Taulant Xhaka

At 33 years old, Taulant Xhaka has this physical status:

Taulant Ragip Xhaka (born 28 March 1991) is a professional footballer who plays for Swiss club Basel and Albania's national team.

He played as a right back early in his career, but after his loan to Grasshopper Club, he was promoted to his new position as a defensive midfielder, and he played for Albania's national team in 2014 and 2017.

Early life

Xhaka was born in Basel, Switzerland, to Albanian parents who immigrated from Kosovo. Granit Xhaka's elder brother is a professional footballer who plays for Arsenal and the Swiss national team. In 1990, the family migrated from Yugoslavia to Switzerland, where both brothers were born.

Personal life

Xhaka was engaged to his long-time Albanian girlfriend, Arbnora Nuredini, on January 7th, 2018; the pair married that year. He is Granit Xhaka's older brother.

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Club career

Taulant Xhaka began playing football at the age of 6 and joined FC Concordia Basel in 2000 before moving to FC Basel two years later. He played for various FC Basel youth clubs and gained a regular member of the Under-21 team for two years in the Swiss 1 in 2008. Liga is currently playing in 37 games, with six goals scoring six goals.

He and his brother Granit were drafted into the first team squad, where he began playing as a defender at the start of the 2010–11 season. In the 5–0 Swiss Cup victory over FC Mendrisio-Stabio on September 19, he made his first team debut on September 19 2010. In the 1–0 away win over Luzern on February 27, he made his Super League debut on February 27, 2011. The team captured the Super League title at the end of the season, Xhaka's first silverware with the club.

Xhaka scored his first Basel goal against Servette on September 10th, when the team defeated Servette 4–0 away league victory, where he came on as a replacement. In a 3–3 away draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 27, he made his UEFA Champions League debut as a replacement.

Xhaka was sent on loan to Grasshoppers on January 18, 2012, to gain first-team playing experience. During the second half of the 2011–12 season, he made his Grasshoppers debut on February 12nd and continued in the starting lineup until the season's end. He spent the 2012–13 season on loan to the Grasshoppers. However, Basel recalled him into their squad for the following season.

Murat Yakin, the Basel coach, recalled Xhaka as a defensive midfielder. He established himself in the starting lineup of the 2013–14 season, appearing 23 times in leagues and scoring two goals en route to winning his second league championship with Basel. He made four cup appearances when the team advanced to the final but was defeated 2–0 by Zürich after extra time. He was also a key piece in the team's European campaign, playing ten matches in the Champions League and five in the UEFA Europa League, and five in the UEFA Europa League.

Xhaka regained his spot in the starting lineup, playing 29 games in league, as Basel crowned champions for the sixth time in a row during the 2014–15 season. In a 1–1 home draw against Thun on September 27th, he scored his first goal of the season. Xhaka sustained an injury during his cup match against Sion on December 13th, which kept him sidelined until January 2015.

Xhaka's contract was extended for a further three years on January 9, 2015, extending until June 2018. He was named in the 2014 Swiss Football Association's Best of the Year in February 2015 and was named right-defender. He was one of three Albania international footballers to play in the Champions League's knockout stage for the first time in history, alongside Basel teammates Shklzen Gashi and Arlind Ajeti.

Xhaka's manager, Urs Fischer, won the Swiss Super League championship at the end of the 2015-16 season and at the end of the 2016–17 Super League season for the sixth time. This was the club's eighth title in a row and their 20th championship title in total. They also won the Swiss Cup for the 12th time, which meant they won the double for the sixth time in club history.

Following Matas Emilio Delgado's retirement at the start of the 2017-18 season, Xhaka became Vice President of Basel on August 5, 2017. Xhaka scored his first UEFA Champions League goal against CSKA Moscow in the VEB Arena on October 18, 2017, assisting Basel in their second victory.

Basel won the Swiss Cup in the 2018–19 season under new manager Marcel Koller. Basel defeated Montlingen 3–0 in the second round of Echallens Région 7–2 and 1–0 in the first round. Sion were defeated 4–2 after extra time, and Zürich was defeated 3–1. Both these games were played away from home. The final was held in the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf Bern on May 19, 2019. Albian Abian scored the first goal, Fabian Frei the second for Basel, and Dejan Sorgi scored a goal for Thun, but Basel's final result was 2–1. Xhaka participated in four of the cup games.

