Elvis Rexhbeçaj (born 1 November 1997) is a Kosovan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for German Bundesliga club Augsburg and the Kosovo national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elvis Rexhbeçaj[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1 November 1997[2] | ||
| Place of birth |
Gjonaj, FR Yugoslavia[3] (now Kosovo) | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | FC Augsburg | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2010 | Brandenburger SC Süd | ||
| 2010–2016 | VfL Wolfsburg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | VfL Wolfsburg II | 47 | (12) |
| 2017–2022 | VfL Wolfsburg | 28 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | → 1. FC Köln (loan) | 43 | (5) |
| 2021–2022 | → VfL Bochum (loan) | 32 | (0) |
| 2022– | FC Augsburg | 56 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | Kosovo | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 October 2024 | |||
Club career
editVfL Wolfsburg
editOn 20 August 2017, Rexhbeçaj signed a professional contract with Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg.[3][1] On 28 January 2018, he made his debut in a 1–0 away win against Hannover 96 after coming on as a substitute at 84th minute in place of Daniel Didavi.[4][5]
Loan at 1. FC Köln
editIn January 2020, it was announced that Rexhbeçaj would be loaned to 1. FC Köln until June 2021. The move included an option to remain permanently at the club.[6]
Loan at VfL Bochum
editOn 2 August 2021 Rexhbeçaj was loaned to VfL Bochum for the 2021–22 season.[7]
FC Augsburg
editOn 27 July 2022, Rexhbeçaj signed a four-year contract with FC Augsburg.[8]
International career
editRexhbeçaj was born in the village of Gjonaj and raised in Spremberg and Brandenburg an der Havel by Kosovo Albanian parents who fled Kosovo during the Kosovo War.[9] In February 2021, he confirmed his desire to represent Germany and stated that he was contacted by Stefan Kuntz as a candidate for the Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Olympics.[10] A month later, there were reports that Rexhbeçaj would switch his allegiance to Albania.[11]
On 13 July 2024, the Football Federation of Kosovo announced that Rexhbeçaj had decided to play for the Kosovo national team, and the delay in his decision was due to the restrictions of the old German nationality law, which did not allow dual citizenship.[12] On 30 August 2024, he received a call-up from Kosovo for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Romania and Cyprus.[13] His debut with Kosovo came seven days later in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League match against Romania after being named in the starting line-up.[14]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played on 29 October 2024[15]
| Club | Season | League | DFB Pokal | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| VfL Wolfsburg II | 2016–17 | Regionalliga Nord | 17 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18 | Regionalliga Nord | 24 | 9 | — | — | 24 | 9 | |||
| 2018–19 | Regionalliga Nord | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| 2019–20 | Regionalliga Nord | 3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| Total | 47 | 12 | — | — | 47 | 12 | ||||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
| 1. FC Köln (loan) | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 30 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 33 | 7 | ||
| Total | 43 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | 46 | 7 | |||
| VfL Bochum (loan) | 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | |
| FC Augsburg | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 10 | 2 | ||
| Total | 56 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | 61 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 206 | 22 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 222 | 25 | ||
- ^ Appearance in UEFA Europa League
International
edit- As of match played 10 October 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kosovo | 2024 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
References
edit- ^ a b "Rexhbeçaj me kontratë profesionale te Wolfsburgu" [Rexhbeçaj with professional contract at Wolfsburg] (in Albanian). Koha.net. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Elvis Rexhbeçaj". vfl-wolfsburg.de. VfL Wolfsburg-Fußball GmbH. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Zyrtare: Talenti shqiptar nga Prizreni promovohet në ekipin e parë të Wolfsburgut (Foto)" [Official: Albanian talent from Prizren promoted to Wolfsburg's first team (Photo)]. prizrenpress.com (in Albanian). PrizrenPress. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ "Dreier im Derby" (in German). VfL Wolfsburg. 28 January 2018.
- ^ "Edhe një kosovar bëhet pjesë e Bundesligës, 20 vjeçari mbrëmë debutoi tek skuadra e njohur gjermane". Gazeta Blic (in Albanian). 28 January 2018. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ Werner, Lars. "1. FC Köln leiht Mittelfeld-Talent Elvis Rexhbecaj vom VfL Wolfsburg aus". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Season-long loan for Rexhbecaj". VfL Wolfsburg. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "FCA complete the signing of midfielder Elvis Rexhbecaj". Augsburg. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ Arne Steinberg (5 January 2020). "Neuzugang Elvis Rexhbecaj: Aus dem Kosovo über die Autostadt nach Köln" [Newcomer Elvis Rexhbecaj: From Kosovo via the Autostadt to Cologne]. Effzeh.com (in German).
- ^ Thomas Hiete (18 February 2021). "Olympia? Rexhbecaj: "Kuntz hat mich auf die Liste gesetzt"" [Olympic Games? Rexhbecaj: "Kuntz put me on the list"] (in German). Kicker.
- ^ ""Reja të do te Shqipëria", në Kosovë zbulojnë mesazhin e Salihit dërguar talentit që po shkëlqen në Bundesligë" ["Reja wants you to Albania", in Kosovo they reveal Salihi's message sent to the talent who is shining in the Bundesliga] (in Albanian). Panorama Sport. 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Elvis Rexhbeçaj i bashkohet Kombëtares së Kosovës" [Elvis Rexhbeçaj joins the Kosovo national team] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Foda publikon listën e futbollistëve dardanë për dy ndeshjet e shtatorit" [Foda publishes the list of Dardanian footballers for the September matches] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Formacionet zyrtare, Kosovë-Rumani: Debutojnë dy ardhjet e reja tek 'Dardanët'" [Official line-ups, Kosovo-Romania: The two new arrivals to 'Dardanians' make their debut] (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 6 September 2024.
- ^ Elvis Rexhbeçaj at Soccerway. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
External links
edit- Elvis Rexhbeçaj at Soccerway
- Elvis Rexhbeçaj at DFB (also available in German)