Albania want to cause a sensation in Group B at the European Championship. Sylvinho's team includes several players who were born and raised in Switzerland.
There are 26 players in the Albanian squad. No fewer than seven of them have a Swiss past, five of them even have a Swiss passport. We take a look at the "Swiss" in the Albanian national team.
Berat Djimsiti
The stocky central defender was born in Zurich in 1993 and grew up in Zurich-Affoltern. Djimsiti trained at FCZ and made over 100 Super League appearances for the Zurich club. A real Züri-Bueb in other words. He also played for Switzerland in the junior teams. In 2016, shortly after his international debut for Albania, he moved to Italy. Djimsiti has now played 240 games for Atalanta Bergamo and won the Europa League with the Bergamo side this season.
Amir Abrashi
Abrashi was born and grew up in Bischofszell, Thurgau, where he first came into contact with football. The midfielder then turned professional in Winterthur before moving to GC in 2010. At that time, Abrashi was still playing for the Swiss U21 team. However, he was unable to make the leap to the senior team, which is why he was called up by the Albanians in 2013. He has now played 50 international matches - and has become a true GC icon. His interview after winning the league a month ago is already legendary.
Nedim Bajrami
Bajrami scored the 1:0 against Italy after 23 seconds, breaking the record for the fastest European Championship goal of all time. However, the fact that the Zurich native and former GC professional (75 games) is allowed to play for Albania is anything but a matter of course. When Bajrami wanted to switch nations in 2021, FIFA vetoed the move. Because Bajrami played four more games for the Swiss U21 national team after his 21st birthday, a change of nation would actually no longer have been permitted. The attacker (who now plays for Sassuolo) appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) - and was given the green light after all.
Arlind Ajeti
The brother of FCB striker Albian Ajeti, who has eleven caps for Switzerland under his belt, was born in Basel in 1993 and found his way to the FCB juniors at an early age. He made his breakthrough in Basel under the current national team coach Murat Yakin. From the U15s to the U21s, the central defender always wore the Swiss shirt, before making his debut for Albania in 2014. The 30-year-old has been playing for CFR Cluj in Romania since 2023.
Naser Aliji
Like Djimsiti, Abrashi, Bajrami and Ajeti, Aliji also has a Swiss passport. However, the left-back was born in North Macedonia. Aliji came to Switzerland when he was four years old, first playing for Baden, then FC Aarau and finally FC Basel from 2008. After just two appearances for the U21 national team, Aliji decided to play for the Albanian national team in 2015. He has not played at club level in Switzerland since 2016. Aliji is currently under contract with FC Voluntari in Romania.
Medon Berisha
Unlike the players mentioned above, Berisha, who was born in Münsingen, never played for the Swiss U-side. The midfielder was trained at YB, but ventured abroad early on and has been playing for Lecce in Italy since 2022. The 20-year-old only made his debut for Albania's senior team shortly before the European Championships.
Taulant Seferi
Young Boys brought the then 18-year-old talented striker from North Macedonia to Switzerland in 2015. However, Seferi never made his breakthrough at YB. He was loaned out to Wohlen, Winterthur and Xamax before leaving Switzerland again in 2021 and moving to Albania. Most recently, Seferi played for FC Baniyas in the United Arab Emirates on loan, before returning to Ukrainian club Vorskla Poltava.
Albania will be looking to score for the first time after losing 2-1 to Italy in their opening game. Croatia await in the second European Championship group game today, Wednesday at 3.00 pm. You can follow the game in the live ticker here.