International career

Xhaka began his international career with Switzerland by competing with the Under-17 team at the 2008 European Under-17 Championship in Budapest. He appeared in all three games as a starter, but he was unable to prevent the team's early withdrawal from the tournament due to the team's early dismissal. Xhaka has played with both under 18 and the -19 squads in the next two years.

In a 2–3 loss to Germany at Stadion Breite on September 6, 2010, his Swiss under-20 debut came on September 6, 2010. In the 1–0 away win over Georgia, Xhaka earned his first under-21 cap. In another match against them that resulted in a 5–0 victory at Cornaredo Stadium, he played his first match as starter in his first match as starter. Overall, Xhaka played 41 games for Switzerland's youth teams.

Xhaka expressed his desire to represent Albania's senior team in May 2013, adding that his decision of Albania was unambiguous. He told the media later this year that his decision to play for Albania was influenced by his younger brother Granit's. He obtained Albanian citizenship on December 18th, but he still needed FIFA permission in order to represent Albania internationally.

Xhaka received his first call-up by manager Gianni De Biasi for the friendly against Malta on March 5th, 2014, but the team was forced to cancel due to a back injury that occurred just three days before the match. He was again in May for three friendlies against Romania, Hungary, and San Marino, but he suffered yet another injury that delayed his debut. Xhaka received FIFA permission on June 25 to represent Albania in international official matches.

Xhaka was 100% fit for the first match against Portugal on September 7, 2014. He started the game and played full 90 minutes, assisting Albania in a 1-0 victory over Estádio Municipal de Aveiro, the heart of Albania. As he was selected in the Team of the Week, his work received acclaim from the media. Later on October 14, Xhaka was playing in his third qualifying match against Serbia; he was heavily involved in the riots that followed the match, including Andi Lila from Serbian player Stefan Mitrovia, which sparked a massive brawl. Due to Serbian fans launching flares onto the pitch, the match was eventually postponed. Serbian hooligans assaulted him and other Albanian players, throwing chairs and other items onto the pitch. Serbia won by 3–0, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed three points, sending Serbia and Albania's appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who handed Albania a 3–0 victory on July 10, 2015. Serbia was also deducted three points. He and Lorik Cana were named citizens of honor by the mayor of Mitrovica, Kosovo, for the bravery displayed in defending national symbols days before the match.

Albania gained a UEFA European Championship appearance after beating Armenia 3–0 in the last match in which full minutes were played. Xhaka was selected in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for the final stages of Euro 2016, and in Albania's final 23-man squad for the final stages of Euro 2016.

Xhaka competed against Granit in Albania's first match against Switzerland, becoming the first pair of brothers to play against each other in the entire UEFA European Championship history. With a T-shirt combining both countries' flags, they watched from the crowd on that day. Switzerland beat Albania 1–0. Xhaka was in the last 16 minutes as a replacement for Burim Kukeli in Albania's second match against France, but Albania lost 2–0, with both goals conceded in the last minutes. He did not participate in Armando Sadiku's last group match against Romania, in which Albania defeated Romania 1–0 thanks to a header. It was Albania's first victory over Romania since 1948. Albania finished third in the third team with three points and a goal difference of 2.2, and was ranked last in the third-placed teams, which eventually dropped them.

Xhaka only participated in four games in Group D of FIFA World Cup qualification, in which Albania was placed in Group G, placing third in third place, which was still a record. Following the 2–0 away loss to Italy, in which Xhaka didn't participate, he left the team and ahead of the friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but Gianni De Biasi is in charge. Several allegations against the coach have been lodged in the next week, including De Biasi, an Italian, and he says the only thing in his opinion is the money, not the national team.

De Biasi told the media that if he requests for public pardonation, he is prepared to call Xhaka to the national team once more, which he has turned down by. De Biasi left Albania in June 2017 and was joined by fellow countryman Cristian Panucci, who left the Xhaka out again in August for the next qualifying matches. In October 2017, he returned to the national team for the final two qualifying matches against Spain and Italy. He played his first match in 11 months against Spain, which resulted in a 3–0 away loss.

Xhaka scored his first international goal in his 22nd appearance in Albania's first international match against Israel, netting with a right shot outside the penalty area in the second half. Albania won 1–0 at Elbasan Arena and the first three points in 2018-19 UEFA Nations League C's Group 1.

Xhaka resigned from international football on November 15th, 2021, citing his injuries and personal circumstances as the reasons for his decision. He played his last match for Albania on September 7th, just five years since his debut. He made 31 appearances and one goal in his career.

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