Nedim Bajrami

Nedim Bajrami

Personal information
Date of birth	(1999-02-28) 28 February 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth	Zürich, Switzerland
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team	Sassuolo
Number	11
Youth career
2009–2017	Grasshoppers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2017	Grasshoppers U21	14	(4)
2017–2020	Grasshoppers	69	(6)
2019–2020	→ Empoli (loan)	28	(5)
2020–2023	Empoli	90	(12)
2023	→ Sassuolo (loan)	18	(1)
2023–	Sassuolo	10	(1)
International career‡
2013	Switzerland U15	5	(0)
2014	Switzerland U16	7	(0)
2015–2016	Switzerland U17	13	(5)
2016–2017	Switzerland U18	4	(0)
2016–2017	Switzerland U19	9	(3)
2018–2021	Switzerland U21	11	(1)
2021–	Albania	18	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:18, 13 November 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 November 2023

Nedim Bajrami (born 28 February 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Italian football club Sassuolo. Born and raised in Switzerland to ethnic Albanian parents from Tetovo, ^{[1] [2]} Bajrami represented the Swiss youth national teams, before opting to represent the Albania national team at senior level.

Club career

Bajrami was born in Switzerland, he spent all of his youth career with professional side Grasshoppers. He signed his first professional contract alongside teammates Petar Pušić and Arijan Qollaku in February 2017, ^[3] and made his debut the same month, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–0 loss to FC Thun. ^[4]

On 13 August 2019, Bajrami joined Italian Serie B club Empoli on loan with an option to buy. ^[5]

On 31 January 2023, Bajrami moved to Sassuolo on loan with an obligation to buy. ^[6]

International career

Bajrami has represented Switzerland up to under-19 level. He played for the Switzerland U17 team in their unsuccessful European Under-17 Championship qualification bid in 2016, featuring in all their six games. ^[7] He scored a total of five goals for the under-17 side, including a brace against Montenegro in 2015. ^[8] On 9 March 2021, Switzerland's U-21 manager Mauro Lustrinelli confirmed that Bajrami chose to switch alliances and represent his country of origin, Albania. ^[9]

On 17 March 2021 he received Albanian citizenship, thus needing only a permission by FIFA to become eligible to play for the Albania national team. ^[10] He received the go ahead from Court of Arbitration for Sport on 30 August 2021. ^[11] He debuted with Albania in a 1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification win over Hungary on 5 September 2021 by coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute in place of Qazim Laçi. ^[12]

On 17 June 2023, Bajrami scored his first goal for Albania in a Euro 2024 qualifying game against Moldova.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 11 November 2023 ^[13]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Grasshoppers U21	2015–16	1. Liga	1	0	–		–		0	0	1	0
	2016–17		12	4	–		–		0	0	12	4
	2017–18		1	0	–		–		0	0	1	0
	Total		14	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	4
Grasshoppers	2016–17	Swiss Super League	7	0	0	0	–		0	0	7	0
	2017–18		29	3	3	0	–		0	0	32	3
	2018–19		33	3	2	0	–		0	0	35	3
	2019–20		0	0	0	0	–		0	0	0	0
	Total		69	6	5	0	0	0	0	0	74	6
Empoli (loan)	2019–20	Serie B	28	5	1	0	–		1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	30	5
Empoli	2020–21	Serie B	36	5	3	2	–		0	0	39	7
	2021–22	Serie A	35	6	3	3	–		–		38	9
	2022–23	Serie A	19	1	1	0	–		–		20	1
	Total		118	17	8	5	0	0	1	0	127	22
Sassuolo	2022–23	Serie A	18	1	0	0	–		–		18	1
	2023–24	Serie A	10	1	2	1	–		–		12	2
	Total		28	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	30	3
Career total			229	29	15	6	0	0	1	0	245	35

1. Includes Swiss Cup, Coppa Italia
2. Appearance in Serie B promotion play-offs

International

As of match played 17 November 2023 ^{[14] [15]}

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Albania	2021	6	0
	2022	4	0
	2023	8	3
Total		18	3

International goals

Scores and results list Albania's goal tally first.

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	17 June 2023	Arena Kombëtare, Tirana, Albania	Moldova	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
2.	20 June 2023	Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands	Faroe Islands	1–0	3–1
3.	7 September 2023	Fortuna Arena, Prague, Czech Republic	Czech Republic	1–1	1–1

References

1. "Dorëzohen Zviceranët, Tetovari Nedim Bajrami: Zemra Ime Rrah "Kuqezi"" . Retrieved 11 June 2023.
2. "Më i miri në dy ndeshjet e fundit për Kombëtaren, Nedim Bajrami pritet si hero në Tetovë" . Retrieved 1 August 2023.
3. "Harun Alpsoy wechselt in die Türkei" (in German). fm1today. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
4. "Geglückte und gescheiterte Experimente zum Rückrunden-Auftakt" (in German). srf.ch. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
5. "UFFICIALE: Empoli, dalla Svizzera arriva il centrocampista Bajrami" . Retrieved 1 August 2019.
6. "NEDIM BAJRAMI È UN NUOVO CALCIATORE DEL SASSUOLO" (in Italian). U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
7. "Nedim Bajrami". UEFA. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
8. "Statistik und Resultate". Swiss Football Association (in German). 19 August 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
9. "Kurz vor EM gibt Bajrami der Nati einen Korb Albanien klaut uns unser U21-Juwel". Blick (in German). 9 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
10. "Dekret për dhënie të shtetësisë shqiptare nr. 12024" [Decree on granting Albanian citizenship no. 12024] (in Albanian). qbz.gov.al. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
11. "Nedim Bajrami zyrtarisht pjesë e Shqipërisë, KAS jep vendimin" [Nedim Bajrami officially part of albania, CAS gives decision] (in Albanian). Vizion Plus. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
12. "Albania 1–0 Hungary - FIFA World Cup Qualifier". fifa.com. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
13. Nedim Bajrami at Soccerway. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
14. "Nedim Bajrami". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
15. Nedim Bajrami at EU-Football.info

External links

• Under-15 Profile at football.ch
• Under-16 Profile at football.ch
• Under-17 Profile at football.ch
• Under-18 Profile at football.ch
• Under-19 Profile at football.ch