Granit Xhaka

Granit Xhaka

Xhaka playing for Arsenal in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Granit Xhaka
Date of birth	(1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth	Basel, Switzerland
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Bayer Leverkusen
Number	34
Youth career
2000–2002	Concordia Basel
2003–2010	FC Basel
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2012	FC Basel	42	(1)
2012-2016	Borussia Mönchengladbach	108	(6)
2016–2023	Arsenal	225	(17)
2023–	Bayer Leverkusen	44	(5)
International career‡
2008–2009	Switzerland U17	13	(1)
2009–2010	Switzerland U18	3	(2)
2010–2011	Switzerland U19	12	(3)
2010–2011	Switzerland U21	5	(0)
2011–	Switzerland	135	(14)
Medal record Men's football Representing   Switzerland FIFA U-17 World Cup Winner 2009 U-17 Team UEFA European Under-21 Championship Runner-up 2011
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:33, 9 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:45, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Granit Xhaka (Albanian: [gɾanit d͡ʒaka], born 27 September 1992) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and captains the Switzerland national team.

Xhaka began his career with FC Basel and won the Swiss Super League twice. He moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012, developing a reputation as a technically gifted player and natural leader alongside criticism for his temperament, and acted as club captain from 2015, twice leading the team to UEFA Champions League qualification. Xhaka signed for Premier League club Arsenal in 2016 for a fee in the region of £30 million, winning two FA Cups and briefly serving as captain. He returned to the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, helping the club to their first-ever league title in his debut season.

Xhaka was part of the Swiss team that won the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He made his senior debut in 2011 is currently the nation's record appearance holder, with 135 caps. He represented Switzerland at the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018 and 2022, and the UEFA European Championship in 2016, 2020 and 2024.