was transferred to fellow Swiss Super League side FC Sion for a fee of €200.000 rejoining his former assistant coach at Albania Paolo Tramezzani now as a head coach and becoming the second Albanian international to join the club in the Summer transfers window after Ermir Lenjani.[25]

International career

Kukeli received an invitation from Albania's coach, Gianni de Biasi in May 2012 for the friendlies against Qatar and Iran, but he declined because he was too tired at that time and needed rest after the end of the season, but however he said that he would respond positively in the future.[26] On 24 August 2012, it was reported that the Albanian government had started the procedures to give him an Albanian citizenship by the end of August 2012, so that he could play for Albania in the qualifiers of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.[27] He received the Albanian citizenship on 4 September 2012 among with fellow Albanian descent and international player Alban Meha to be eligible to play for Albania.[28]

Debut & FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifiers

Kukeli made it his debut by playing 90 minutes in a 3–1 victory against Cyprus on 7 September 2012, match valid for the opening of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers - Group E.[29] He played another 3 matches in a row, even valids for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers - Group E in September and October months and also all as a starter,[30][31] where the only match which he substituted off was in the 2–0 loss against Switzerland 4 days after his debut, on 15 October where his place was left for Jahmir Hyka in the 72nd minute.[32] Then due to his long-time injury at Zürich, he missed out other matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers - Group E, where was and 6 matches left from 10 in total.

UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers

After two years being out with his injuries, he returned to the national team, called up to play against Portugal on 7 September 2014 in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers.[33] He played as a starter and substituted off for Ergys Kaçe in the 66th minute as the match finished in the away 0–1 victory.[34]

Euro 2016

On 21 May 2016, Kukeli was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016,[35] and in Albania's final 23-man UEFA Euro 2016 squad on 31 May.[36]

Kukeli played as a starter in 2 first matches against Switzerland in a 0–1 loss where he played the full 90-minutes match and hosts France where they lost 2–0. He received a yellow card in each match and wasn't unable then to play in the next match against Romania where Albania took a historical 1–0 win with a goal scored by Armando Sadiku.[37] Albania finished the group in the third position with three points and with a goal difference –2, and was ranked last in the third-placed teams, which eventually eliminated them.[38]

Career statistics

Club

As of 9 August 2017 [4][16][39]
Club Season League Cup Europe[lower-alpha 1] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Zofingen2004–051. Liga Promotion (3rd.)21410——224
Total 214100000224
Schötz2005–061. Liga Promotion (3rd.)114———114
2006–071. Liga Classic (4th.)23810——248
2007–081. Liga Promotion (3rd.)14210——152
Total 48142000005014
Luzern2007–08Swiss Super League100———100
2008–0920———20
2009–1034220——362
2010–112801020—311
2011–1229150——341
Total 10338020001133
Luzern U21 2007–08 1. Liga Promotion (3rd.)20———20
2008–0910———10
Total 3000000030
Zürich2012–13Swiss Super League12010——130
2013–14Injured for the entire season
2014–15 211—50—261
2015–16 2213010—261
2016–17 Swiss Challenge League 2503050—330
2017–18 Swiss Super League 20———20
Total 82270110001002
Sion 2017–18 Swiss Super League ————00
Total 0000000000
Career total 257231801300028823
  1. ↑ Including continental competitions, such as UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League

International caps

As of 11 June 2017 [4][40]
Albania national team
YearAppsGoals
201240
2013--
201450
201540
201680
201740
Total250

Honours

Club

Luzern
Zürich

References

  1. 1 2 Ekskluzive: Burim Kukeli "PËR" Shqipërinë aSport.al
  2. ↑ Kukeli: I lumtur që do luaj për Shqipërinë Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Zürich, FC. "FCZ Profis - News - Burim Kukeli wechselt zum FC Zürich". Zürich. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Burim Kukeli at National-Football-Teams.com
  5. ↑ "Luzern vs. Young Boys - 15 February 2009". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "Luzern vs. Neuchâtel Xamax - 30 May 2009". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  7. ↑ It has been confirmed by FC Luzern that defensive midfielder Burim Kukeli has agreed a move to join FC Zürich in the summer. NLC News - Non League Channel
  8. ↑ "Luzern vs. Zürich - 15 July 2012". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Zürich, FC. "FCZ Profis - News - Burim Kukeli kämpft sich zurück". Zürich. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  10. ↑ Horror në miqësoren e Zyrihut, Burim Kukeli thyen këmbën, shumë kohë jashtë fushave Panorama Sport
  11. ↑ Mjeku jep verdiktin për Kukelin, mesfushori kthehet pas 9 muajsh Sporti Shqiptar
  12. ↑ Sadiku dhe Kukeli, bashkë te Zyrihu Panorama Sport
  13. ↑ Sadiku e nis me gol te Zurichu aSport.al
  14. ↑ Burim Kukeli ende nuk po e merr veten pas dëmtimit Panorama Sport
  15. ↑ Mjekimi i gabuar, Burim Kukeli operohet tri herë Panorama Sport
  16. 1 2 Burim Kukeli at Soccerway
  17. ↑ Zürich, FC. "Pressespiegel". Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  18. ↑ Zürich, FC. "FCZ Profis - News - 1:0-Sieg im ersten Testspiel gegen Vaduz". Zürich. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  19. ↑ Zürich, FC. "FCZ Profis - News - FCZ schlägt Austria Lustenau mit 2:0". Zürich. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "Zürich vs. Grasshopper - 20 July 2014". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  21. ↑ "Zürich vs. Thun - 23 July 2014". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  22. ↑ Burim Kukeli i pafat, dëmtohet përsëri aSport.al
  23. ↑ "St. Gallen vs. Zürich - 31 August 2014". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  24. ↑ "Zürich vs. Vaduz - 5 October 2014". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  25. ↑ Transferimi, zbulohet shifra që Sioni pagoi për kartonin e Burim Kukelit Panorama Sport
  26. ↑ SportKosova (13 May 2012). "Kukeli i zene per Shqiperine". Sport Kosova.
  27. ↑ Koha Net (24 August 2012). "Kukeli nuk e di që FSHF-ja e do në Kombëtare". Koha.net.
  28. ↑ Zyrtare: Alban Meha e Burim Kukeli marrin pasaportat shqiptare (Foto) aSport.al
  29. ↑ Të vuajtur, por mbarë. Shqipërisë i vjen fitorja nga stoli 9/7/2012 Archived 26 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Panorama Sport
  30. ↑ "Albania vs. Iceland - 12 October 2012 - Soccerway". Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  31. ↑ "Albania vs. Slovenia - 16 October 2012". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  32. ↑ "Switzerland vs. Albania - 11 September 2012". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  33. ↑ Erdis. "De Biazi flet për ndeshjen me Portugalinë". FSHF.org. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  34. ↑ "Portugal vs. Albania - 7 September 2014". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  35. ↑ Fatjon Pandovski (21 May 2016). "De Biasi leaves out Albanian top scorer Salihi". UEFA. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  36. ↑ "De Biasi shpall listën zyrtare të Euro 2016". FSHF.org. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  37. ↑ UEFA EURO 2016 - Albania - Matches UEFA.com
  38. ↑ "Albania out of Euro 2016 after Portugal draw with Hungary". Fourfourtwo.com. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  39. ↑ Burim Kukeli – UEFA competition record
  40. ↑ Burim Kukeli - national football team player EU-Football.info

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